"Nancy Young" ha scritto nel messaggio

> Giusi wrote:
>> Public transport is sad in the USA. Next month I have to get from>>
>> suburban Washington DC to Gettysburg, a major tourism destination. It's
>> car or nothing. How did we let things get so bad?
>
> I would think that trains would be best placed on routes that> are big
> corridors to reduce pollution. In the grand scheme of> things, I don't
> really see the benefit in plowing a train track > through the countryside
> so people can visit Gettysburg.

Used to be buses but no more. I don't expect a train to everywhere.
Gettysburg is famous even here from documentary programs.
>
> I imagine there are many tourist sites in Italy that you'd have to take a
> car from the train for some distance.

There would be at least a bus, maybe not easy, but there would be one.
Lots of elderly here don't have cars or licenses and you must be 18 to take
the test.
>
>> The day I arrive I have to get to Martinsburg WV. There is a train, but
>> ALL the trains go into DC in the morning and back at night. I need to be
>> there during office hours.
>
> I take it it's not all that economically feasible to run a train with one
> or two passengers. If there are a lot of people, there should be some
> movement to add a daytime train.
> nancy

But why is there not at least a bus if only for night workers? A lot of
blue collar government jobs have shift work, and they are the WV commuters
in large part. There is also a big factory outlet mall there, but no way to
get to it. We can make excuses forever, but until someone sits down and
works out these possibilities, the US will be trapped into being 2 and 3 or
more car families and all that energy (and expense) has to come from
somewhere and replaces some other use.