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Americans are deluded with cars. America is just huge and our cities (metro + suburbs) are huge. Meaning to use a train requires driving to the train stop, park

Americans are deluded with cars. America is just huge and our cities (metro + suburbs) are huge. Meaning to use a train requires driving to the train stop, parking, waiting for train, etc. and if that entire process isn’t meaningfully better experience or meaningfully faster why wouldn’t I choose to drive. It’s like Caltrain, for many driving is actually a faster commute than taking Caltrain. People took Caltrain though as the 20mins ish more the train takes makes up not sitting in standstill traffic.

gbil 3y ago
Couldn’t resist but China is same land size and 4+ times the population of USA yet they do have a huge high speed network and pubic transport The issue therefore is not size but attitude/will to have public transport
- Mountain_Skies 3y ago
  China doesn't see diversity as their strength.
- bushbaba 3y ago
  4 times the population for the same land size means greater density to justify rail transport. The car is actually an amazing transport concept. And very hard to beat
  - throwaway4220 3y ago
    Petroleum is also an amazing concept and hard to beat doesn’t mean we should not try to improve things
  - ashayh 3y ago
    |The car is actually an amazing transport concept. And very hard to beat You do know you can have the best of both? Germany (where BMWs, Mercs, Audis are made), France, Japan, Switzerland etc have no shortage of easy, high end mass public transport with luxurious options for long trips. Or you buy/rent cars if you need to drive, or insist on driving. If a Texan could get by with $500 a month on public transport, instead of $1000 on a car, they could go on a long vacation, and rent a Ferrari with the money saved in a year.
- JWLong 3y ago
  You can frame this as a lack of political willpower, but that won’t get you closer. China will have spent far less per commuter, in this process. Whether you want to chalk it up to the lack of certain standards in China, or onerous regulations in the US, doesn’t matter. End result will be the same. Just like Europe is not a fair comparison for the US, neither is China, or Siberia, for that matter.

gbil 3y ago

Couldn’t resist but China is same land size and 4+ times the population of USA yet they do have a huge high speed network and pubic transport The issue therefore is not size but attitude/will to have public transport

Mountain_Skies 3y ago
China doesn't see diversity as their strength.
bushbaba 3y ago
4 times the population for the same land size means greater density to justify rail transport. The car is actually an amazing transport concept. And very hard to beat
- throwaway4220 3y ago
  Petroleum is also an amazing concept and hard to beat doesn’t mean we should not try to improve things
- ashayh 3y ago
  |The car is actually an amazing transport concept. And very hard to beat You do know you can have the best of both? Germany (where BMWs, Mercs, Audis are made), France, Japan, Switzerland etc have no shortage of easy, high end mass public transport with luxurious options for long trips. Or you buy/rent cars if you need to drive, or insist on driving. If a Texan could get by with $500 a month on public transport, instead of $1000 on a car, they could go on a long vacation, and rent a Ferrari with the money saved in a year.
JWLong 3y ago
You can frame this as a lack of political willpower, but that won’t get you closer. China will have spent far less per commuter, in this process. Whether you want to chalk it up to the lack of certain standards in China, or onerous regulations in the US, doesn’t matter. End result will be the same. Just like Europe is not a fair comparison for the US, neither is China, or Siberia, for that matter.