Bad traffic gone good.

[Uzume]

Supposedly these guys have one of the lowest accident ratings in the world, some how.

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid= ... 2598904740


Bizarre

[Sionnach Glic]

I hardly ever drive, myself. I just walk or take public transport.

[Blackstar the Chakat]

I hardly ever drive, myself. I just walk or take public transport.

How do you get anyplace? I doubt you'd do much walking in winter, especially after a huge snowstorm. And Public transportation sucks, you always end up next to annoying people, or have a kid kicking your chair, or someone left a piece of gum on your seat. And buses only travel around the city. How are you supposed to get out of town?

[Sionnach Glic]

I doubt you'd do much walking in winter, especially after a huge snowstorm.

There're no snowstorms over here. The worst we get is a load of ice all over the place.

. And Public transportation sucks, you always end up next to annoying people, or have a kid kicking your chair, or someone left a piece of gum on your seat.

Never had much trouble with it, myself. Asside from the ancient buses, public transport over here is pretty good.

And buses only travel around the city. How are you supposed to get out of town?

Well;
A) Over here there are buses that take you all over the place, into the city, around the city, out of the city, and to other cities.
B) I hardly ever use buses nowadays, the tram line they set up a couple years ago is much better.
C) I don't know about where you live, but over here we have these things called 'trains' that go around the country.

Saves a fortune on petrol costs, as well.

[Blackstar the Chakat]

I suppose trams could work in places it doesn't snow.

And I thought passenger trains were outdated, like snail mail and Board games. My city only has a few train lines leading to one of the local factorys. And I've heard that in the few places they exist they're never on time. I always thout trains are like airplanes but cheaper to operate(assuming you can get the engine to work) and slower.

[Sionnach Glic]

I suppose trams could work in places it doesn't snow.

Well, the LUAS Line works brilliantly over here. It goes all over the city, and has stops at every major place you'd want to go. Plus, it takes you right outside the city's main train station, which is great.
I can see how that'd be pretty impossible to do in a snowy city, though.

And I thought passenger trains were outdated, like snail mail and Board games.

1) Monopoly kick ass, and always will.

2) I have no idea where abouts you live, but virtualy all of Europe has a load of passenger trains.
Passenger trains are a highly effective mode of transport. There's no traffic jams so travel times are reduced massively, they can go at higher speeds than cars or buses, they're bigger than buses allowing them to transport large amounts of people, they're cheap and don't pollute as much as other forms of transit and they have an excelent safety record.
And the best thing: they're highly cheap.

And I've heard that in the few places they exist they're never on time.

That sort of stuff is always over-exagerated, if they're late then it's only by a few minutes. Also, the large amount of trains means that, at worst, if you miss a train you'd only need to wait ten minutes or so to get the next one.

I always thout trains are like airplanes but cheaper to operate(assuming you can get the engine to work) and slower.

In a way, yes. They can go at high speeds, and go along pre-planned routes, like planes. However, they're massively cheaper to get a ticket for and are far more reliable, from what I've heard. They may be slower, but if speed is a problem then take a plane. Otherwise, just sit back and relax, and bring a good book or a game.

[Reliant121]

If you think all trains are late then you should visit Switzerland

[Mikey]

Please don't take Blackstar's comments as representative of the US. Blackstar's in Wisconsin - the Siberia of the continetal US. I drive like the video because of the traffic density in New Jersey, which is huge. Travelling to Manhattan, or Boston, or Washington DC, or something similar from home almost always involves train travel for me. And CPH or Bryan will bear out that train/subway and bus travel inside the major metropolises is huge.

[Captain Picard's Hair]

Yeah, there's a fairly large city you may have heard of close to where I live

For getting around Manhattan, the MTA (Metropolitan Transport Authority) trains and buses are the best option. There is the small fact that if every New Yorker drove, the average speed on city streets would be about 0 MPH. Even with the heavy use of mass transit, traffic isn't all that much faster, anyway! The system has become cleaner than it was in the early 90's when crime was out of control, as NYC has also become quite safe for a city of its size. At the famous Penn (Pennsylvania) Station in the city one can catch the national Amtrak trains, and the more local LIRR (Long Island RailRoad) and Metro North trains are quite popular (though nationally the highways tend to be preferred to the trains, which aren't as developed as in Europe). Right under Times Square there's a huge hub of subway lines, and Grand Central Station is another big one. Between New Jersey and the city there are PATH (Port Authority Trans Hudson) trains going under the Hudson river.

It's rather common for fans here to get to baseball/hockey/basketball games by train to avoid traffic (the two local American football teams, which share a stadium, as well as one of the two local NBA and one of the three "local" NHL teams play in the Meadowlands, New Jersey (despite the fact that both of the NFL teams have "New York" in their name), where public transport isn't as readily available as in the city proper. There may be shuttle buses, though). Both of the MLB teams are located in the city and are served by subway lines, the Yankees in the Bronx (4/B/D lines) and the Mets in Queens (7 line, LIRR, and MetroNorth). Madison Square Garden is located directly atop Penn station, so there are zillions of mass transit options there. There is a local MLS (Major league soccer - football to the rest of the world) team and a WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) team as well. (We've sure got a lot of teams around here! Hell, in addition to the Major League Baseball clubs, both the Mets (Brooklyn Cyclones) and Yankees (Staten Island Yankees) have minor-league affiliates in the city! And, no fewer than three International Airports serve the city!)

The Staten Island Ferry really is quite a scenic trip, though most who commute regularly just sit inside and read the newspaper. It's about 20 minutes between SI (where I live) and the city, and best of all, it's completely free! Special Staten Island Ferry lines also exist to take tourists to and from the Statue of Liberty.

Clearly the MTA is one of the most heavily trafficked metropolitan public transport systems in the world, and a lot of work is put into keeping it running; the city has MAJOR problems when the subways stop running. One of the lesser known (outside of the city) complications of 9-11 was the need to rebuild the subway lines that serviced the WTC. There was, in fact, an entire underground concourse mall under the WTC, and that was the location of one of the PATH train stops as well.

[Captain Picard's Hair]

Phew, that was tiring! Any questions?

[Mikey]

As far as sporting events and concerts, don't forget that Madison Square Garden - home of the NY Rangers and NY Knicks as well as huge concert events - is basically at a huge train station.

[Captain Picard's Hair]

As far as sporting events and concerts, don't forget that Madison Square Garden - home of the NY Rangers and NY Knicks as well as huge concert events - is basically at a huge train station.

Yeah, I said that

Madison Square Garden is located directly atop Penn station, so there are zillions of mass transit options there.

[Mikey]

Sorry.

Although lately, I'm not sure who would waste a train fare to see the Knicks...

Example: End of March, I'm going to Sharon, MA (outside Boston.) I could drive for six hours plus all the stops a three-year-old requires; or, for $150 for the three of us, I could take a four-hour train ride (Amtrak Acela doesn't run Saturdays) which my daughter will LOVE and which comes with a cafe car and sleeper seats.