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Why are Americans so bad at building decent public transportation?

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Why are Americans so bad at building decent public transportation?

Here are some of the FALLACIES they use to ''counter'' this

>b-but the country is too big!

Not an argument. Even fucking Russia has an express to SIBERIA. Hell, China - even though is a gigantic shithole - has a MUCH BETTER and more modern/reliable and clean subway system across all major cities. (pic fucking related)

>b-but we're not Europoors, we're rich and can buy cars lel !

Many Europeans are much better off than the average american and they still build decent public transportation (see cities like Munich, Zurich, Geneva, Stockholm, Amsterdam etc) I don't know why Amerilards are so proud to be stuck in traffic.
>>
>subways are so depressing that chinks have to install glass barriers to prevent people from committing sudoku en masse
the answer is staring at you right in the face
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>>72049863
Even North Korea have a nice subway
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>>72049863
k
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>>72049956
But still, subway is super convenience and reduce traffic
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>>72049956
>>72049863
>>72049863
>paying the cost of another house plus gas and other expenses to move around when you could just play less than a dollar per day and arrive quickier to your destination without being worried about driving.
Good goys
>>
Everyone drives a car.
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>>72050312
>cost of another house
jesus, mexicans must try so hard to be poor
>>
>>72050322
You're forced to drive a car if you want to be independent and productive in the US even when you live in a city, NYC and SF excluded.
>>
But if we built decent public transportation than it would reduce our oil dependency. The corporations wouldn't stand for it.
>>
>>72050312
>paying the cost of another house
Do you think we all drive lambos?
>>
>>72050475
this, most cars cost like 20-80k for the normal person.

Houses are no where near that cheap
>>
I know this is a difficult concept for you poorfags to realize but maybe there is a significant amount of the American population that doesn't want to sit in a crowded smelly peasant train shared with homeless people and drug addicts. Ever consider that? Maybe people enjoy the luxury of being able to buy big ass cars and sit in them on the wide open road. I would rather sit in traffic in my comfortable car any day of the week than ride the bus or the train
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>>72050382
>>72050475
Still is paying too much for something that is only going to drain more your wallet.
>>
>>72050517
do yanks buy new cars? everyone i know buys 7/8k second hand cars
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>>72050550
Yanks finance cars they can't even afford.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/09/06/car-loans-now-top-1-trillion-delinquency-rates-rise/89911210/
>>
>>72050523
Don't forget the mentally ill guy that masturbated in the corner and the occasional negress that rides buck naked.
>>
>>72050550
used cars hold their value way more there yeah
feels good having probably the best 2nd hand car market in the western world
>>
>>72049863
do they really have a lot of traffic though?
what about those massive highways and intersections? arent they helping?
>>
>>72050523
>crowded smelly peasant train shared with homeless people and drug addicts
Why do you let homeless people into your metro? We have guards on every entrance which keep them away and if a hobo does manage to get into metro you just press a button on the wall to call the police.
>>
>>72050608
>>72050523
Funny you mention that because not even in Brazil there are that many homeless/mentally ill people like in the USA.

I only saw this in NYC Subway system, which is dirty as fuck and has lots of niggers.

In no European city have I ever felt bad in public transportation.

Also, enjoy rush hour sitting in your car wasting gas and time which could be better spent doing something else.
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>>72050523
>>72050608
Not public transportation's fault that your broken society fosters the development of poverty and mental illnesses.

Also enjoy your
- ugly ass highways cutting through cities and tearing communities apart
- road network so gigantic that it's become impossible for you to maintain properly
- immense amount of time and money wasted on driving EVERY DAY because of the suburbia meme and spread out city planning
- city planning contributing to segregation and inequality and therefore social conflict and violence
>>
>>72050722
>We have guards on every entrance which keep them away

This.
>>
>>72050736
>In no European city have I ever felt bad in public transportation.
it's because it's so expensive to ride it here.
>>
>>72050523
The broken windows concept. It's full of hobos and junkies because you keep the trains in bad condition.
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>>72050722
>>72050736

See. i did not know that. I thought it was commonplace for these degenerates to be on public transportation. In USA, they are littered with it and it's fucking annoying.

i tried to take the train once.

i get on. things were going nice.

some homeless guy gets on, sits behind me, and then immediately starts coughing. he also smells like fucking shit. now some baby further down the row starts crying.

and thats the last time i ever used public transportation
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>>72050838
God forbid having to live in a society where you occasionally hear babies crying.
>>
We have a train that goes from Moscow to China
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0L0Vb-FcOU
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>>72050838
That's babecist.
>>
>>72049863
>Why are Americans so bad at building decent public transportation?

American Oil and Car manufacturers conspired against public transportation so that amerigoys would be forced to buy and use their products
>>
>>72050838
Try public transportation in Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Etc.

You'll be amazed.
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Commies knew how to build subways.
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>>72050796
I didn't think it was that expensive and I'm from Hueland, but then again I was in Central Europe mostly and I had discounts because I was there through a student visa.

Can't talk about the UK as I've never been there.
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>>72050998
going to and back from work costs me over 7 quid
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>>72050948
>>
>>72051045
Holy shit. It's 0.8$ here and you can spend literary the whole day riding trains if you want + free transfer to the overground monorail with 90 minutes cooldown timer which means you can go read a newspaper, drink a cup of coffee in a cafe, ride the monorail and get back underground for free.
>>
public transportation was sabotaged by the auto industry and big business, years of that fucked things up
jealous of euros and other countries that don't have cities developed around cars or car culture
>>
>>72051209
It's cheaper if you buy a season ticket.
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>>72050947
that's amazing, thanks for sharing
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>>72051220
>public transportation was sabotaged by the auto industry and big business, years of that fucked things up

seems like a more reasonable response than the ones I usually get from Americans.

I wonder why this happened in your country though.

>>72051045
in Germany I'd usually spend about 45 bucks for a monthly ticket that would let me take any tram/U bahn/bus any time of the day.
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>>72049863
Do you want the non-meme answer?
It's because of the level of autonomy we give to our states.
It's just one of the negatives we accept as part of our political system.

A dictator can plan and build a subway system across the nation without much trouble.

In the US if you wanted to build a railway across the nation, you have to get it first approved through congress, then approved by every state it runs through, then approved by every local government the tracks will actually be built through. If any member of that process does not want the railroad, you are not getting a railroad because states rights.

Still, i'm willing to accept shitty public transit as the price of Freedom from a central authority.

The private sector has recently been doing a pretty good job of building public transit. Not amazing but not awful.
>>
>>72051565
Subways don't go across nations. NYC has a great subway entirely within its city limits. Nationwide rails in the US are a meme anyway, your rail network is better for cargo and your air network is good enough. What you need to improve is your planning within metro areas, because that's where most people stay for 320 days a year.
>>
>>72051565
I can understand that, even though I don't agree much with it.
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>>72050807
>It's full of hobos and junkies because you keep the trains in bad condition.
No, its full of hobos and junkies because it's the only safe, warm place most of them can go.
They in turn make the train dirty and in bad condition.
>>
>>72051565
Ok, but why won't the cities plan their OWN rail network then?

They don't need to be linked to other states/cities.

Like, a city like Seattle has enough power/money to build an extensive and efficient rail network, not the shitty one it currently has

>According to the 2007 American Community Survey, 18.6% of Seattle residents used one of the three public transit systems that serve the city
>The main mode of transportation, however, relies on Seattle's streets
>>
>>72051710
>No, its full of hobos and junkies because it's the only safe, warm place most of them can go.

So you're saying your country does not have Homeless Care houses?

Even WE have that (of course they are rundown and shitty but still)

Also, many Americans claim that you can only be a homeless person in the USA if you WISH so because you have many alternatives to counter that (government handouts etc).
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>>72051835
>Ok, but why won't the cities plan their OWN rail network then?

They are. Miami built a whole new line just last year.

Thing is, only a couple of big cities can afford a mass transit project.
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>>72051901
Anon, poor people deserve to die and not leech off productive peoples money.
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>>72051917
>only a couple of big cities can afford a mass transit project.

you can't possibly mean that, coming from the world's largest economy...

If fucking China can do it the USA should be able to do so too.
>>
>>72051961
That's a different point though (not saying I disagree or agree, but it's completely unrelated to the topic at hand)
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>>72049863
>Hell, China - even though is a gigantic shithole - has a MUCH BETTER and more modern/reliable and clean subway system across all major cities. (pic fucking related)

Confirmed for never having to travel through China, nor Russia.

We hold all public transit to a certain standard before it can be approved. It's the same in Australia and Canada and also why they have a similar issue
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>>72051657
I was addressing OP's
>>b-but the country is too big!

> NYC has a great subway entirely within its city limits.
See, nobody in NYC actually likes riding the subway because of the people. Nobody anywhere in the US want's NYC's subway for the same reason.

We don't help our mentally ill because "muh discrimination" and they have nowhere to go.

The only places they have to go are public institutions because they are open to the public, and unable to kick anyone out. Parks, Librarys, Buses and the NYC subway.

As a result it's not a fun experience to use said institutions because of all the crazy/homeless people.

As a result no one want's to fund or build more of those institutions.
>>
>>72052038
I think you're underestimating how much it costs to maintain a railway system without aid from the federal government. There's very few examples of passenger rail actually being profitable and self sustaining without government assistance.
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>>72052083
>We hold all public transit to a certain standard before it can be approved.
I can't see why you haven't got a public transit yet.
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>>72051220
>countries that don't have cities developed around cars
Such countries don't exist in Europe. The Vatican being a possible exception. Germany was rebuilt entirely around the car after the major cities were levelled in WWII.
And in other countries the major cities have all had to adapt to cars... with varying amounts of success. You're better off because you were able to plan for cars more or less from the beginning. You won't be able to escape rush hour traffic, no matter where you go.
I live in the center of Oslo, and despite the government fucking me more and more with fees and taxes and more difficult and expensive parking, they haven't made me any less reliant on having a car.

>>72050838
A junkie literally reached into his underpants and pulled out a brown mass, wrapped in saran wrap, while sitting next to me on the bus... He smelled like shit, too.
>>
>>72051901
>So you're saying your country does not have Homeless Care houses?
Yes they do but homeless don't like them because other homeless will rob them while they are staying there. During very cold winter days the police have to round up the hobos and force them into shelters because they would rather freeze to death than have to stay at a shelter
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>>72051835
>>72051901
see
>>72052122
>>72051901

>Also, many Americans claim that you can only be a homeless person in the USA if you WISH
It's true, most states have free housing projects but you have to pass regular drug tests.
Same goes for homeless houses.

Most of the homeless are mentally ill or addicted to drugs.
That's why if you see a homeless person, you can be pretty sure they are mentally ill or a druggy.
>>
>>72052122
I've ridden the NYC subway over the course of a week in the past and it's been fine. I can't recall major disturbances. Only a few buskers and a hint of piss smell in some stairways.
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>>72052233
Why not work in Norway and live in Sweden?
Earn more, spend less - win win situation.
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>>72050962
yeah it's good. but given a choice, most locals would rather drive than take public transport. it's much more comfortable and convenient. since Americans can readily buy cars and cheaply, there is no incentive to really build up public transport for the people.
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>>72049956
damn you to hell, you gottverdammt leaf, subway is the best
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>>72049863
>Even fucking Russia has an express to SIBERIA.

it's a single railway that takes days to fully traverse

>China - even though is a gigantic shithole - has a MUCH BETTER and more modern/reliable and clean subway system across all major cities

it's a dictatorship of 1 billion people which requires efficiency throughout the entire country due to the fact that city-wide or prefecture-wide business is not as prevalent as state-wide economy in the us

>Many Europeans are much better off than the average american and they still build decent public transportation

the average american lives in a house and has two cars per household, and those without cars are sated by city-wide transportation because they have no reason to have to move across the country at a whim. if they needed to, they'd just take a plane or drive.

stop this "le hate america for shitty non-problems" meme
>>
>>72052233
>You're better off because you were able to plan for cars more or less from the beginning.
That's debatable. The car centric American planning and subsequent neglect of maintenance has left them with an almost impossible mountain of backed up renovations, especially with how allergic they've become to taxes.

http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2015/02/americas-infrastructure-crisis-is-really-a-maintenance-crisis/385452/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/28/roads-bridges-decaying/2594499/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/study-2-trillion-needed-for-us-infrastructure/2011/05/16/AFyppB5G_story.html

Their communities dissolve due to the driving distances, so does solidarity. And whenever they add lanes the traffic just increases until the roads are clogged again.

https://www.wired.com/2014/06/wuwt-traffic-induced-demand/

http://www.citylab.com/commute/2015/11/californias-dot-admits-that-more-roads-mean-more-traffic/415245/
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>>72052545
Just leave us to fall apart anon, your not going to convince Americans to give up their cars. Let Rome fall for it's arrogance.
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>>72052496
>if they needed to, they'd just take a plane
Isn't it expensive? Especially at medium distances?
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>>72052610
americans who need to travel medium-long distances tend to be better off and thus can afford it.
failing that, driving or taking busses are cheaper options.
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>>72052610
>Isn't it expensive? Especially at medium distances?
In the US its not. it actually costs more the travel by train then plane. Although its going to be a shitty flight with you crammed in with as many people as the plane can hold.
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>>72052545
I can find stuff about your country, too...

https://www.berlinjournal.biz/deutsche-infrastruktur-verfaellt/

http://www.welt.de/politik/interaktiv/bruecken/deutschlands-bruecken-wettlauf-gegen-den-verfall.html

https://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article116088153/Das-unfassbare-deutsche-Infrastruktur-Desaster.html

http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/soziales/deutsche-infrastruktur-braucht-laut-iw-120-milliarden-euro-a-953915.html
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>>72052684
>americans who need to travel medium-long distances
But what if you just want to go somewhere for a weekend? Flights are kinda expensive for it and buses need a lot of time.
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>>72049863

Cars are cheap here, so public transportation isn't as big a priority.
>>
Step aside. No one is as incompetent at public transportation as us leafs.
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>>72049863
>>b-but we're not Europoors, we're rich and can buy cars lel !

Some people enjoy driving, you might have noticed an entire board for cars on 4chan.

>me just walking to the train station-.jpg
>>
>>72052764
I know, repeating American mistakes is symptomatic for moronic vassals like us.

Even then it's $196,000 per km or $1,581.625 per capita in Germany and $307,000 per km or $6,250 per capita in the US, so we're still not nearly as bad off as the Americans.
>>
>>72052724
>it actually costs more the travel by train then plane
That's because your train infrastructure isn't good. For example, I can take a train from Munich to Salzburg for about 20 euro.
>>
>>72052936
It's also the board that hopelessly defends absolutely moronic car based planning as the ultimate solution to all transport because they're unwilling to imagine that some people don't like to drive or to realize the immense costs and strains on society associated with it.

I like cars, but even I realize their flaws on the mass scale and wouldn't mind them becoming a more recreational thing.
>>
I've always wondered what it's like to live in a country with a proper train network.
How do the trains factor in to your lives? Are train stations sort of like airports, where you can see business people, ready to go to their meetings in different cities?
Do people who are ready to leave the country for their vacation go to the train station with all of their baggage?
In Oslo, trains are pretty much only for commuting to the suburbs. And there are trains to Bergen and Trondheim, but they don't see a lot of use because taking the plane is the same price and way faster. So Oslo-Trondheim and Oslo-Bergen are two of the busiest passenger air routes in Europe, but people rarely use the trains.
>>
>>72053090
Yes
>>
Unitedstatesians do have good public transport in at least some of their metropolitan areas and regions and if current projects get completed they'll have some of the most advanced (and most new and modern) mass and commuter transit systems in the world.
If you want a country to hang shit on for its substandard public transport, you're looking at it.
>>
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>>72053090
This is how square at a railway station looks like at a workday.
>>
>>72053040
It's especially funny when they complain about how all cars today are boring, bloated crossovers when that is due to most car buyers not actually caring about driving as a recreational activity. The market is centered around people who see it as a necessary evil, and that would change when people who don't want to deal with cars don't have to.

t. fellow enthusiast
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>>72052929
Why do you say that?
>>
>>72053211
Exactly. I'm actually thinking about starting to cycle to work because it's only 2.2 miles each way, and it would allow me to buy a less rational, more passionate car for my one garage spot.
>>
>>72052949
>That's because your train infrastructure isn't good.
We know. But it's a price we pay for other benefits.
>>
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>>72053187
Reminds me of pic attached
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>>72053090
And this is a train.
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>>72053408
Moscow has really comfy and classy subway stations.
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>>72052949
Not quite. Our freight rail is quite extensive and good, but our passenger rail is anemic outside of the Northeast corridor.

I blame the individual states and cities for being anal about approving any sort of public transit because "much taxes, much poor people". The Federal government has had plans for years to modernize Americas railway system, but the red states block it everytime because they won't be the ones directly benefiting from it.
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>>72053458
Yeah we do.
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>>72053478
The NEC is the only thing that makes sense from an economic perspective. For transcontinental passanger transport, airplanes are a lot cheaper. For freight the trains actually make some sense.
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>>72053695
True, but then said States wonder why no one wants to live there and why people are moving to the states that actually do have public transport.
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>>72053324
What benefits
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>>72053510
Holy Moses that's gorgeous
>>
Nearest train station is over 4 hours drive from me, and in a different state.
If they stopped by my house I would use them.
>>
>>72054068
Would you move closer if they built a station in your town? Or does everyone expect to get a train station built right in front of their house (but being all NIMBY about the noise)?
>>
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>>72053924
can't really explain our entire government system in a post. See >>72051565

States and local governments are free to govern themselves as they see fit as long as they don't violate federal law. As a result we have a nation that is able to cooperate and co-exist without mass regulation like the EU has.
If a state has a problem, they make a law to deal with it and it only effects that one state. As a result, building mass infrastructure projects across states requires the cooperation of those states and local governments, and if they are opposed you can't just say to bad and build it anyway.

It's just the price of freedom.
>>
>>72054282
You think European states don't manage their own rail networks? It's just that we think cooperation leads to productiveness. What's the fucking point of blocking railroads if it stunts your state economy?
>>
>>72050550
>>72050517
>>72050595
>>72050662
lmao i paid 1500 cad for my car and it's lasted me 5 years so far, all ive done is brought it to jiffylube every 5km/6mo
>>
>>72054143
I live in a rural area, not enough people to make any sense for trains, but if we had them going from every small city to another like you do, I would use them often.
I have freight trains going by near me, the noise doesn't bother me.
>>
Why is NY Metro so fucking dirty and shit tho?

I mean for a city like NY it should be better desu.
>>
>>72054443
honda or toyota?
>>
>>72054349
>You think European states don't manage their own rail networks?
I did not know European states existed. I thought they were all country's.

> It's just that we think cooperation leads to productiveness.
We do to.

>What's the fucking point of blocking railroads if it stunts your state economy?

Someone in Washington wants a railroad from state A to state C running through state B.
If governors in state A and C thinks a railroad will be beneficial for its economy but state B's governor thinks it will be a drain on the state economy because they do not benefit from it, and have to keep it maintained, state B has the right not to have a railroad forced through it.
>>
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>>72049863
Washington D.C. have a decent looking metro. But yeah, America is shitty at public transportation.
>>
>>72055007
>Washington D.C. have a decent looking metro.
That's because Washington D.C. is not a state, and does not actually have most of the rights other states have.
Congress can actually order a metro built, and like it or not, it's getting built.

Im convinced metro quality is = to the total power of the ruling power.
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>>72053245

This is the platform for the busiest station in the city, in a city with 2.6 million people (and countless people coming from outside the city every day). Not to mention the high price, terrible coverage and glacial pace to improve the terrible coverage.
>>
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A train station somewhere in the midwest.
>>
Lots of the modern US was developed after WWII when the economy was in full-swing after the Depression. The automobile was touted as the transportation system of choice for the shitloads of nuclear families settling down all over the country. This combined with white flight from urban centers made the suburban lifestyle the defacto standard for middle-class America.

t. guy who lives in soul-sucking suburbs
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>>72055339
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>>72055388
>>
>>72049863
>pic fucking related
>posts picture of a Taiwanese subway stop

Why are BRs so ignorant about Asia despite being hardcore Asiaphiles?
>>
>>72053510
Isn't it illegal to take photos in Moscow metro?
>>
>>72055459
LOL, I've never heard of that. I've been taking pictures there all my life.
>>
>>72055459
No, that's Tashkent I believe.
>>
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>tfw you'll manage to see Noord-Zuidlijn finished in your lifetime
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pEbjBlw5nQQ
>>
>>72056727
>>72056754
Probably a meme or something I remember incorrectly then.
>>
File: 0023ae606e6610491a1502[1].jpg (52KB, 600x398px) Image search: [Google]
0023ae606e6610491a1502[1].jpg
52KB, 600x398px
>>72055441
Fine, pic related looks even better lol.

What now?
>>
>>72056856
>Amsterdam has a metro
Hahaha I didn't even notice it when I was there.
>>
>>72056945
It does, but the further expansion has taken years already.
>>
File: Metro_map_2020[1].png (166KB, 1300x1250px) Image search: [Google]
Metro_map_2020[1].png
166KB, 1300x1250px
>>72057019
It's ok I think. In Moscow, it also takes a lot of time. We already have a plan up to 2020.
>>
>>72049863
>China - even though is a gigantic shithole
most of china is a desert that no one lives in. entire Chinese population lives on the cost.
>>
>>72055339
I think this is DC union station actually.

>>72055388
Cincinati depot. No trains use it any more.

>>72055433
St. Louis. Ditto.
>>
We have airplanes and you can easily rent a car for like $25 a day.
>>
>>72057344
You can't drink if you drive a car :^)
>>
Two reasons. Reagan, and racism.

Back in the 70s the various administrations, both democrat and republican, all supported public transit, spurred mainly by the fact that thanks to the highways that were built, traffic was a mess, and partially the opening of BART, which at the time was the most advanced metro system in the world. The feds took pride in that, and they wanted most current systems and cities without metros to have a system with BART or better technology. BART also showed that you don't need dense development to have a metro. So, long story short, five cities built brand new metro systems between 1972 and 1984. Since 1984, two cities have built new metros. You see, Reagan was elected in 1980, and he quickly put a stop to any federal funding for metros, which most agencies relied on. He did it because 'for the price it cost to build it, you could give every rider a new car', which is a shitty reason, but that's what he said, and since Reagan is pretty much the basis of the modern day republican party, there was never any support for metros again.

The second, reason, which is why the development of metros was limited even in a time they were being supported was racism. When a metro line wanted to expand to the suburbs, a new metro system was being created, and was planning on having a BART/WMATA style service (stations a mile apart outside of the CBD, running at high speeds, people are meant to take a bus or drive to the station, which of course made sense at the time, since cities were falling apart and undesirable so most commuters lived in the suburbs) but the suburbs had a shit fit because for whatever reason they thought that the urban youth would go, take the subway, walk 3/4s of a mile+ to their house, break in, rape their white children, steal all their belongings, walk back to the metro, TVs in hand, and take it back home.

(1/4)
>>
>>72058547
Of course that's ridiculous, and it's been shown that building a metro has NEVER increased crime (the sole exceptions being Baltimore, however that was the SUBURBAN youth committing crime and using the station as a local hangout), but at the time, this was a major fear. Remember, back in the 60s/70s, people would destroy their entire communities, sell their houses for pennies on the dollar and move to a different town just because well-to-do black folk moved in.

Now, that's why we didn't build metros in the past, so why aren't we building them now? Well, the two reasons above still apply for starters. Even the Obama administration didn't support building metros, they mainly supported BRT (which for some retarded reason is seen as a 'cheaper option while providing similar capacity' which isn't true at all because outside of LA maybe two BRT systems are anything comparable to the BRT systems you see in South America and Asia). Suburbanites are still scared of minorities too, however there are larger problems at play now. First, large cities are playing catch-up, and still don't have all that much money. Remember that it was only about 20 years ago when cities started to turn themselves around, and many are only showing signs of recovery today (although many other smaller ones haven't, but that's irrelevant for this discussion). This means there's an infrastructure backlog, both with general maintenance, and with new projects, so building new metros or expanding them isn't at the top of many cities priority lists. Second, people just quite frankly don't want to fund it. Since most metro systems in the U.S. cross city and in some cases county and state lines, each jurisdiction is calling on the other one to fund it, and not their own. This is even a problem in New York City, where the city is giving them minimal funding because they believe the MTA, being a state agency, should receive most of its funding from the state.

(2/4)
>>
>>72058580
The state believes however, that the subway only runs within city lines, and the MTA mainly benefits the city, so the city should fund it. This is also a problem when funding specific capital projects or a new metro system. Everyone that would be served by it thinks it's great and wants to fund it, but everyone who isn't refuses to pay for it, which makes getting funding from the city/county/state government difficult. The third is general incompetence/corruption. This is mainly a U.S. government problem, but it especially applies to metros since they're high profile, high visibility, expensive, and usually controversial projects. Basically, if the government does it itself, it takes forever to get done because nobody knows what they're doing or are lazy, and it costs a shit-ton because government employees are well paid. If it's contracted out to a private company, it isn't much better, and can actually often times be worse. The company either wins the bid because the criteria is so specific only that company can bid (corruption) and they also take forever, overcharge, and have shitty quality that'll cost hundreds of millions to fix (of course, the government pays them extra for working longer, pays them extra for the cost overruns, and pays for the fixes, even though it was the company that broke the contract, not the government (again, corruption).

(3/5)
>>
>>72058604
Or, alternatively, the bid has many bidders, most of whom are competent, and have lots of experience building successful projects. But the government gives it to the lowest bidder, who of course is incredibly shitty and has all of the same problems as above, except the problems cost even more to fix because they use shit like concrete that doesn't meet structural standards (yes this was an actual problem in an actual, billion-dollar project. And yes, the company is still allowed to bid, and recently won several). This is on top of estimated costs that without any cost overruns exceed any other project in any other part of the world (the second avenue subway extension, despite being only three miles in very hard rock, and a standard two track line with stations every half-mile is expected to cost $6 billion, and will inevitably end up costing much more). There's also the fact that in many cities, the people who use the system don't want to fund it because service is so shitty, because surprise! They don't have any money. In quite a few cases, there are actual agency problems that should be addressed before throwing money at them, but in others, it isn't justified.

(4/5)
>>
>>72058625
I do want to note however, that despite all this, things are turning around when it comes to support of public transport. LA recently voted to spend $120 billion on their transit system, so that they have a modern, expansive metro network (which is a really big deal because LA was the stereotypical modern car city, with people driving for two hours to get to work even though they only live three towns away). This is just an example, as many other cities and counties have voted on spending bills, and most of them have turned out quite positively (Honolulu, for instance, is building their first metro right now). Five cities have expanded or built new stations in their metros in the past five years, and many cities that don't have metros are getting extensive tram/light rail systems. With more and more young professionals choosing to live closer to the city center, cities and counties are starting to realize that rapid transit is key to their survival and development. Most major cities nowadays have some sort of system in place. Whether it's a single tram line in the city center, or a commuter rail line that only runs three times a day, they have it, and it means they have the foundation to expand, which most are looking to do. Many cities and even some suburbs have also taken a very anti-car stance, building bike lanes, tearing down highways (or at least putting them underground) and only supporting transit-oriented development. We still have a long way to go, but give it 40-50 years and our public transport situation will look very different.

(5/5
>>
>>72058653
I live in OC, it's a pretty big deal about the transit expansion actually. There is a loud minority who don't like LA "becoming New York City" but overall I think most people support it.

It's too bad I'll be an old man by the time I can enjoy all this stuff though.
>>
>>72053798
That's not true. Get your alternative facts out of here.
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