The US Needs to Build More Subways

[Hamartia Antidote]

No you can't.

Square–cube law - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Who says there has to be floors.... All you need is the walls and the height is not beyond the realm of possibility.

 

[FuturePAF]

I lived in New York and it needs longer and better subways, US used to have the world longest subways and railways in the past when US was sparsely populated, how come they don't need them now? China's high speed railway reached all the way to the Indian border in south Tibet small towns, do you know how many people live in those small Tibetan towns? Just couples of thousand.

Subway is not the same as the railways. Amtrak is getting a considerable investment as part of the new infrastructure investment just signed into law last year. Also, NYC is building a couple of new subway lines; the extension to the second ave subway and the inter borough express between the 7 train and bay ridge Brooklyn, with talk of extending the line to Jersey (hopefully via Staten Island), and hopefully an extension on the queens side to LaGuardia.

Infrastructure investments are basically only done if there is a way to pay for building and maintaining it, and if it is going to be used. Banks don’t want to loan to unprofitable Infrastructure, Which is why public private partnerships and completely private infrastructure like private freight rail is so popular.

BTW, the cities that are still urbanizing (getting more dense) are making investments into subways. The best example is Los Angeles, slowly but surely, as the finances become available and if the demand is still there.

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

Subway is not the same as the railways. Amtrak is getting a considerable investment as part of the new infrastructure investment just signed into law last year. Also, NYC is building a couple of new subway lines; the extension to the second ave subway and the inter borough express between the 7 train and bay ridge Brooklyn, with talk of extending the line to Jersey (hopefully via Staten Island), and hopefully an extension on the queens side to LaGuardia.

Infrastructure investments are basically only done if there is a way to pay for building and maintaining it, and if it is going to be used. Banks don’t want to loan to unprofitable Infrastructure, Which is why public private partnerships and completely private infrastructure like private freight rail is so popular.

BTW, the cities that are still urbanizing (getting more dense) are making investments into subways. The best example is Los Angeles, slowly but surely, as the finances become available and if the demand is still there.

funny how this logic is never applied to roads, which aren't tolled (except in Texas from my observation) but paid for by taxes. therefore everyone is paying for roads whether they use them or not, which is a common criticism of public transit. In China roads and parking spaces are tolled so that the burden of maintaining roads is solely on the drivers who use them, not on taxpayers as a whole.

 

[FuturePAF]

funny how this logic is never applied to roads, which aren't tolled (except in Texas from my observation) but paid for by taxes. therefore everyone is paying for roads whether they use them or not, which is a common criticism of public transit. In China roads and parking spaces are tolled so that the burden of maintaining roads is solely on the drivers who use them, not on taxpayers as a whole.

In NYC the bridges and tunnels are tolled and they help pay for the subway system. In fact they want to roll the streets in Manhattan below 59th street to pay for subway modernization. Most of the country doesn’t work this way, but in areas where public transportation is used by the majority of people, charging drivers to subsidize public transportation is done.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

funny how this logic is never applied to roads, which aren't tolled (except in Texas from my observation) but paid for by taxes.

There are tolls on highways up in the NorthEast.

Here in Massachusetts

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

There are tolls on highways up in the NorthEast.

I've only been to the east coast on conference, elsewhere I've never seen a toll road except in Texas where it seems half the road are toll roads.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

I've only been to the east coast on conference, elsewhere I've never seen a toll road except in Texas where it seems half the road are toll roads.

You probably thought the gantries were just the normal info sign ones

They have them in NH too

New Jersey

New York

Florida

These systems turned out better than what AT&T predicted in 1993 before the Internet took off.

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

You probably thought the gantries were just the normal info sign ones

They have them in NH too

New Jersey

New York

Florida

These systems turned out better than what AT&T predicted in 1993 before the Internet took off.

I definitely can distinguish which are toll and nontoll roads. There's 'optional' toll roads everywhere here where you can pay to use the HOV lane and they have the exact same gantries. Like I said I don't go to the east coast often and when I do I just take a taxi or use transit, and I've rarely seen enforced toll roads other than bridges and HOV lanes in the midwest and west coast.

 

[TexasJohn]

I've only been to the east coast on conference, elsewhere I've never seen a toll road except in Texas where it seems half the road are toll roads.

Sounds like you have only been to Dallas and maybe Houston!! How many toll roads do you think there are in Texas? Texas is a huge state

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

Sounds like you have only been to Dallas and maybe Houston!! How many toll roads do you think there are in Texas? Texas is a huge state

I've been to Dallas once and go to Houston twice a year for business. I actually like Houston quite a bit despite the toll roads.

 

[TexasJohn]

I've been to Dallas once and go to Houston twice a year for business. I actually like Houston quite a bit despite the toll roads.

That's what I figured. fyi, the average American hates Houston traffic and roads. I myself could not wait to get back to suburbia - Arlington, TX. We have elbow room here

 

[beijingwalker]

So, planned revival of US infrastructure push is doomed?, cause nowhere in US needs them. US only needs fighter jets and gunboats. only They can greatly benefit the American general public.

 

[Communism]

The U.S. economy is mostly digital.

That's why the current plans for getting better penetration for broadband will likely be the cheapest and most efficient way to bring additional vitality to the U.S. economy.

 

[TexasJohn]

So, planned revival of US infrastructure push is doomed?, cause nowhere in US needs them. US only needs fighter jets and gunboats. only They can greatly benefit the American general public.

The infrastructure funds will be used to fix roads, bridges, etc. that has been neglected for years. Understand though that our priorities and lifestyle are quite different from yours. While you are fixated on subways and public transportation, that is only one tiny part of what we care about. You don't have to like cheeseburgers, and I don't have to like chopsticks either! see how that works?

Here in my town, the city launched a bus service more than one and gave up. There was no ridership!