HA HA!! Texas' public transportation system is a bunch of BIG CARS!

[Ron Green]

This is what happens when gasoline is kept artificially cheap for decades, for GENERATIONS, fooling people into thinking that driving anywhere, anytime in a bulbous conveyance is our birthright. Every time I go to Texas (the land of my birth and home for many years) I'm newly appalled at the wasteful transportation mix of SUV's and more SUV's.

[villager]

1. rails are suddenly looking pretty damned good, aren't they?

And of course, we have an Amtrak-hating "government" in place!

[Ron Green]

3. You're damn straght. Why don't the trains run on time? Because

the "powers that be" don't want them to be serious transportation, they want them to carry nice retirees and rail-fans, who won't raise much hell about 6-hour delays.

[villager]

10. that's right. Efficient trains everywhere means:

fewer car sales, less oil sold...

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. also thsi faith based

self evacuation is failing, in major ways

[Bouncy Ball]

4. I've been screaming and yelling for mass transportation since

I was a teenager.

[Bouncy Ball]

5. Dupe

[bluestateguy]

6. The SUV's COULD be made useful

If people would fill up any extra space in their SUV's with people who don't have cars or the means to get out of the city. But I suspect that is not happening right now (though I think it would be the same in the other 49 states). SUV owners are not the most communitarian of people.

As for public transit, it's not the answer to everything. I too wish that Houston would have a subway system or light rail system, but no matter how hard you try you can't design a public transit system that will serve everybody and their needs all of the time. Unless you live in Manhattan. Public transportation will not be workable for everybody's work schedule and the conduct of their personal affairs. Nor is it particularly helpful for rural Americans--where, for example, the nearest grocery store might be 10 miles away.

[Ron Green]

7. I'm thinking that if we had done things differently 30 or 60 years ago,

we wouldn't have developed the kinds of wasteful land-use arrangements that we did. But it was in someone's interest to move people on rubber tires and with lots of fossil fuel, rather than on steel rails and more efficiently.

[CornField]

8. With all due respect -- it ain't just Texas

Our nation -- the whole damn place -- has had a love of the automobile for decades now. The cities which do offer public transportation offer it within their region only. For instance, the public transportation system here is limited to taxi cabs and buses. There are no bus routes outside of the greater metropolitan area.

People typically don't wish to live close to industrial areas, so the best housing opportunities are built away from the city. While there might be 1-2 buses venturing into those neighborhoods, many residents feel public transportation would bring the 'wrong element' into their backyards. The few who care about conservation are then forced to drive to a bus stop and to 'park and ride.' Even in Portland, Oregon (which I found to be a very progressive city), there were massive lots so folks could 'park and ride.'

When the cities were built, those in charge did not include public transportation into the mix -- much less public transportation to and from other cities (unless we are talking Greyhound).

But please, let's not let logical discussions of city planning get in the way of your facial slap to Texas (or any other predominantly red state). Carry on...

[Ron Green]

9. You're right, of course. It's true all over the country, and Texas is

just slightly worse than average. And Houston is bloated even by Texas standards, and has been for years.

[Oeditpus Rex]

11. Granted — but don't laugh about it

People are fucking dying, man.

:cry:

[Bouncy Ball]

12. Oh and that would make it a PRIVATE transportation system,

not a public one. And I agree with the guy above: the HA HA!!! seems a bit out of place right now.