On 11/05/2011 8:19 PM, sf wrote:
> On Wed, 11 May 2011 11:28:33 +0200, >
> wrote:
>
>>
>> "Julie > ha scritto nel messaggio>
>>>> >
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Europeans, Brits precisely, wonder why US citizens are so irked at gas
>>>>>> prices.
>>>>>>
>>>> My closest British friend commutes 1.25 hours each way to London. He
>>>> reads and studies on the train.
>>>
>>> Ah... Train! Something we don't have here! Yes some big cities have
>>> things like that. But not here. If you don't live in the city proper
>>> (Seattle) you are pretty much screwed if you need public transportation.
>>> In some areas you can take a bus and get to the city and back. But in
>>> some cases there is no bus on Sunday and if you are taking a bus after
>>> hours, forget it.
>>
>> Then it may be time to do something to correct those problems. We once had
>> all the public transport other countries have, but we ripped it out in favor
>> of cars, ever bigger, that use too much energy for the modern situation. It
>> can't last forever, right? So spend the money to fix the situation which
>> will also goose the economy.
>>
>
> Passenger service was dropped in favor of more profitable and less
> vocal goods that can sit on a side track for days and not complain. I
> imagine that better passenger service will resume if our government
> ever thinks it's worthwhile to subsidize at the same rate European
> governments subsidize their passenger service.
>
I think you'll find that a lot of European cities subsidise their public
transport with ticket revenue alone. Passenger services in your area
languished simply because people favoured the convenience of the car. It
really is a case of use it or lose it.

Krypsis