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If only there were a way to take a trip without driving. It would be so nice if there were some kind of large vehicle that multiple people could get in, that ha

If only there were a way to take a trip without driving. It would be so nice if there were some kind of large vehicle that multiple people could get in, that had a dedicate right-of-way for long-haul trips, so individuals didn't have to worry about fuel. These hypothetical vehicles could go to multiple high-traffic destinations, so a person could get close to where they wanted to be, and then drive a personal vehicle the rest of the distance, but sleep for most of the trip, or just relax. Unfortunately, no such method of travel ever has or ever will be invented, so I guess we'll just have to rely on internal combustion engines for the rest of eternity.

MontyCarloHall 5y ago
While I agree in principle, pragmatically (in the US at least) it would be orders of magnitude easier to build out our EV charging network and increase the all-season range of EVs than to build out a massive rail network on par with both our interstate road network and local highway networks.
ghaff 5y ago
Because it is totally reasonable to expect there to be a bus or train from some arbitrary location (even a city) to a random mountain trailhead or ski area.
- hnaccount_rng 5y ago
  You just described Switzerland xD
  - ghaff 5y ago
    Even Switzerland doesn't have complete public transportation coverage but it probably comes closer than just about anyplace else.
zdragnar 5y ago
Such vehicles certainly don't exist for 90% of the long haul trips I take (busses and trains). Planes could get me there, but they also would actually take longer than just driving because where I need to go isn't serviced by national lines, only regional planes.
nradov 5y ago
If you want to get from the Bay Area to Lake Tahoe area ski resorts it's almost impossible to do that via mass transit. Best case scenario would be an all-day ordeal with at least 5 transfers, and no easy way to carry bulky, heavy ski equipment. No one is going to put up with that when they can just drive their personal vehicle in half the time with greater comfort. There used to be a private ski bus charter service on weekends but that shut down due to the pandemic.
- thesuitonym 5y ago
  It's amazing that people will say something like this. We don't have this infrastructure now, so we can't even think about building it.

MontyCarloHall 5y ago

While I agree in principle, pragmatically (in the US at least) it would be orders of magnitude easier to build out our EV charging network and increase the all-season range of EVs than to build out a massive rail network on par with both our interstate road network and local highway networks.

ghaff 5y ago

Because it is totally reasonable to expect there to be a bus or train from some arbitrary location (even a city) to a random mountain trailhead or ski area.

hnaccount_rng 5y ago
You just described Switzerland xD
- ghaff 5y ago
  Even Switzerland doesn't have complete public transportation coverage but it probably comes closer than just about anyplace else.

zdragnar 5y ago

Such vehicles certainly don't exist for 90% of the long haul trips I take (busses and trains). Planes could get me there, but they also would actually take longer than just driving because where I need to go isn't serviced by national lines, only regional planes.

nradov 5y ago

If you want to get from the Bay Area to Lake Tahoe area ski resorts it's almost impossible to do that via mass transit. Best case scenario would be an all-day ordeal with at least 5 transfers, and no easy way to carry bulky, heavy ski equipment. No one is going to put up with that when they can just drive their personal vehicle in half the time with greater comfort. There used to be a private ski bus charter service on weekends but that shut down due to the pandemic.

thesuitonym 5y ago
It's amazing that people will say something like this. We don't have this infrastructure now, so we can't even think about building it.