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The best explanation I've heard is that the interstate system killed the need for trains here. We're the only country in the world with anything like it. (Fun f

The best explanation I've heard is that the interstate system killed the need for trains here. We're the only country in the world with anything like it. (Fun fact: It's the world's largest infrastructure project.) Because of highways, we're already connected in ways that wouldn't even be possible with trains. It's just faster and more practical to drive the entire way, or drive to an airport and from an airport to your destination, than to add a train station into the mix. In France, you can walk from your apartment to the metro, change to the regional train, and even go international without getting in a car. This will never be possible in the US because we build cities and suburbs around the highway system.

mongol 5y ago
What makes the interstate system globally unique?
- mimixco 5y ago
  Well, it's the only thing like it in the world! We are the only country that has a highway network (as in, multilane, graded, exits, safety areas, services, etc.) that runs "from sea to shining sea" and top-to-bottom as well. Literally every city in America can be reached from it and, paramount in its construction, every military base. A design requirement was that military airplanes be able to land on major highways if necessary for military maneuvers. The interstate helped make America what it is. It created a massive westward expansion even greater than the railroads. It turned San Jose from prune and peach trees into Silicon Valley. It turned Florida from a useless swamp into Miami. It enabled the escape from Detroit that led to that city's bankruptcy. It wiped out countless communities (especially communities of color and rural farm communities) when it skipped over them in its development, or put a pylon right through a local neighborhood. I think the history of the interstate and what it's become is fascinating. This fab promo video from the construction era shows some of the PR they used to sell it to the public: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnrqUHF5bH8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnrqUHF5bH8
  - jbay808 5y ago
    Wasn't it basically modelled after the Autobahn?
    - mimixco 5y ago
      Exactly. And scaled massively. And overdone in the usual US style, with US-style repercussions.
    - nickik 5y ago
      More like after the propaganda of the Nazis about what the Autobahn was.
  - ChrisArchitect 5y ago
    Trans-Canada Highway has entered the chat
    - charrondev 5y ago
      > multilane, graded, exits, safety areas, services, etc.) As someone who actually just finished a month trip from eastern Canada to the Yukon and back, and drove almost the entirety of the trans Canada highway, it’s laughable compared to the US road infrastructure. There are large sections that are 2 way single lane highway. There are parts of this “highway” that slow to 40km/hr as you drive through a small town. I mean I’m glad it’s there, but I’ve also taken long road trips through states and found the interstates highways to be a big step up in quality.
      - mimixco 5y ago
        The Florida Turnpike system is the most amazing road I've ever been on. It's 309 miles with incredible Service Plazas that contain separate areas for trucks and cars, a gas station, sparkling restrooms with attendants (and sponsorships), branded restaurants, convenience stores, etc. All of this is open 24 hours, patrolled by lots of cops, road assistance services, etc. While not part of the Interstate system, it's of course connected. The road is quite expensive and the tolls make so much money for the State of Florida that they don't need to charge income tax or corporate tax. Pretty amazing.
codegeek 5y ago
I love our Interstate Highways and wouldn't trade it for anything BUT why does it have to be 1 or the other. Why not both ? America can do it. I know we can.
- mimixco 5y ago
  Great comment. It's just not practical to have two systems. Too expensive. Too hard to get anyone to sign off on both. Both take a lot of public money and it's hard to get people to duplicate spending when the other thing is "working." Worse is better, to use software speak! I wouldn't trade our Interstate for anything, either and anyone who says that the roads outside of Paris are anything like US interstates just hasn't been on the latter. Anyway, I also love European trains and have spent lots of time on those. The benefits of going from Métro in France for a day trip to Belgium, then back to Paris in time for dinner is just fabulous. No car. No luggage. That is simply not happening in the US.
  - Symbiote 5y ago
    This is next-level American exceptionalism. Here's a random bit of French motorway, not radiating from Paris, and a random bit of interstate. I don't see any difference. A89 https://maps.app.goo.gl/DfPWAMrsm4J4R3QQ8 https://maps.app.goo.gl/DfPWAMrsm4J4R3QQ8 I70 https://maps.app.goo.gl/r34MPasPfxn6XTUg6 https://maps.app.goo.gl/r34MPasPfxn6XTUg6
    - mimixco 5y ago
      I accept that accusation with exceptional American pride. I think everyone should be proud of the unique features of his or her country and how they led to its history. I love your definitely non-random town selection in the US. Excellent. My comment was aimed at the overall level of standardization and features of the American interstate, as well as its early and pivotal development in our country's history. That's all. It was not a slight at anyone else's roadways, however exceptional.
- supertrope 5y ago
  Desirable land is finite. Tax dollars are finite. Time is finite. Americans have spent generations and trillions of dollars building highways, roads, and parking to make driving really convenient. Every acre used for highways and parking is an acre that can’t be used for train stations, apartments, and fully grade separated bike roads. Any discussion on reallocating some land or dollars to alternative transportation is immediately rejected by the car dependent majority. “Why should a portion of gasoline tax go toward public transportation?” “Bike lines increase traffic!” “The new development would change the neighborhood character!” “Add more lanes!”
jdavis703 5y ago
> In France, you can walk from your apartment to the metro, change to the regional train, and even go international without getting in a car. This is absolutely possible to do in the USA. When I worked with an engineering team in Copenhagen I did it several times a year. I don’t even live in NYC. Even domestically I can take the train from my West Coast city to the airport, fly and then take the train to my family in the Virginia suburbs.
- mimixco 5y ago
  Yes, I was speaking of country-scale. Specifically, countries the size of the US, which are few and far between. This is not possible at country scale in the US.
bluGill 5y ago
German drivers on the autobahn with no speed limits still drive about the same speed as US drivers on the interstate. Trains around the world regularly go much faster. That is before we get into how much safer trains are than even the best drivers (sorry humans, you all suck as drivers, it isn't "just the other guy"), or other environmental issues. There is plenty of room for more rail in the US because I want to get "there" faster and planes are not faster for many trips.

mongol 5y ago

What makes the interstate system globally unique?

mimixco 5y ago
Well, it's the only thing like it in the world! We are the only country that has a highway network (as in, multilane, graded, exits, safety areas, services, etc.) that runs "from sea to shining sea" and top-to-bottom as well. Literally every city in America can be reached from it and, paramount in its construction, every military base. A design requirement was that military airplanes be able to land on major highways if necessary for military maneuvers. The interstate helped make America what it is. It created a massive westward expansion even greater than the railroads. It turned San Jose from prune and peach trees into Silicon Valley. It turned Florida from a useless swamp into Miami. It enabled the escape from Detroit that led to that city's bankruptcy. It wiped out countless communities (especially communities of color and rural farm communities) when it skipped over them in its development, or put a pylon right through a local neighborhood. I think the history of the interstate and what it's become is fascinating. This fab promo video from the construction era shows some of the PR they used to sell it to the public: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnrqUHF5bH8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnrqUHF5bH8
- jbay808 5y ago
  Wasn't it basically modelled after the Autobahn?
  - mimixco 5y ago
    Exactly. And scaled massively. And overdone in the usual US style, with US-style repercussions.
  - nickik 5y ago
    More like after the propaganda of the Nazis about what the Autobahn was.
- ChrisArchitect 5y ago
  Trans-Canada Highway has entered the chat
  - charrondev 5y ago
    > multilane, graded, exits, safety areas, services, etc.) As someone who actually just finished a month trip from eastern Canada to the Yukon and back, and drove almost the entirety of the trans Canada highway, it’s laughable compared to the US road infrastructure. There are large sections that are 2 way single lane highway. There are parts of this “highway” that slow to 40km/hr as you drive through a small town. I mean I’m glad it’s there, but I’ve also taken long road trips through states and found the interstates highways to be a big step up in quality.
    - mimixco 5y ago
      The Florida Turnpike system is the most amazing road I've ever been on. It's 309 miles with incredible Service Plazas that contain separate areas for trucks and cars, a gas station, sparkling restrooms with attendants (and sponsorships), branded restaurants, convenience stores, etc. All of this is open 24 hours, patrolled by lots of cops, road assistance services, etc. While not part of the Interstate system, it's of course connected. The road is quite expensive and the tolls make so much money for the State of Florida that they don't need to charge income tax or corporate tax. Pretty amazing.

codegeek 5y ago

I love our Interstate Highways and wouldn't trade it for anything BUT why does it have to be 1 or the other. Why not both ? America can do it. I know we can.

mimixco 5y ago
Great comment. It's just not practical to have two systems. Too expensive. Too hard to get anyone to sign off on both. Both take a lot of public money and it's hard to get people to duplicate spending when the other thing is "working." Worse is better, to use software speak! I wouldn't trade our Interstate for anything, either and anyone who says that the roads outside of Paris are anything like US interstates just hasn't been on the latter. Anyway, I also love European trains and have spent lots of time on those. The benefits of going from Métro in France for a day trip to Belgium, then back to Paris in time for dinner is just fabulous. No car. No luggage. That is simply not happening in the US.
- Symbiote 5y ago
  This is next-level American exceptionalism. Here's a random bit of French motorway, not radiating from Paris, and a random bit of interstate. I don't see any difference. A89 https://maps.app.goo.gl/DfPWAMrsm4J4R3QQ8 https://maps.app.goo.gl/DfPWAMrsm4J4R3QQ8 I70 https://maps.app.goo.gl/r34MPasPfxn6XTUg6 https://maps.app.goo.gl/r34MPasPfxn6XTUg6
  - mimixco 5y ago
    I accept that accusation with exceptional American pride. I think everyone should be proud of the unique features of his or her country and how they led to its history. I love your definitely non-random town selection in the US. Excellent. My comment was aimed at the overall level of standardization and features of the American interstate, as well as its early and pivotal development in our country's history. That's all. It was not a slight at anyone else's roadways, however exceptional.
supertrope 5y ago
Desirable land is finite. Tax dollars are finite. Time is finite. Americans have spent generations and trillions of dollars building highways, roads, and parking to make driving really convenient. Every acre used for highways and parking is an acre that can’t be used for train stations, apartments, and fully grade separated bike roads. Any discussion on reallocating some land or dollars to alternative transportation is immediately rejected by the car dependent majority. “Why should a portion of gasoline tax go toward public transportation?” “Bike lines increase traffic!” “The new development would change the neighborhood character!” “Add more lanes!”

jdavis703 5y ago

> In France, you can walk from your apartment to the metro, change to the regional train, and even go international without getting in a car. This is absolutely possible to do in the USA. When I worked with an engineering team in Copenhagen I did it several times a year. I don’t even live in NYC. Even domestically I can take the train from my West Coast city to the airport, fly and then take the train to my family in the Virginia suburbs.

mimixco 5y ago
Yes, I was speaking of country-scale. Specifically, countries the size of the US, which are few and far between. This is not possible at country scale in the US.

bluGill 5y ago

German drivers on the autobahn with no speed limits still drive about the same speed as US drivers on the interstate. Trains around the world regularly go much faster. That is before we get into how much safer trains are than even the best drivers (sorry humans, you all suck as drivers, it isn't "just the other guy"), or other environmental issues. There is plenty of room for more rail in the US because I want to get "there" faster and planes are not faster for many trips.