5 ms·

there's 4 things I want more than anything as far as transportation in the US goes 1. affordable, nationwide rail networks 2. affordable local public transpor

there's 4 things I want more than anything as far as transportation in the US goes 1. affordable, nationwide rail networks 2. affordable local public transportation 3. Expansion into walkable cities 4. range extended EVs, or EVs where it's trivial/cheap to get (either rent or buy) a range extender for long distance trips

landemva 4y ago
Nice list. I wonder how the spend can be prioritized. Decades of foreign adventuring is costly and no longer exciting.
saalweachter 4y ago
The first is really blocked on the second & third. Taking a train to New York or Chicago is fantastic. If you've never used their transit systems before it may take a bit to get used to them, but you can step off the train and go about your business. When I have Amtrak points to burn, I love taking a "day trip" to Chicago, a thousand miles away. I can arrive at 10am and leave at 9pm, and run out of time before I run out of things to do. If you take the train into a smaller city, you better hope there is a car rental on whatever bus loop they have.
- jdminhbg 4y ago
  > I love taking a "day trip" to Chicago, a thousand miles away. I can arrive at 10am Out of curiosity, what time do you have to leave to arrive at 10?
  - saalweachter 4y ago
    5pm the day before, returning around 4 the day after.
- karmelapple 4y ago
  And therefore things for all of, including the parent poster, can do is: 1. Vote in local elections, because zoning is a local elected official kind of thing 2. Get involved in city council, zoning board of appeals, etc 3. Perhaps even run yourself, or at least get together with like minded individuals in your area and organize
phkahler 4y ago
Public transit only works in high density areas. Much of the US isn't suitable for it at all.
tonymet 4y ago
2,3 are common. You're never going to see #1 – i.e. a europe or japan in USA. #4 – why bother. ICE cars have all the range you need
- AlexandrB 4y ago
  Range in EVs is interesting because it costs a fortune up front, but for most people doesn't get used very often. Yes, there's some benefit to battery lifespan, but it's hard to justify the thousands of dollars extra when buying the car. It would be really cool if you could rent/add battery expansion packs to your EV when you do need them - like a big USB power bank - but we need a lot more standardization in the technology first.
  - tonymet 4y ago
    Clever idea . You could shave off hundreds of pounds
lacker 4y ago
Here in CA we have spent billions of dollars on high speed rail over the past decade but the project just keeps getting delayed and the price tag keeps going up. If we could build these projects for merely 2x what it costs in other countries, we'd have affordable rail by now.

landemva 4y ago

Nice list. I wonder how the spend can be prioritized. Decades of foreign adventuring is costly and no longer exciting.

saalweachter 4y ago

The first is really blocked on the second & third. Taking a train to New York or Chicago is fantastic. If you've never used their transit systems before it may take a bit to get used to them, but you can step off the train and go about your business. When I have Amtrak points to burn, I love taking a "day trip" to Chicago, a thousand miles away. I can arrive at 10am and leave at 9pm, and run out of time before I run out of things to do. If you take the train into a smaller city, you better hope there is a car rental on whatever bus loop they have.

jdminhbg 4y ago
> I love taking a "day trip" to Chicago, a thousand miles away. I can arrive at 10am Out of curiosity, what time do you have to leave to arrive at 10?
- saalweachter 4y ago
  5pm the day before, returning around 4 the day after.
karmelapple 4y ago
And therefore things for all of, including the parent poster, can do is: 1. Vote in local elections, because zoning is a local elected official kind of thing 2. Get involved in city council, zoning board of appeals, etc 3. Perhaps even run yourself, or at least get together with like minded individuals in your area and organize

phkahler 4y ago

Public transit only works in high density areas. Much of the US isn't suitable for it at all.

tonymet 4y ago

2,3 are common. You're never going to see #1 – i.e. a europe or japan in USA. #4 – why bother. ICE cars have all the range you need

AlexandrB 4y ago
Range in EVs is interesting because it costs a fortune up front, but for most people doesn't get used very often. Yes, there's some benefit to battery lifespan, but it's hard to justify the thousands of dollars extra when buying the car. It would be really cool if you could rent/add battery expansion packs to your EV when you do need them - like a big USB power bank - but we need a lot more standardization in the technology first.
- tonymet 4y ago
  Clever idea . You could shave off hundreds of pounds

lacker 4y ago

Here in CA we have spent billions of dollars on high speed rail over the past decade but the project just keeps getting delayed and the price tag keeps going up. If we could build these projects for merely 2x what it costs in other countries, we'd have affordable rail by now.