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by bushbaba 1048 days ago
Americans are deluded with cars. America is just huge and our cities (metro + suburbs) are huge. Meaning to use a train requires driving to the train stop, parking, waiting for train, etc. and if that entire process isn’t meaningfully better experience or meaningfully faster why wouldn’t I choose to drive.

It’s like Caltrain, for many driving is actually a faster commute than taking Caltrain. People took Caltrain though as the 20mins ish more the train takes makes up not sitting in standstill traffic.
1 comments
gbil 1048 days ago
Couldn’t resist but China is same land size and 4+ times the population of USA yet they do have a huge high speed network and pubic transport

The issue therefore is not size but attitude/will to have public transport

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JWLong 1048 days ago
You can frame this as a lack of political willpower, but that won’t get you closer.

China will have spent far less per commuter, in this process. Whether you want to chalk it up to the lack of certain standards in China, or onerous regulations in the US, doesn’t matter. End result will be the same. Just like Europe is not a fair comparison for the US, neither is China, or Siberia, for that matter.

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bushbaba 1048 days ago
4 times the population for the same land size means greater density to justify rail transport.

The car is actually an amazing transport concept. And very hard to beat

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ashayh 1048 days ago
|The car is actually an amazing transport concept. And very hard to beat

You do know you can have the best of both? Germany (where BMWs, Mercs, Audis are made), France, Japan, Switzerland etc have no shortage of easy, high end mass public transport with luxurious options for long trips. Or you buy/rent cars if you need to drive, or insist on driving.

If a Texan could get by with $500 a month on public transport, instead of $1000 on a car, they could go on a long vacation, and rent a Ferrari with the money saved in a year.

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throwaway4220 1048 days ago
Petroleum is also an amazing concept and hard to beat doesn’t mean we should not try to improve things
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Mountain_Skies 1048 days ago
China doesn't see diversity as their strength.
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