Current Events > Public transportation needs to be faster

(+) Yeah! (+)

I live in Louisiana and to my knowledge, most of the state doesn't even have public transport. Where I live, we have city busses and a specific bus service that operates in this town (the town isn't very big). It's $1.75 a ride, but the catch is it can take absolutely fucking forever to find a ride. It only goes one way, too, so if you have multiple stops, be prepared to be out and about for at least a couple hours just because of that one extra trip.

The city busses aren't much better since you still have to wait at a bus stop for an indefinite period of time (you can track the location of the bus you're trying to catch, but it's usually only loosely accurate), but at least I'm not trying to book a ride for an hour straight only to be constantly told "LOL WE'RE BUSY TRY AGAIN LATER". Just a bit of a rant. Is public transportation like this everywhere?

I grew up in a small city and went to graduate school in a smaller town. In both cases, public buses were extant, but mediocre.

Now I live in DC, and while public transit draws a lot of complaint I think it's great. 8 / 10 system.

In the US: Public transportation is shitty in most places.

Yep. Public transportation needs to be a lot more frequent in order for it to be a viable alternative.

Ive been to both Germany and Switzerland for a while now and as amazing as the Autobahn has been it really drives me crazy how often the speed limits here blue ball you. Theyll mark a speed limit of 120km and then 1 min later itll be 100 or 80 or 60. Then itll flip flip between 80 and 100km. There will be times when the speed limit doesnt exist and then will drop 100 on you shortly after. From my understand if you dont follow the speed signs here theyll send you a letter with a bill in the mail.

Public transportation cuts into auto manufacturers' profits and we can't have that

SF has a great bus system, very robust and covers most of the city. Rides are 2.50 each, but you get free transfers for 2 hours after your first. A lot of core routes run very frequently in peak hours. Also the lines that go through the hills have absolutely gorgeous views, and it's honestly impressive seeing the drivers handle the big ass hills. The new rapid bus portion is also super quick and convenient

but pollution

bus fare is 1$ but severely limited where it goes (used to drive through neighborhood until funding was bungled by executive and they had to stop bus service until they had enough money).

used to take bus to go to the fred meyer to buy dvd's (was in the dvd buying phase of my life at the time).
could buy 4 box sets of seasons (the ones 25$ or under).

Neo posted...

In the US: Public transportation is shitty in most places.

The only way public transit will ever improve, is when its used by people who don't need it.

I visited Columbus, OH earlier this year and was pleasantly surprised by their bus system. Quick, efficient, wide-ranging, and inexpensive ($2.50 a ride but after two fares you ride for free for the rest of the day).

Questionmarktarius posted...

The only way public transit will ever improve, is when its used by people who don't need it.

Honestly, this is correct. Public transportation needs to NOT be seen as for poor people.

It's kinda why increasing throughput of available rides is a much better thing to aim for, than decreasing fares. Make it really good and convenient, and make people want to pay for it.
And that ultimately helps everyone.

emblem-man posted...

Make it really good and convenient, and make people want to pay for it.

Run a bus out to the 'burbs that has coffee service in the morning, and cocktail service in the evening, and nobody's going to complain about the fare.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/8/1/AAN_UDAAE5IV.jpg

The issue with public transport is that until it is sufficiently large and expansive, it just kinda sucks. But because it sucks in the smaller stages it's very hard to get the support for it to be expanded.

Were_Wyrm posted...

Does the train go to Taco Bell at two in the morning?

Questionmarktarius posted...

Does the train go to Taco Bell at two in the morning?

Unfortunately, only on days that end in "y"

Super_Slash posted...

I live in Louisiana and to my knowledge, most of the state doesn't even have public transport. Where I live, we have city busses and a specific bus service that operates in this town (the town isn't very big). It's $1.75 a ride, but the catch is it can take absolutely fucking forever to find a ride. It only goes one way, too, so if you have multiple stops, be prepared to be out and about for at least a couple hours just because of that one extra trip.

The city busses aren't much better since you still have to wait at a bus stop for an indefinite period of time (you can track the location of the bus you're trying to catch, but it's usually only loosely accurate), but at least I'm not trying to book a ride for an hour straight only to be constantly told "LOL WE'RE BUSY TRY AGAIN LATER". Just a bit of a rant. Is public transportation like this everywhere?

We can make it better but it's going to make car brains really mad and car brains tend to have a lot of money and vote against these kinds of measures. In short, we should tell them to fuck off and it's for their own good buuuuut we won't.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Run a bus out to the 'burbs that has coffee service in the morning, and cocktail service in the evening, and nobody's going to complain about the fare.

Gentrify the busses!

emblem-man posted...

Gentrify the busses!

A "bougie bus" will definitely get ridership.

It's expensive to build public transportation for the same reasons it's expensive to build housing.
Too many people have the ability to veto their developments, causing them to be insanely expensive.

Questionmarktarius posted...

The only way public transit will ever improve, is when its used by people who don't need it.

Repair the framework it's built on and we can get that demand for you.

If the need and desire for it was a high as other countries that effectively use it, It would be in the USA. Problem is, no state government or the federal government is gonna push for that outside of metropolitan areas. I would love to not have to drive to work or other places if it was extremely convenient.

rideshort posted...

I would love to not have to drive to work or other places if it was extremely convenient.

It will never be as convenient as driving directly from where you are to where you want to be, with any stops along the way being only where you want them, whenever you want to go there.

the only way that will happen is if you change the US view on public transportation and make owning cars less popular,the US is owned by car companies

It needs to exist first. I live in NJ which luckily has some, but I was just thinking I would love to take a long train ride with my wife up the coast but there's nothing really available. Not without lots of changing tracks and whatnot. Just a long distance train ride with an eating car and everything.

Would be delightful. Unless one exists I'm not aware of, stuff like that would be so beneficial to America. High speed rail has come a LONG way.

I was pricing Amtrak from KC to the Spokane area, and it has to go all the way to Chicago, change trains, then get out at a random station about sixty miles north of Post Falls. $2200.

rideshort posted...

If the need and desire for it was a high as other countries that effectively use it, It would be in the USA. Problem is, no state government or the federal government is gonna push for that outside of metropolitan areas. I would love to not have to drive to work or other places if it was extremely convenient.

The issue is the lack of need and desire is not really...organic. Highways were built in a very different manner than how they try to build public transportation, in which a minimal amount of regular people have an insane amount of veto power to slow down projects. The externalities of cars (road costs, gas costs) are not fully priced in. It's a policy failure and if the infrastructure was there, peoples desire would be different.

But all that doesn't really matter. We are where we are, and the infrastructure should still be built up where it makes sense, in dense areas.

Questionmarktarius posted...

It will never be as convenient as driving directly from where you are to where you want to be, with any stops along the way being only where you want them, whenever you want to go there.

That largely depends on the area. As other factors of driving inconvenience. I can avoid traffic, buying gas, paying for vehicle insurance, paying for maintenance, paying taxes and not having to drive myself and worry about other factors on the road. I wouldn't mind a walk to the exact location of where I need to go or extending my time of getting there.

Questionmarktarius posted...

It will never be as convenient as driving directly from where you are to where you want to be, with any stops along the way being only where you want them, whenever you want to go there.

Remove minimum parking requirements for locations and increase costs of parking in cities.
Essentially, driving is cheaper in time and money, than it has every right to be, because we all subsidize driving and car infrastructure

Questionmarktarius posted...

It will never be as convenient as driving directly from where you are to where you want to be, with any stops along the way being only where you want them, whenever you want to go there.

It can be if it can get you to your destination quicker, which can often be the case in better developed nations. There's also the price aspect, as well as the fact that more people using public transport = less cars on the road = better for the remaining drivers. Driving enthusiasts should absolutely be in favour of better public transport.

emblem-man posted...

Remove minimum parking requirements for locations and increase costs of parking in cities.

...and the walmart parking lot out in the boonies grew three sizes that day.

Questionmarktarius posted...

...and the walmart parking lot out in the boonies grew three sizes that day.

Lol, that's fine. I was more thinking about those parking requirements in the city centers.

Policy dictated by and for the automobile industry has limited any chance of a successful public transit option in most cities across America.

emblem-man posted...

Lol, that's fine. I was more thinking about those parking requirements in the city centers.

Which loops us back around to "boogie bus". Public transit is going to have to "gentrified" to get the avocado-toast crowd to bother with it over Uber or those damn scooters.

Wal-Mart in rural areas is actually dying. You're seeing the rise of Dollar General as time goes on.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Which loops us back around to "boogie bus". Public transit is going to have to "gentrified" to get the avocado-toast crowd to bother with it over Uber or those damn scooters.

I think we agree. Nothing wrong with "park and rides" for those who live in the burbs. Make taking the bougie bus more preferable than the hassle of driving downtown, looking for parking, paying for parking, etc.

Dollar General sneaks into the gaps where Walmart won't go.
DG has bigass parking lots, too.

emblem-man posted...

Nothing wrong with "park and rides" for those who live in the burbs.

Of course, the park-and-ride lot is going need great security.

https://twitter.com/sam_d_1995/status/1708879417919918468?t=fHqQLp5MOav2yUfzGnePpw&s=19

Lol

Agreed. It sucks in Los Angeles, so I avoid it like the plague. It would take me 32 minutes to drive to my gf's house right now. But it would take 2 hours and 23 minutes to get there via public transportation.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/8/3/AAQgjdAAE5On.png

Fortunately I can use public transport to get into the city very easily. Good thing too, because while I have my own car parking in the city is a pain in the ass and super expensive. Im not paying an hours wage just for the privilege of getting to work.

emblem-man posted...

https://twitter.com/sam_d_1995/status/1708879417919918468?t=fHqQLp5MOav2yUfzGnePpw&s=19

Lol

Gotta tell them to build their cities like modern Amsterdam. Seriously, all cities should be modeled that way and we need to reverse suburbanization.

The issue is this will piss off wealthy people and it will make things a little worse until everything is up and running as we tear up the existing infrastructure for new ones.

Creating bus and/or bike only lanes would be fantastic but you still need to get rid of the existing roads first.

LSGW_Zephyra posted...

The issue is this will piss off wealthy people and it will make things a little worse until everything is up and running as we tear up the existing infrastructure for new ones.

All you'll accomplish is a demographic reversal.
When well-off move downtown, "the poors" end up pushed to the suburbs.

Public transportation here is pretty convenient. It takes twice as long as a car, but i can watch TV or shitpost on my commute home instead of being stressed from a drive.

Greyhound here is actually pretty awesome too. One of my friends lives in a city that's like 3 hours away. I can take a bus in the morning, visit all day and then return at night. It's like $60 round trip

Questionmarktarius posted...

All you'll accomplish is a demographic reversal.
When well-off move downtown, "the poors" end up pushed to the suburbs.

That 100% depends on development and housing. If there is low cost, mixed use apartments, usually these are occupied by the middle and lower class. The wealthy who can afford it, usually stick to the suburbs or expensive apartments and condos.

The only public transportation I didn't mind was using The Bus in Hawaii. I was even told when I lived there that they had the best bus system in the US.

modena posted...

I was even told when I lived there that they had the best bus system in the US.

The drivers know how to avoid volcanoes.