Twitter is bad.
Microblog Memes
A place to share screenshots of Microblog posts, whether from Mastodon, tumblr, ~~Twitter~~ X, KBin, Threads or elsewhere.
Created as an evolution of White People Twitter and other tweet-capture subreddits.
Rules:
- Please put at least one word relevant to the post in the post title.
- Be nice.
- No advertising, brand promotion or guerilla marketing.
- Posters are encouraged to link to the toot or tweet etc in the description of posts.
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Don't get me wrong, I would absolutely dearly love to have proper trains running on time to every location.
But we basically made a souffle, and you're asking us to turn it into chocolate cake.
We could get away with an advanced network of buses.
As somebody from one of the related industries: The problem is federal grants in the US. Every year thousands of municipal and state government employees write to the feds grants for funding transportation. The money available until the infrastructure investment act was all money for roads. Even now with money for commuter rail is still very small in comparison and stipulations like requiring nearby travel lanes for other types of vehicles still mean that elevated and tunneled train systems are not being adequately funded.
The effect is obvious: Do you as a munucipal/state government administrator build a free new federally funded road to make people feel like a problem is being addressed and then blame the unaddressed problems on the next elected person or do you raise taxes to fund a light rail system that is infinitely more costly despite the fact nobody else will build public rail links to connect it to. Planning departments usually do know what transit will work best, but getting funding for trains has been nearly impossible.
The feds have, I think since the 50s, discouraged new public rail and we are paying that price over and over again. Say what you will about biden but him being a train guy is probably the only thing that has improved the number of light rail projects in the states and we won't see those benefits for years.
The rest of the problem lies in urban sprawl and parking lot minimums. Which is a similar problem where its impossible to not create unwalkable sprawl.
Embrace trams, the worst of all worlds
No, trams are amazing. They're trains but on bus-stop scale. Perfect for transport across the core of a city
Maybe I'm just bitter that my city doesn't have a proper metro. I'm still fairly grateful though. My home town had no public transportation at all.
Trams are the best! I'll go out of my way to take a tram over a bus any day
They are just so much smoother
Buses are great for public transit and the most cost effective option for some communities. There also seems to be a stigma against buses, though, where people are more willing to take a train than a bus. I’m starting to suspect that stigma extends to people wanting to build trains instead of buses that can get the same job done for less money than building a brand new train system.
I live in a city with a decent network of busses and trains. The trains are just nicer. The trains aren't that different in fanciness to the busses, but they are bigger on the inside and I think that makes a big difference.
There also seems to be a stigma against buses, though, where people are more willing to take a train than a bus.
I'll absolutely take a train over a bus if they are going to the same destination.
- train has fewer stops meaning train reaches the destination faster
- train has ultimate right-of-way, and doesn't have to stop for pedestrians on the tracks, red lights, or other things
- trains in some cities, go under waterways meaning more direct routes than busses
- there's more space inside trains and usually more choice of seats. Standing is also an option which isn't allowed on most busses
- acceleration and deceleration are more predictable and comfortable
- nearly all metro light rail trains are powered by electricity, while many city busses remain diesel
Most of those can addressed by busses too actually.
Train has fewer stops meaning train reaches the destination faster
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or any bus line can have less stop for this reason. To expand on BRT routes, they can be dedicated lanes for busses, with right of way. They can be specific only for busses, and cars not allowed to use it ever or also mixed usage where certain rush hours are for bus use only but outside those hours can be used by other vehicles.
Train has ultimate right-of-way, and doesn't have to stop for pedestrians on the tracks, red lights, or other things
This can also be done with BRT routes.
trains in some cities, go under waterways meaning more direct routes than busses
BRT as well.
there's more space inside trains and usually more choice of seats. Standing is also an option which isn't allowed on most busses
Busses can absolutely support this. Paris has more open busses to allow more people standing or people with disabilities.
acceleration and deceleration are more predictable and comfortable
With dedicated BRT lanes, I believe that can also be done considering there's only bus stops that need to be slowed down on.
Nearly all metro light rail trains are powered by electricity, while many city busses remain diesel
I know technically electric busses are possible, but I'm not certain how feasible this is.
My understanding is that BRT routes are cheaper and faster to setup than trains, and can be upgraded to trains. I'm not saying BRT is better than light or heavy rail, but that should be a more common path for mass transit that is not utilized in the US.
For this discussion, you're really torturing the definition of a bus if you're going to use BRT to mean busses. BRT does not meet most peoples definition of "city bus" as the conversation up to now has suggested.
I’m not saying BRT is better than light or heavy rail, but that should be a more common path for mass transit that is not utilized in the U
BRT would nearly always be a zero sum solution to make your statement true. You would have to subtract from current roads that accommodate traffic to create BRT to meet your metric. Land, espeically in dense cities is nearly always already allocated. If anything besides the zero sum BRT, light rail would likely be a better choice than BRT because it can subterranean or elevated with fewer building challenges/dangers.
I’m not saying BRT is better than light or heavy rail, but that should be a more common path for mass transit that is not utilized in the US
I'm interested in an example of a city you have a in mind that BRT would be a better choice than city busses or light rail.
- trains can drive at higher speeds than buses
- train wheels don't emit microplastic particles like bus tires do
- trains are significantly safer than buses
- trains move on tracks which results in them moving in a stable and predictable way while buses often shake more which can result in people feeling sick (happens to me often when taking the bus)
train wheels don't emit microplastic particles like bus tires do
we can help solve this by using plastic breaks on trains
Lol
Yeah. Busses join traffic. They reduce it, but traffic delays them
Not really, we removed a TON of stuff to make way for roads. We're over 100 years out of date, its just a matter of funding.
In the before shot the whole place is full of trees. So so many trees, I can see like 1/20th of them in the later picture.
Ugh. Jesus christ.
And yet, people living in vehicles are 'homeless' and looked down upon. They've left no room for anything else to be realistic
- Trains
- Trams
- Ebikes
- Public Busses
In that order, preferably. Fuck this techbro shit.
You’re forgetting a fundamental one:
- Sidewalks
Technology is not mature yet, we'll need another 10 years til we could make those work.
Just let Elon Musk handle it, it will be ready in two year tops. Perpetually two years away.
He'll get two miles of underground sidewalks put in during four of those two years.
I want state owned electric self driving g taxis. I want to walk out of my door and get in the neighborhood self driving bus to take me (up to) 2 miles from work, where I can either walk or use a lil razer scooter to get to my job.
Alas, I work 62 miles away from home.
It's because they all live in the US.
If the operated out of the UK they would know what a bus was. It would be late of course, but at least they would see them.
The point is to not ride the public transportation with the lesser peoples.
The end goal of robo-taxis is to shuttle people between the home/destination and the train station.
Wouldn't buses/trams be more efficient at that? They move more than 1 person to their desired destination.
Neither takes you and your bags to your front door. Cars move more than 1 person too.
We already have that in my city, it’s called Metro Micro and it costs $2.50 and includes a free transfer to public transit.
I don’t know what Musk thinks he’s going to charge for it, but I doubt it’ll be better than that.
i know he acts like that, but he's actually 53.
edit: oh, by "joke" you mean the tweet. never mind.
I follow a YouTuber that covers everytime they find someone reinventing something. In no particular order:
train, https://youtu.be/YUpST_cQ1hM
train, https://youtu.be/dNzjk-kiUmQ
Pump storage hydroelectricity aka water battery (pump water up when have energy, drop down when need energy) https://youtu.be/dNzjk-kiUmQ
train, https://youtu.be/r5M7Oq1PCz4
trees, https://youtu.be/Ajdd9LeKwTQ
bus, https://youtu.be/GcKUYbChE3A
Without even clicking I knew this was gonna be the solar fricking roadways guy.
Edit: oh wait, no, I actually thought 2 different guys were the same. I meant this guy: https://youtu.be/H901KdXgHs4?feature=shared
And of course he also has his take of the cyber bus: https://youtu.be/8x4pMfBSU_U?feature=shared