[Denny]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('spudbuddy', '
')Mississauga has no downtown. It has no mass transit system to speak of, really. It is well over half a million people. Everyone drives there.

[jimmydean]

Interesting discussion.

On the "bus call" note I just had an interesting product idea. How a website that tracks transit buses so that you can see when/where in realtime a bus is that way you can time your walk to the bus stop almost exactly?

Hell even a website to help people organize car pools in the GTA based on home and work regions. People who will drive every day regardless could still take on 1/2 passengers and make some cash.

Not that these websites would make any money but they would be useful.

[Denny]

JimmyDean,

York Region has some far sighted stuff happening with its bus fleet. (The Star had a big article aobut this a few months back.) One, by using GPS, the transit authority is getting it set up so one can be notified on your cell phone some time span ahead of when the bus in expectd to arrive at your selected stop.

Secondly, they are going to set it up so buses can activate traffic signals ahead so they get a guaranteed green light.

Cool!

[jaws]

No amount of bus gizmos are going to change the fact that there are not enough destinations within a quartermile radius to justify a bus stop in any city in North America built after 1950.

[jdmartin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')hat’s the problem? Get a copy of the bus timetable, work out when you need to be at the stop, and then make sure your there on time. So what if you get to work a little early? Just read a book or something while to wait. I honestly fail to see how 50-minute bus runs can be an excuse for not using public transport. Seriously, public transport isn’t that bad. I’m sure even Americans can get used to it.

[jmacdaddio]

JD, thanks for sticking up for me! Damn, I should go get a refund from that Assertiveness Training Course I took .... but their receptionist scares me.

Just to clarify, the bus that I could use for the 3 mile commute would be a 10 minute ride but the bus only comes every 50 minutes. If I miss it, I'm walking, which isn't good if I have a 9 A.M. meeting. If I'm one minute late leaving then I'm stuck with another 45 minute walk ... through the ghetto ... with a notebook computer sometimes.

If the bus came every 10 minutes, I'd use it. Since it's every hour, I don't. Simple as that.

Bike messengers cluster in places like New York, Boston, and Seattle so they can compare tattoos and piercings when waiting for jobs. But I did investigate cycling advocacy groups online today. I had a laugh on my ride today as I entered a construction zone and I left cars in the dust as they waited to follow a detour route.

[Omnitir]

Wow, sorry, I didn’t realise just how bad the public transit system is over there (US). Here you jump on a train or bus and can expect to see a combination of business men and women on their way to work, young students and the older generations all happily and (mostly) politely commuting throughout the city. The services are reasonably frequent with the longest wait near peak for the less commonly used routes being around half an hour. You can expect a peak hour bus/train service to run into the city every five or ten minuets. It’s quick, cheap, and easy.

Then there’s the long bike tracks through parks everywhere and few bad neighbourhoods – the most common bad areas just seem to be young kids brought up on American culture pretending to be from some US ghetto…

I haven’t been to the U.S. and didn’t realise just how bad the transit situation is over there. I apologise for my ignorance. The more I read at this site, the more I get the impression the PO will primarily do the most damage to the U.S. Everyone else seems to be prepared to some degree, but it really sounds like America is facing the biggest challenges of all.

I’m getting the impression that jmacdaddio’s unfortunate situation is all too common in the U.S.
I really hope you guys can get some preparation done before it’s too late.

[Snowrunner]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Denny', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('spudbuddy', '
')Mississauga has no downtown. It has no mass transit system to speak of, really. It is well over half a million people. Everyone drives there.

[jmacdaddio]

Public transit varies widely across the USA. In New York I wouldn't bother with having a car. The outlying areas of NYC (NJ, Long Island, northern suburbs) aren't bad if you're going to NYC. As a general rule the older cities that developed before the automobile have better transit systems: Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Washington DC all have decent public tranist. Places like Florida, Arizona, and Texas have none to speak of since their development took place after the rise of the personal car.

The problem with US public transit is that we're stuck with 1920s plans in the 21st century. Back then people would generally commute from bedroom community to central city. Now people commute from suburb to suburb and the transit scheme hasn't adapted much beyond setting up special lanes for carpools (which nobody uses).

A rise beyond $100 / bbl will make US consumers re-examine priorites. Again, some areas (South, Midwest) will whine about prices and call for invading Iran or setting up price caps, while other areas (Northeast, Pacific Northwest) will try community solutions to reduce the number of cars on the road. One benefit of our political structure here is that it allows states and cities considerable autonomy in making decisions like this.

[Snowrunner]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Denny', 'S')econdly, they are going to set it up so buses can activate traffic signals ahead so they get a guaranteed green light.

[Snowrunner]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jdmartin', 'A')ddressing the second issue: local bike messenger hangout? You have got to be kidding me. 95% of the US has no such thing as "bike messengers". You find them in New York, Boston, and even occasionally in some smaller cities if they're more cosmopolitan. Try picking up the phone where I live in Northeast Tennessee and calling any one of the three major cities in the area (2 of which have populations over 50k) and ask directory assistance for a bike messenger service. I guarantee your operator will say "huh?".

[Snowrunner]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Omnitir', 'I') haven’t been to the U.S. and didn’t realise just how bad the transit situation is over there. I apologise for my ignorance. The more I read at this site, the more I get the impression the PO will primarily do the most damage to the U.S. Everyone else seems to be prepared to some degree, but it really sounds like America is facing the biggest challenges of all.

[Snowrunner]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jmacdaddio', 'B')ike messengers cluster in places like New York, Boston, and Seattle so they can compare tattoos and piercings when waiting for jobs.

[jimmydean]

You just may get your wish with Katrina knocking out 1/3 capacity of the mexican gulf. Expect oil to rise +$5 on Monday/Tuesday and the fear should spread down to the pumps enough to push gas up in Toronto to $1.10.

[mgibbons19]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Snowrunner', '
')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'B')ut I did investigate cycling advocacy groups online today. I had a laugh on my ride today as I entered a construction zone and I left cars in the dust as they waited to follow a detour route.

[jdmartin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he more I read at this site, the more I get the impression the PO will primarily do the most damage to the U.S. Everyone else seems to be prepared to some degree, but it really sounds like America is facing the biggest challenges of all.

[Snowrunner]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jdmartin', '
')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')f I understand the american system, you actually have the ability to MAKE changes on a local level way easier than other countries.

[MaterialExcess]

I lived in Toronto all last year and did not find the traffic to be that bad for a large city. I usually took the subway to work from downtown to North York, but I did a fair amount of driving as well. It is really nothing compared to a city like Los Angeles.

[jdmartin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'J')ust to point something out: How do you think it is financed in other places? Right, taxes.

The US for so long as told everybody taht taxes are for losers and now this is also coming back and biting you (as the country) in the ass.

The only way around this would be for the municipality to raise taxes in order to finance it, again they do have the ability, but who'd support this? Will you?

[I_Like_Plants]

www.messmedia.org there are messenger all over. I run what's called a micro business and I'm my own mesenger, lol, the need for bike messengers will only increase.