Development follows transportation, and since the main method of travel in the U.S. has been rubber tires and individual vehicles for the last 80 years, natural

Development follows transportation, and since the main method of travel in the U.S. has been rubber tires and individual vehicles for the last 80 years, naturally a train can't service a whole suburb or exurb efficiently. Trains have trouble in the U.S. because the technology allows--even requires-- central planning and authority on an active, everyday basis. If the transportation department goes on strike, we in cars keep driving. Not so for trains. Also it's not a fair fight to have a public decentralized asphalt road system compete with a highly regulated centralized private rail system. It's not a pure technology vs. technology battle-- the political aspects dominate.