Would mass transit aid in the evacuation of people?

[bleedingheart]

I don't get a chance to listen to the news much but has anyone discussed whether large commuter rail networks would have made a difference in the mass evacuation of both New Orleans and Houston?

I know that Americans have a "love affair with the car" but geez..who gives a shit if you can't go anywhere because everyone takes their car and creates a huge bottleneck.

[pitohui]

1. i doubt it

my house is going to be destroyed, i am going to put a tiny backpack on my back & get on a train or i'm going to at least try to save my car & fill it with my pets & as many of my possessions as i can take

it's a no-brainer

plus you are not going to get huge #s of destitute ppl on a rail car to an unknown destination, shades of germany 1942, it ain't gonna happen, can you imagine the hay farrahkan would make out of THAT

what we need is better JOBS, higher WAGES, so that ppl have some damn opportunities & can afford to buy & maintain their own vehicles

you wouldn't want to be a damn refugee on a train, don't assume that i would

[bleedingheart]

3. I could put all my possessions in a back pack and board a train

and each of my kids and husband could do the same. (note I would not take anything but some clothes, insurance/important papers and photos)

There are a great number of people who live in metropolitan areas that don't own cars, like my brother in law...he uses mass transit every day and could probably pack most of his possessions in a suit case.

[Nikki Stone 1]

2. I think a lot of us are thinking along the same lines

Watching people stuck on the interstate, one can't help but wonder if fast mass transit would do a better job. And can someone tell me WHY it takes until the last hours of the evacuation before ALL highway lanes are opened to outbound traffic? Why don't ALL those lanes open as soon as a mandatory evac is announced?

[bleedingheart]

4. I also wonder how many of those cars on that interstate only have

one occupant.

I think that this would have been the perfect time to car pool.

[Lars39]

5. A little perspective...

the London subway system gets one million people where they need to be each morning.