Friday, August 22, 2008
The Travails of Taking Public Transport
I'd love to take public transportation to work everyday -- I really would. Especially with gas prices and tolls so high as well as the travails of traffic. I'm even willing to get up an hour earlier because public transport takes more time, and the bus I need to take runs only every hour.
But, in order to take public transportation, I need to be able to walk from the bus stop to my job! Why don't communities have side-walks on more roads?
I also need to know which bus to take. Schematic bus maps indicating only major stops have their roles. But why can't I access a list of all bus stops on my route? And why are some of the online planning sites so very wrong?
If we want to help the environment by encouraging mass transit, we need to actually do things to make mass transit feasible. Not only does this mean more routes more often, but it also means better planning services, more scheduling information and pedestrian access to/from bus/train stops (people need to actually get to public transit, often on foot).
It seems to me we have a large population of under-employed people (I know -- where I lived in Tally was filled with idle young men ... and idle hands are the devil's playthings, as they say): why don't we have a new CCC that'll employ people to build some badly needed infrastructure to really make public transport a possibility for people (e.g. side-walk access to public transportation facilities and also roads with dedicated bus lanes, etc.). And with the information age, there's no excuse for how poor the scheduling of public transport is.
Perhaps maybe a Democratic candidate could remember that we are the party of FDR and propose something bold -- a new deal, so to speak?
But, in order to take public transportation, I need to be able to walk from the bus stop to my job! Why don't communities have side-walks on more roads?
I also need to know which bus to take. Schematic bus maps indicating only major stops have their roles. But why can't I access a list of all bus stops on my route? And why are some of the online planning sites so very wrong?
If we want to help the environment by encouraging mass transit, we need to actually do things to make mass transit feasible. Not only does this mean more routes more often, but it also means better planning services, more scheduling information and pedestrian access to/from bus/train stops (people need to actually get to public transit, often on foot).
It seems to me we have a large population of under-employed people (I know -- where I lived in Tally was filled with idle young men ... and idle hands are the devil's playthings, as they say): why don't we have a new CCC that'll employ people to build some badly needed infrastructure to really make public transport a possibility for people (e.g. side-walk access to public transportation facilities and also roads with dedicated bus lanes, etc.). And with the information age, there's no excuse for how poor the scheduling of public transport is.
Perhaps maybe a Democratic candidate could remember that we are the party of FDR and propose something bold -- a new deal, so to speak?
# posted by alberich @ 10:52 AM 
Comments:
<< Home
your blog looks grat on google's new browser chrome :) Hope you r watching the lady speak on TV.
u know who I am.
-DC
u know who I am.
-DC
# posted by 
: 9:03 PM
: 9:03 PM
Glad to know my crappy blog (c.f. Atrios) looks good. At some point we'll resend your thank you note with the pictures (odd what happened to it, eh? don't tell my lovely wife this, but I think the problem is that her '5's and 'J's somehow manage to look alike).
Palin is hawt, but not as hawt as Michelle Obama.
Interestingly, when Michelle Obama was speaking on the TeeVee, my lovely daughter (age 3) was excited to see "Mommy on TV". I guess anyone who hasn't seen my wife in person or at Nate's place can imagine what she looks like.
Anyway, I wish the Dems would attack Palin on personal matters: they need to say "yes, attacks on Palin's family should be out of bounds, but the GOP, as a matter of making such attacks already and as a matter of their ideology of having the government in our bedrooms, make those attacks within bounds".
In general, the GOP looks like it will win this election doing a brain dead impression of a Rove campaign. The Dems. should be prepared for this and should be able to defeat it, yet they are looking horribly unprepared. And what will people think of the Dems' ability to govern and defend our country based on how wimpy they are in dealing with the GOP?
Ironically, the GOP is itself more open to Rovian attacks than ever. Perhaps the GOP is running a meta-Rovian campaign? They are open to a Rove "attack your opponent on your own weaknesses" campaign -- and since that is a weakness of theirs, they are attacking the Dems with that strategy?
Palin is hawt, but not as hawt as Michelle Obama.
Interestingly, when Michelle Obama was speaking on the TeeVee, my lovely daughter (age 3) was excited to see "Mommy on TV". I guess anyone who hasn't seen my wife in person or at Nate's place can imagine what she looks like.
Anyway, I wish the Dems would attack Palin on personal matters: they need to say "yes, attacks on Palin's family should be out of bounds, but the GOP, as a matter of making such attacks already and as a matter of their ideology of having the government in our bedrooms, make those attacks within bounds".
In general, the GOP looks like it will win this election doing a brain dead impression of a Rove campaign. The Dems. should be prepared for this and should be able to defeat it, yet they are looking horribly unprepared. And what will people think of the Dems' ability to govern and defend our country based on how wimpy they are in dealing with the GOP?
Ironically, the GOP is itself more open to Rovian attacks than ever. Perhaps the GOP is running a meta-Rovian campaign? They are open to a Rove "attack your opponent on your own weaknesses" campaign -- and since that is a weakness of theirs, they are attacking the Dems with that strategy?
My place? Your wife was at my place? Does Trophy Wife know about this?
Welcome back to the NY metro area. When are you coming to visit us at the house?
Btw, Im sure you will like my comments about the overrated Sarah Palin!
Welcome back to the NY metro area. When are you coming to visit us at the house?
Btw, Im sure you will like my comments about the overrated Sarah Palin!
Nate,
I suspect you know what I mean -- your place as in your blog. Which indeed I have read your comments about Ms. Palin.
Anyway, is my mind misleading me or did the McCain campaign run ads criticizing Obama for not picking HRC for VP? Why hasn't the Obama campaign attacked the Palin pick on the same lines?
Also, Obama was at some point saying something to the effect of "of course the GOP is going to attack me ... and I've heard worse on the basketball court". Which is good. But he's missing a key adjective ... he needed to have said "of course the GOP is going to make partisan attacks against me ... and I've heard worse on the basketball court". He needs to paint the GOP as both ineffectual and partisan. The GOP has done very well to link "Democrat" and "partisan". The Dems. need to do the same sort of thing.
In general, as I said above, the GOP has left themselves way open to Rovian attacks. Why are the Democrats not taking advantage of the openings? I suspect the GOP is gonna win this one simply because the Dems. aren't fighting ... of course, the media will happily blame the loss on how "extreme" dirty hippies like me in the Dem base are and not the obvious fact that the Dems. don't seem to even be playing to win.
I suspect you know what I mean -- your place as in your blog. Which indeed I have read your comments about Ms. Palin.
Anyway, is my mind misleading me or did the McCain campaign run ads criticizing Obama for not picking HRC for VP? Why hasn't the Obama campaign attacked the Palin pick on the same lines?
Also, Obama was at some point saying something to the effect of "of course the GOP is going to attack me ... and I've heard worse on the basketball court". Which is good. But he's missing a key adjective ... he needed to have said "of course the GOP is going to make partisan attacks against me ... and I've heard worse on the basketball court". He needs to paint the GOP as both ineffectual and partisan. The GOP has done very well to link "Democrat" and "partisan". The Dems. need to do the same sort of thing.
In general, as I said above, the GOP has left themselves way open to Rovian attacks. Why are the Democrats not taking advantage of the openings? I suspect the GOP is gonna win this one simply because the Dems. aren't fighting ... of course, the media will happily blame the loss on how "extreme" dirty hippies like me in the Dem base are and not the obvious fact that the Dems. don't seem to even be playing to win.
As to visiting folks -- I'm just barely staying afloat right now ... maybe once I finally get a little ahead preparing my lectures, organize my office and generally get used to my commute and routine ...
Post a Comment
<< Home
