4 ms·

Cycling is cleaner than any of them. So what?

throwawayjava 8y ago
HSR is a viable alternative to flights. Similar travel times are possible. Electrified rail is a viable alternative to suburb <-> urban center commutes. Similar/better travel times are possible. And in both cases rail is much more pleasant. E.g., ICE trains are way nicer airplanes -- anyone who thinks otherwise has never been on an ICE train or really enjoys being punished. I also prefer DB trains to being a passenger in a car on an interstate. Trains, when well-done, are much quieter, a much smoother ride, have much more comfortable seats, and offer the option to stand up and stretch if you feel like it. Cycling is never a replacement for either of those two use cases.
- sokoloff 8y ago
  > HSR is a viable alternative to flights. Similar travel times are possible. It's a viable alternative to short-haul flights. Boston to Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, or Seattle is not really competitive by rail, even if the US had any high-speed rail.
  - throwawayjava 8y ago
    Sure.
haimez 8y ago
Not practical in the same space. What train or flight plans will you be canceling in favor of cycling?
- ams6110 8y ago
  None. That's the point. Just because something is cleaner does not make it practical. Passenger rail isn't happening in the USA. It would take huge investment, and flying would always win on route flexibility. Once you build a rail line you're pretty committed to it. Flight routes can be changed on demand. Just get over it. We'll never see widespread intercity rail in the USA.
  - throwawayjava 8y ago
    > Once you build a rail line you're pretty committed to it ...sure. But also, once you build a 5+ million person metro area you're pretty committed to it...
    - azeotropic 8y ago
      The U.S. has 9 such metro areas. NYC, LA, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Washington DC, Miami, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. You could profitably run high-speed rail between NYC and DC, hitting Philadelphia on the way. Amtrak does run a sort of high speed service on this route. There's a study underway for a privately funded high-speed rail connecting Dallas and Houston. Miami to Atlanta is at the edge of what might make sense. Sizable metro areas can decline, Detroit is now 1/3 the size that it was at its peak in the 1960s. The railway station was abandoned. https://ebow.org/artwork/470141-The-Great-Hall.html https://ebow.org/artwork/470141-The-Great-Hall.html
wongarsu 8y ago
Cycling to/from the train station and transporting your bike in the train is great (with train cars designed for it, which is not uncommon in Europe).
- kaybe 8y ago
  Folding bikes are becoming more and more popular lately. You can take them without a ticket or restriction, which is nice.
esoterae 8y ago
Whataboutism is escapist, used to sow discord, and as such is a method of division commonly used to attempt the derailment [ha] of an otherwise useful discussion.
- dang 8y ago
  Please don't use that trope on HN. It never leads anywhere interesting. https://hn.algolia.com/?sort=byDate&dateRange=all&type=comment&storyText=false&prefix=false&page=0&query=by:dang%20whataboutism https://hn.algolia.com/?sort=byDate&dateRange=all&type=comme...

HSR is a viable alternative to flights. Similar travel times are possible. Electrified rail is a viable alternative to suburb <-> urban center commutes. Similar/better travel times are possible. And in both cases rail is much more pleasant. E.g., ICE trains are way nicer airplanes -- anyone who thinks otherwise has never been on an ICE train or really enjoys being punished. I also prefer DB trains to being a passenger in a car on an interstate. Trains, when well-done, are much quieter, a much smoother ride, have much more comfortable seats, and offer the option to stand up and stretch if you feel like it. Cycling is never a replacement for either of those two use cases.

sokoloff 8y ago
> HSR is a viable alternative to flights. Similar travel times are possible. It's a viable alternative to short-haul flights. Boston to Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, or Seattle is not really competitive by rail, even if the US had any high-speed rail.
- throwawayjava 8y ago
  Sure.

haimez 8y ago

Not practical in the same space. What train or flight plans will you be canceling in favor of cycling?

ams6110 8y ago
None. That's the point. Just because something is cleaner does not make it practical. Passenger rail isn't happening in the USA. It would take huge investment, and flying would always win on route flexibility. Once you build a rail line you're pretty committed to it. Flight routes can be changed on demand. Just get over it. We'll never see widespread intercity rail in the USA.
- throwawayjava 8y ago
  > Once you build a rail line you're pretty committed to it ...sure. But also, once you build a 5+ million person metro area you're pretty committed to it...
  - azeotropic 8y ago
    The U.S. has 9 such metro areas. NYC, LA, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Washington DC, Miami, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. You could profitably run high-speed rail between NYC and DC, hitting Philadelphia on the way. Amtrak does run a sort of high speed service on this route. There's a study underway for a privately funded high-speed rail connecting Dallas and Houston. Miami to Atlanta is at the edge of what might make sense. Sizable metro areas can decline, Detroit is now 1/3 the size that it was at its peak in the 1960s. The railway station was abandoned. https://ebow.org/artwork/470141-The-Great-Hall.html https://ebow.org/artwork/470141-The-Great-Hall.html

wongarsu 8y ago

Cycling to/from the train station and transporting your bike in the train is great (with train cars designed for it, which is not uncommon in Europe).

kaybe 8y ago
Folding bikes are becoming more and more popular lately. You can take them without a ticket or restriction, which is nice.

esoterae 8y ago

Whataboutism is escapist, used to sow discord, and as such is a method of division commonly used to attempt the derailment [ha] of an otherwise useful discussion.

dang 8y ago
Please don't use that trope on HN. It never leads anywhere interesting. https://hn.algolia.com/?sort=byDate&dateRange=all&type=comment&storyText=false&prefix=false&page=0&query=by:dang%20whataboutism https://hn.algolia.com/?sort=byDate&dateRange=all&type=comme...