[MrBill]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Doly', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', 'B')ut so long as we produce an agricultural surplus as the cost of labor falls we can substitute more labor for energy.

[MrBill]

pup55
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'Y')ou are quite correct, of course. While we were spending billions “defending” Europe and Japan from the Communist threat in the 60’s, the Europeans and Japanese were developing a world-class system of education, manufacturing, social services, and railroads.

Little did we know at the time that we were “defending” them against a system that was incapable of producing a practical refrigerator.

The only difference between then and now is that now, we are borrowing the money to finance our “defense” of our way of life from the nation’s 5-year olds.

[gwmss15]

Lets say you live about 40 miles from work and you make this trip 5 days a week. What is the best way to make this trip in terms of cost and energy use? If you commute a long distance for work please post your preferred method of transport for this trip.

For my self in the past i have commuted for work over a long distance and i chose to take a Vline train and bus as it was the cheapest choice and was fairly quick. But there again i have been using mass transit and intercity rail all my life in a number of different countries so its a bit of no brainier which is the best for me as i enjoy the fairly stress free environment of mass transit and lower costs.

Regarding the poll select the mode you use for the longest or most often if you use 2 or more in your commute. e.g. if you take a bus and train and you use the train for the longest select the type of train if both equal select which one you like.

If you are a Park and ride commuter select the public transport mode not car.

sorry about this as you can only select 1 choice. Lets hear your views on this?

Which method of transport do you use for commuting?
Poll ended at 09 May 2007, 07:35
MRT/Metro/subway/skytrain 7% [ 2 ]
Metro Bus 7% [ 2 ]
Tram/Light rail 0% [ 0 ]
Intercity train/HST train/Vline/TGV 3% [ 1 ]
Car 53% [ 16 ]
Walk/ride a bicycle 30% [ 9 ]
motobike/scooter 0% [ 0 ]
boat service 0% [ 0 ]

Total votes : 30

[gwmss15]

i had noticed that most of the posts i put on this site don't generate much discussion.

Is this because im from a country outside or north America?

OR have i done something wrong with my posts?

let me know guys as i do enjoy your site.

[pea-jay]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gwmss15', 'i') had noticed that most of the posts i put on this site don't generate much discussion.

Is this because im from a country outside or north America?

OR have i done something wrong with my posts?

let me know guys as i do enjoy your site.

[SevenTen]

Most Americans think the world outside America is all known as the "third world".

[gg3]

Some of us don't commute at all.

Most of the time I can work from home, with two computers (35 to 45 watts each) plus DSL and four analog phone lines.

Sometimes I go field to client sites, typically 2 or 3 days a week, but the total driven mileage for these trips (all of which are logged for tax purposes) has decreased significantly since we started putting all of our clients on remote service via modems in their PBXs.

How many more telecommuters do we have here?

[gwmss15]

the poll stuffed up there were 3 more choices when i created it but they didnt come out. so post how you commute below the poll thanks

[Jack]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gwmss15', 'i') had noticed that most of the posts i put on this site don't generate much discussion.

OR have i done something wrong with my posts?

[dinopello]

I can hardly imagine living 40 miles from work. That's like living 3 miles to your kitchen or 5 miles to you bathroom. WTF?

I know people do it, but its crazy IMO.

I live 0.96 miles to work and walk.

If I had to go that far for something, I'd probably drive (driving can be fun when there isn't any traffic), unless my start and destination were close to a train station (like Union to Penn around here).

[Eli]

You haven't done anything wrong. I notice that some of my own posts don't generate a lot of discussion sometimes. But usually those posts are more statements rather than thought provoking questions.


In the US most people have no choice but to drive. Comutter trains have been pretty much limited to the East cost, Washington D.C. and Chicago.

If I wanted to take the train to work I would have to move 300 miles away to a new city.

In the US at least we all would be better off if most families just had one car and we reinvested the cost of a second car into light rail inner city lines and high speed rail between major Cities. But the auto industry and the airlines prevent that from happening. High speed rail if available would take out all the shot hop flights that the airlines currently provide.

[gwmss15]

Im very surprised to hear that there are whole large cities without even a simple metro or extensive bus/tram system in the USA.

Is there any govt standard as to minimum bus service level in a major city in the USA or even standards for intercity rail travel frequency?

In melbourne australia the new bus service frequency level is every 1 hour between 5am and 10pm monday to friday and 7am and 10pm weekends. but all routes offer better than that between 7am and 7pm normally 15 to 30 mins.

Are all US cities linked by intercity trains at least 2 trips a day?

In the medium density area that surround the the high dense inner city area of the US cities are there commuter rail links that help people to travel into the inner area?

Note: Medium density means buildings of around 4 to 10 floors and shophouses of around 4 floors spreading out from the 10km mark to the city edge. This is what the suburban area of bangkok is like. the inner city is full of expensive apartments/condos and offices and shopping centres.

thanks for your help guys.

[gwmss15]

thanks for the info

Amtrak is pretty crappy service if its often 12 hours late. if that was in Australia it would be considered a cancelled service and buses would be run to get passengers to there destination.

a really bad delay in Australia or even in Thailand is 2 hours mostly coursed by a system failure or chronic overloading.

Just for everyones interest compair these two timetables which do you think offers a better service.

Vline Geelong line : http://www.vline.com.au/pdf/timetables/geelong.pdf

Amtrack: http://www.amtrak.com/timetable/apr07/W31.pdf

Vline North east service: http://www.vline.com.au/pdf/timetables/seymour.pdf

Amtrack: http://www.amtrak.com/timetable/apr07/W22.pdf

as i cannot check the distance i just picked a few routes that might be similar to some of the australian ones.

Tell me would you use this service if it was similar to the Vline one

[Eli]

I live in a City with 500,000 people in the City Center and 1 million people total when you include the surrounding communities.

There is not one commuter train there is no train service out of the City. This despite the fact that another Major City is 100 miles away, and two major Cities are 230 miles away.


Amtrak in the US is an appalling system and is not much more than a gimmick it is really not designed to move people efficiently from one place to another.

What the US should do is let the Auto industry die, and build up a massive transit system. Rail lines can be built using electric power which can be generated domestically. But over all the US is FUBAR, and I doubt the auto industry is going to pass quietly into the night.

[smallpoxgirl]

A car, buses, and since I work in two different states, airplanes.

[holmes]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SevenTen', 'M')ost Americans think the world outside America is all known as the "third world".

[Zardoz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dinopello', 'I') can hardly imagine living 40 miles from work. That's like living 3 miles to your kitchen or 5 miles to you bathroom. WTF?

I know people do it, but its crazy IMO.

[PrairieMule]

Greater dallas is a snarled up mess.

Up until March I commuted 3 miles to work in Plano. Now I drive 20 miles each way and forced to take the tollroad to Richardson in our new offices. When I looked into using mass transit (DART) It would have taken two and half hours on three different lines.

[Eli]

Yeah, Dallas is a testament to how screwed up US mass transit can be.

They have that four stack interchange on I-75 and 635. They would rather build billion dollar highways than trains in Dallas. The Highways need to be expanded nearly immediately after they are built.

And most routes in Dallas bus routes I bet you would need to be packen heat.

[emersonbiggins]

For the purposes of analyzing America's rail system with its highway system, consider the following graphics:

Eisenhower Interstate Highway System, completed in the early 1990s, more or less as envisioned in 1943:


Double-track rail system in U.S., as of 2006 (Trains Magazine):


As you can see, the U.S. is far behind in its development of a double-track network, the only configuration that allows for relatively free-flowing, nonstop freight and passenger train traffic. Until this condition is remedied, a passenger rail system worth having is out of the question.

These two graphics also demonstrate the power of tax money when diverted towards a single purpose (road graphic), and that of the limited capability of the private sector (rail map).