[Shhhh! I'm Listening to Reason!]

On Dec 18, 5:07 pm, Eeyore
wrote:
"Shhhh! I'm Listening to Reason!" wrote:





Eeyore wrote:
Clyde Slick wrote:
Eeyore wrote:

I was looking for the FoE position or air flights and found this poll on
their site ..........

"If the Government could do just one of the following. Which would you
prefer?

Investment in public transport
Cuts in fuel tax

Vote"http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/transport/issues/aviation/index.html

Being a 'green' site they were presumably expecting "Investment in
public transport " to be the more popular response.

To see the result you have to click on Vote.

I can only assume the Britsih public is wising up the the nonsense of
public transport as a panacea for all our transport woes..

public transportation 'only goes so far.'

Tell me about it !

Like it or not, there will be more.

I positively applaud top-class public transport, well executed and available at a
competitive price.

But let me guess: you would have voted "reduce fuel taxes" instead of
"Invest in public transport".

Am I right?

In another post I just mentioned how difficult it would be to get round London
without the Tube for example.

I never needed a car in Rome. either.

However public transport is not a universal panacea. It works best in busy cities
and on busy inter-city and commuter routes where the number of pasemngers who all
want to get from the same A, B, C or D etc to the same B, C, D or E is high.

I don't believe it is a universal panacea either. I also do not claim
to know the infrastructure in the UK. I will say it is vastly
underdeveloped here in the US in most cities. It's far more efficient
as far as fuel and pollution. Attutudes of "some" conservatives here
are responsible for our lagging in this area. Check out 2pid's recent
comments about "wasting" money on public transport as an example of
this.

Round here, peak hour public transport is also merely a way of experiencing what a
sardine in a can feels like.

I used to live in Boston. I drove to work exactly once. my first day
there. After that it was worth the $35/month for a pass (at that time,
it may be $150 now, and it would still be worth it), sardine or not.

I admit it: I think we should turn back the clock here in many
instances by investing in more public transport, more city-to-city
rail links on busy routes, and more shipping via rail instead of
"lorrie". Not as a *substitute* in all cases though. For example, if I
go to Chicago from here it's about a six-hour drive. It's very nearly
a wash even though the flight time is less than an hour once you
factor in parking, arriving early to meet TSA rquirements, checking
bags, picking up bags, arranging for transportation there, etc. And
it's cheaper. I'd love a good rail link.

We have "sane" lanes on our freeways here. You cannot use them if you
are driving alone during rush hour. Carpools and motorcycles can use
them, or individuals can buy a transmitter and charge it to an account
if they use these lanes. A one-way trip can cost $8 during peak times,
plus they have to buy the transmitter. Like a tax, it's just a way to
try to get people to alter the choices they make, or to alter their
behavior. Freedom is great. Responsible freedom is even better.