Public/Mass Transport Thread

Might be the same instinct behind people's pride in their cars (which I don't understand either) and arbitrary devotion to a make; although in that case, foreign products are a sign of status...

edited 15th May '17 9:37:14 AM by CenturyEye

I was just explaining why some people find European high-speed trains superior to American ones. People are being assholes for all the usual reasons, I guess.

I'm talking strictly passenger locomotives, though. The Charger's critics point to the F40PH◊ from EMD or the Genesis◊ fleet◊ from GE as "proper" American designs. So when they see stuff like the Brightline locomotives◊ and the Siemens Chargers◊, they decry the design for looking too◊ "European".◊ Never mind that Amtrak has had similarly designed locomotives◊ for years now.

"Not invented here" syndrome isn't limited to software.

That's insulting, honestly.

Is it not limited to Americans, either?

edited 16th May '17 4:01:57 AM by PhysicalStamina

I seriously doubt it.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigns.

Can't say I feel bad for the arrogant sexist manchild. Shame that he'll still be on the board for Uber.

https://ph.news.yahoo.com/hanoi-ban-motorbikes-2030-curb-pollution-traffic-145201067.html

Posting this here since Hanoi is modernizing the transport system and a metro system is coming up soon. The ban on bikes by 2030 is planned to be a start in the capital's streets.

Bikes take up less space and pollute less than cars (at a similar level of quality). Making public transportation an alternative to bikes is needed. Banning bikes outright will do nothing but cause problems if public transportation doesn't do the job.

Banning bicycles seems like a bloody stupid idea.

Combustion engine vehicles, on the other hand...

It's not a ban on bicycles. It's a ban on motorbikes.

Something like this would lead to massive uproar in a place like Taiwan.

So many motorbikes...

edited 5th Jul '17 3:17:08 AM by M84

From the article, it's quite likely to cause uproar in Saigon as well. There are a lot of motorbikes, because it's the only affordable transportation for most people.

Also, motorbikes are tremendously CO 2 efficient. Add a passenger and they become more efficient than trains.

Unless they're equipped with 2-cycle engines that burn a gas/oil mixture. Those are quite common in less-developed countries, and put out more pollutants than the crowd at a chili cook-off.

Two-stroke engines are cheap and light. For the pollutants, how about using good catalysers?

Would Uber be considered public transportation?

Not really, but then, neither are cab companies.

edited 5th Jul '17 1:59:40 PM by M84

They are by some definitions.

There's a public transportation thread here? I'm Cail, from NYC. Now this is a subject I know a lot about But since I have an exam tomorrow, my long-winded thoughts on the MTA will have to wait for another day. Just popping in to say hello

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/vod/japanrailway/20170714/

Short documentary on the trains used by Narita/Kansai airport.

If you need some entertainment there's an Instagram called Subway Creatures documenting all the messed up nonsense we have to deal with on the NYC subway. A personal favorite of mine being whatever the hell this is Only in New York...

It ain't the subway without something weird happening in it.

Every day I wonder more and more if the phrase "Only in New York" is just a coping mechanism to deal with all our subway-related psychological trauma.

Like sometimes I'm really tired and just want to get home without having to deal with any crazy stuff, but the NYC subway system doesn't let me have nice things. It feels like I'm the main character of TV show set in a World of Weirdness, who can't go a day without something crazy happening to them.

edited 17th Jul '17 9:06:11 PM by Cailleach

You should come down here ride the Washington Metro someday, it's much more boring by comparison.

And dilapidated.

edited 18th Jul '17 4:18:16 AM by PhysicalStamina