Fuel Economy

[DevilGirl]

Originally Posted by bkrownd

Americans...always making excuses, always avoiding solutions. The root of your problem is not "transportation infrastructure" - it's that you simply chose to live much too far from work (or work much too far from home, take your pick), without consideration for efficient transportation. It's a serious cultural/societal disfunction here.

If you really worked "locally" you'd be able to walk or bike to work by definition. We are born with feet, but recently people seem to have a real mental block against using them for their intended purpose...transportation. I've always lived within an hour's walk to work....or 10-15 minutes by bike. Yeesh, "10+ blocks" is nothing! Love a good walk.

I live in the country. There is NOTHING within walking distance. And I'm not making excusing, I am explaining the situation as it it. There are some very rural areas in this country. There are very few jobs in those rural areas. Come visit sometime. I'll show you.

[docB]

I have a neighbor that works .3 miles from where he lives. He starts up his mustang to drive back and forth. I wonder if he drives to a gym for a run on the tread mill? Americans are not always the brightest bulbs.
doc

[why?]

Originally Posted by bkrownd

Americans...always making excuses, always avoiding solutions. The root of your problem is not "transportation infrastructure" - it's that you simply chose to live much too far from work (or work much too far from home, take your pick), without consideration for efficient transportation. It's a serious cultural/societal disfunction here.

If you really worked "locally" you'd be able to walk or bike to work by definition. We are born with feet, but recently people seem to have a real mental block against using them for their intended purpose...transportation. I've always lived within an hour's walk to work....or 10-15 minutes by bike. Yeesh, "10+ blocks" is nothing! Love a good walk.

Originally Posted by docB

I have a neighbor that works .3 miles from where he lives. He starts up his mustang to drive back and forth. I wonder if he drives to a gym for a run on the tread mill? Americans are not always the brightest bulbs.
doc

wow, way to show your egalitarian stuck up cluelessness. Sorry but Americans don't want to live in a city, we really don't want to live in apartments that are 10 square feet at best. If you want that you are free to move to some european country.

I'll take the living in the middle of nowhere any day. No crime, very little noise, neighbors who i've never met, never will, but I know I can trust.

I'll take that any day over being crammed into a sardine can because it makes someone who is so messed up they want to run everyone else's life while they destroy their own.

btw, I like mass transit. It is great in certain places. Washington DC's metro is phenomenal. The NY subway system might be infamous, but it rocks. I have to throw in Boston's T, which is pretty darn good too. However, unless you want to give every penny you earn to the federal government we cannot have mass transit for everyone.

I wish they would throw Amtrak overboard, it is a disgusting waste of money and they run it as terribly as they possibly can.

I do wish we had some of those awesome high speed trains. 250 mph + would make boston to ny a breeze.

[KrazyDawg]

Originally Posted by why?

Washington DC's metro is phenomenal.

I lived in the DC area for a few years. The metro is good if you live nearby and you work in areas where it runs. I didn't get my driver's license until my mid 20s and I relied on public transit to get around everywhere. WMATA's buses aren't that great. The lines I took ran every 30 min to an hour and these were major bus lines. On the other hand, it did run every 15-20 min during commuting hours but if you wanted to get anywhere it took time. Nothing like NYC's subway.

[why?]

Originally Posted by KrazyDawg

I lived in the DC area for a few years. The metro is good if you live nearby and you work in areas where it runs. I didn't get my driver's license until my mid 20s and I relied on public transit to get around everywhere. WMATA's buses aren't that great. The lines I took ran every 30 min to an hour and these were major bus lines. On the other hand, it did run every 15-20 min during commuting hours but if you wanted to get anywhere it took time. Nothing like NYC's subway.

yea, but I don't think I would want to take one of those busses. To do busses right you'd need millions of people willing to use them. London's bus system is pretty sweet, but I'd hate to see the cost, and every bus I went on had at least a dozen people on them.

[bkrownd]

Originally Posted by DevilGirl

I live in the country. There is NOTHING within walking distance. And I'm not making excusing, I am explaining the situation as it it. There are some very rural areas in this country. There are very few jobs in those rural areas. Come visit sometime. I'll show you.

Good grief, of course you're making excuses. You CHOSE to "live in the country" where you can't possibly hope to find efficient transportation options, but then you make excuses that instead "lack of infrastructure" makes anything but driving an automobile impractical. Incorrect. The actual problem is that you simply limited your own transportation options by making a poor choice of where to live.

[nmgolfer]

Originally Posted by bkrownd

Good grief, of course you're making excuses. You CHOSE to "live in the country" where you can't possibly hope to find efficient transportation options, but then you make excuses that instead "lack of infrastructure" makes anything but driving an automobile impractical. Incorrect. The actual problem is that you simply limited your own transportation options by making a poor choice of where to live.

Please... Off your high horse. Some cannot afford to live in the city. Some want their children to be able to leave the house without having to worry about gangs and gunfire. Their only (real) option is a long commute to where the work is. Now consider that you CHOOSE to live on an island in the middle of the Pacific. How wasteful! Think of all of the energy used to deliver the goods you need to live the life you do... I wonder how much we mainlanders are subsidising your poor choice of where you live.

[DevilGirl]

Originally Posted by bkrownd

Good grief, of course you're making excuses. You CHOSE to "live in the country" where you can't possibly hope to find efficient transportation options, but then you make excuses that instead "lack of infrastructure" makes anything but driving an automobile impractical. Incorrect. The actual problem is that you simply limited your own transportation options by making a poor choice of where to live.

Really? You are correct. I do chose to live in the country. For the simple fact that I like to be able to breathe. I work in Philly. I've seen the city life. And it SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

City living is not for everyone. And that is not an excuse.

Please get off your high horse.

[DebbyM46227]

Originally Posted by bkrownd

Good grief, of course you're making excuses. You CHOSE to "live in the country" where you can't possibly hope to find efficient transportation options, but then you make excuses that instead "lack of infrastructure" makes anything but driving an automobile impractical. Incorrect. The actual problem is that you simply limited your own transportation options by making a poor choice of where to live.

I choose to live in the suburbs where I can have a large condo with a large yard surrounding it, all mine, no loud city noises, no crime, etc. I drive 30 miles RT each day to work. Who cares? I certainly don't as my car gets good mileage. I'm not into being "green", I don't know anyone at all who rides the bus downtown. We don't have a subway in my city; we all drive, one to a car here. I don't believe in sharing a ride either, its too much trouble.