The Accidental Commuter called me a nerd, something about having a transit blog and listening in to the high-speed rail webinar. She's just jealous she's not as cool as me, so she gotta mooch off my blog. Whatevs.
But did anyone catch that webinar? (Like you're gonna answer if you did, you readers but non-commenters, you). I have to say, as a newbie to this transit community, it was a tad overwhelming. Especially the dude who showed us what it takes to construct a track for very high speed rail. But what I did catch were some survey results (I'm a statistician, afterall, I like surveys. I really am a nerd, aren't I?) The survey said that, given the availability of high speed rail in the US, 54% would take it for trips, as opposed to 33% who would drive and 13% who would fly. Do you really think America is ready for a rail culture? Would you choose rail over air or cars?
Comment! I know you people read this, now let me know what you think! Please? Pretty please with a cherry on top? In fact, I will randomly draw a name from those who comment and send you a present. It will, in fact, be a transit present. It may also involve cupcakes if you're local.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
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I'm a prize-whore, so I had to comment! I wish I had real feedback to offer but here in the Dairy Capital the idea of mass transit is a foreign one. Maybe when I move back to the metro area this summer I'll have more to offer, and then when I've been stuck in metro ATL traffic a few times I'll definitely choose rail!
ReplyDelete:)
This really matters on the person and the location. For example: I love to drive and given the area I live swva i would choose driving over air over rail. If the object is 1000 miles or more away I would consider air or rail. If rail system was an option I could very much consider it for all the positive reasons. Just my 2 cents.
ReplyDeletethey talked about doing transet (other then busses) awhile back in richmond, but the problem is that not all jobs are in the city areas. I would love to save gas, but in my area there is no bus to get me where i need to go. Great idea, but will take a lot to get more then the 54% to get on board with putting down the car keys
ReplyDeleterail would be awesome, if i lived closer to civilization... of course, i'm not close to air either... turns out living in the sticks means driving, even if you want to take air or rail... hrm... i think i need a vacation, then i can decide how to go
ReplyDeleteI think we are ready for rail, regardless of the mindset we still have against it. I don't think we can wait until everyone agrees that we are ready. We need to start putting more resources into rail (light and heavy). A certain core group of folks will definitely use it if we build it. And as people see the benefits and ease of use, more people will use it and start to support expansion of rail and other methods of mass transit. The benefits of a robust rail system really hit me last year when I traveled to Europe with my parent and my wife and kids. The rail systems allowed us to go many place and experience many sites with great ease. Ease of transportation greatly enhanced our overall experience. Even my 9-year-old son commented on how nice it would be to have such a rail system back home. He also told me that we needed to use MARTA from now on when going to the Braves/Falcons/Hawks game. He's right!
ReplyDeleteI prefer anything that does not involve me driving. And as I work for (ahem), I won't be getting a driver or personal jet any time soon, so that leaves transit. I choose transit. Because I can't afford a chauffeur or a plane.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
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