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Once seniors are too old to drive, our transportation system fails them

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Re: Once seniors are too old to drive, our transportation system fails them

#31

Post by _m8fo »

llukas wrote: post #26
_m8fo wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In theory, sure. In practice, they don't go any faster a car is capable of [1] [1] https://ggwash.org/view/4524/average-schedule-speed-how-does...

So you compare average speed (that includes all stops) with max speed of a car...?

Well, yeah. The MTA in particular apparently has a 55mph max speed (same link). A car can compete. Keep in mind I'm not counting traffic, but obviously is (currently) a huge advantage for a train. I'm talking more about greenfield projects.

Re: Once seniors are too old to drive, our transportation system fails them

#32

Post by goerz »

_m8fo wrote: post #15
chc wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the advantage of rail over buses is that rail is faster.

In theory, sure. In practice, they don't go any faster a car is capable of [1] [1] https://ggwash.org/view/4524/average-schedule-speed-how-does...

The train between Washington DC and New York City is (slightly) faster door-to-door than driving, without going particularly fast. It’s at least two hours faster than taking the bus. In addition, it’s infinitely more comfortable than either driving or the bus. Weekend commuting would be pretty stressful without it.

Re: Once seniors are too old to drive, our transportation system fails them

#33

Post by btrettel »

_m8fo wrote: post #15
chc wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the advantage of rail over buses is that rail is faster.

In theory, sure. In practice, they don't go any faster a car is capable of [1] [1] https://ggwash.org/view/4524/average-schedule-speed-how-does...

Worth noting that this depends a lot on the type of service. The DC area MARC commuter train is definitely faster than driving to DC from where my parents live. The train schedule says 96 minutes, compared against 90 to 150 minutes driving according to Google Maps if one leaves at the same time as the typical train I'd take from there. This neglects other factors of course like the comfort of sitting on a train vs. driving in heavy traffic.

Re: Once seniors are too old to drive, our transportation system fails them

#34

Post by _m8fo »

Johnny555 wrote: post #29
_m8fo wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In theory, sure. In practice, they don't go any faster a car is capable of [1] [1] https://ggwash.org/view/4524/average-schedule-speed-how-does...

Depends on the traffic and the train -- during rush hour, a Caltrain express train from San Francisco to San Jose is almost always faster than driving. It can take 90 - 120 minutes to drive during commute hours (at 4:30pm, Google says 90 minutes), versus 65 minutes by train.

I don't disagree that a train is better in many situations. I'm more curious about situations where a city is prepared to make a 1B+ capital expenditure. For example boring a tunnel for a train vs. a dedicated bus lane on the highway + exit.

Re: Once seniors are too old to drive, our transportation system fails them

#35

Post by tych0 »

_m8fo wrote: post #31
llukas wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you compare average speed (that includes all stops) with max speed of a car...?

Well, yeah. The MTA in particular apparently has a 55mph max speed (same link). A car can compete. Keep in mind I'm not counting traffic, but obviously is (currently) a huge advantage for a train. I'm talking more about greenfield projects.

Ok, so if we ignore one of the major advantages of trains, trains aren't competitive?

Re: Once seniors are too old to drive, our transportation system fails them

#36

Post by AnimalMuppet »

rayiner wrote: post #14
ars wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And it's one of my favorite things about the USA. I hate dense European style cities. Different people like different things. The nice thing about the USA is you can pick. You can live anywhere from a remote farm to a dense apartment.

But you don’t really get to pick. Dense European style cities are outlawed in the US. Hell, dense European style suburbs are outlawed here. My pre-zoning code suburb has lots that are less than 3,000 square feet. It’s awesome—easy to walk and you see your neighbors all the time. But it’s completely illegal to build more neighborhoods like mine. The minimum lot size now is more than five times bigger—we have legally m…

Sure, it's outlawed - in your suburb. It's not a nationwide ban, though. It's not even (I presume) statewide, or even city-wide.

(It may be true that there literally are no municipalities in the US with zoning codes that allow dense neighborhoods, but I would be highly surprised.)

Re: Once seniors are too old to drive, our transportation system fails them

#38

Post by paulie_a »

kdot wrote: post #18
ghaff wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in an exurban area only about 40 miles outside a major coastal US tech center city. There's minimal Uber around where I live.

You can schedule Ubers ahead of time.

You can without a guarantee it will come

Re: Once seniors are too old to drive, our transportation system fails them

#39

Post by mschuster91 »

_m8fo wrote: post #8

I always get an inkling that buses (like Bolt/Mega/PeterPan) + the existing highway + roads are superior and more scalable than any other type of transportation, dollar for dollar. Why do people push for rail? Self-driving cars obviously can enhance this (the bus idea), but I suspect they will create even more traffic if we insist on having 5 passenger cars be 75% empty. Buses are great because demand can be realloca…

> Why do people push for rail?

Because well-done High Speed Rail (HSR) is a blast over long distances. Certainly for city/metro areas a combination of light rail + buses as a web is the best option (light rail having the advantage of running emissions free), but the longer the distances are the better HSR is. The new ICE line Munich-Berlin with 4h one-way is so fast that it's actually threatening flight.

Also, traveling long distances by bus is really bad. Cramped seats, cramped everything.

Re: Once seniors are too old to drive, our transportation system fails them

#40

Post by dluan »

terenceng2010 wrote: post #37

Hong Kong has minibus as public transit, which allows for about 16 passengers per ride. Maybe it is a economical way for seniors' transportation? As it's up keep cost should be lower than a normal bus.

Taipei does as well, and it's used a lot by seniors as they get to ride free.
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