Public Transportation

[DJ FC]

I wonder how many Nubblites regularily use public transportation?

[Pliedes]

Buses and trains pretty regularly. And though it's not in the public transport category, i ride my bicycle every single day.
Cars are (imo) expensive and dangerous.

[Cocktooth]

Riding a bike is safter then being inside of a car? I'll stick with good ole American muscle! In turn, I'll also stick with my fat ass and double chin.

[DJ FC]

Gotta side with Shaw on this one. Cars are way safer than bikes.

[angry pancake]

Really depends on where I am. There really isn't very much public transit. So damn near never there. In Europe pretty much is all I use. Some US cities have good systems, most don't in comparison.

[Beebs]

Originally Posted by angry pancake

Really depends on where I am. There really isn't very much public transit. So damn near never there. In Europe pretty much is all I use. Some US cities have good systems, most don't in comparison.

That about sums it up.

[Repugnant Abomination]

When I lived in Taiwan I used about just about every day. They have one of the best MRT systems in the world.

[Ironic Mustache]

Sacramento public transportation is GARBAGE. I avoid it at all costs.

[Repugnant Abomination]

Sacramento is just kind of garbage in general.

[THEINCREDIBLEdork]

Cars are safer than bikes is because the biggest danger to a bike is a car.

[Ironic Mustache]

Originally Posted by Repugnant Abomination

Sacramento is just kind of garbage in general.

People who live in Oregon don't get to talk about any cities in California, let alone one in the top 5 of awesomeness. The fact that you don't have 3 awesome cities in your entire state means you lose.

Edit* I'll let you talk about Redding since you might be familiar. Vaga can discuss Bakersfield or something and that's only because it's the only city we have that compares to something as shitty as Utah.

[Repugnant Abomination]

Whoa, whoa whoa...Let's

[Ironic Mustache]

I really hope those aren't your shoes.

[Ugly Bastard]

Houston public transpo is shit and only poor people use it. I like the idea of living in a city where public transpo is very popular (easier to go out drinking, can read/write while transporting, etc), but Houston is not that city.

[DJ FC]

Originally Posted by Ugly Bastard

I like the idea of living in a city where public transpo is very popular (easier to go out drinking, can read/write while transporting, etc), but Houston is not that city.

It's a false hope. People have this ideal of great public transport in their heads, especially left-leaning Americans. What they don't admit to themselves is that public transportation is usually purely the lack of a motorway infrastructure. European cities weren't built for roads, so they have trains. Simple as that. An ideal city has cars in mind. And going out drinking is easy if you can get a cab.

[angry pancake]

Just spent almost a week in Denver. Public transportation is exceptionally good. Some places, like New York, Boston, DC, and San Francisco, public transportation is very important. I'd also consider taking a cab a type of public transit. Taxi across town for some sprawling metro areas, like Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, isn't realistic.

[Ironic Mustache]

What you forget about the entire state of Colorado is, the good parts are all outside of Denver and thus realistically inaccessible to public transit (cabs included). In fact, the only time cabs are actually viable transportation opportunities are when I'm comparing the fare to that of the price of a night in Sac County.

That being said, you're right that some American cities do have a definite need for it. SF's BART system is incredible and DC and NY's subways are also fucking fantastic. I haven't been to Boston though so I can't really comment. If you're not in Europe or a similar city to those aforementioned, then you're probably poor.

[DJ FC]

How can you consider cabs public transportation?

They are not meant to be included.

[angry pancake]

I'd consider a cab public transportation in that any member of the public can pay the fare and go. Granted, taxis don't have fixed stopping points. I guess it depends on your criteria for what is and isn't public transport. I suspect that my criteria varies from yours.

[DJ FC]

A taxi is not public transportation because once hired you can deny everybody else the right to use it. It's privately hired. A bus/train is public because people can continue to get on after you.

The real question in my mind is: what does this make of airlines?

[angry pancake]

Originally Posted by DJ FC

A taxi is not public transportation because once hired you can deny everybody else the right to use it. It's privately hired. A bus/train is public because people can continue to get on after you.

The real question in my mind is: what does this make of airlines?

I'd say we disagree. Some might think your definition better fits for "mass transit" which I would consider a subset of public tansportation. Others might think a taxi and train are similar if the train has no intermediate stops, just a starting point and ending point. When I lived in W. Germany, we took intercity trains all the time. Nobody was getting on or off that train until we got to Stuttgart. Last time I went from Seville to Madrid, nobody got on or off the direct train. I suppose I would agree that taxis are maybe less public if one calls for a reservation or pick up. But then they're not much different from Super Shuttle. Commercial airlines are public transportation.

[Beebs]

Originally Posted by Ironic Mustache

What you forget about the entire state of Colorado is, the good parts are all outside of Denver and thus realistically inaccessible to public transit (cabs included). In fact, the only time cabs are actually viable transportation opportunities are when I'm comparing the fare to that of the price of a night in Sac County.

That being said, you're right that some American cities do have a definite need for it. SF's BART system is incredible and DC and NY's subways are also fucking fantastic. I haven't been to Boston though so I can't really comment. If you're not in Europe or a similar city to those aforementioned, then you're probably poor.

Whoa whoa whoa, Denver is fucking awesome.

[angry pancake]

Oh, I've been on taxis that have stopped and picked up other people. Happened frequently from hotel to airport. The cab would have stopped before or after to pick up another. I'm basing most of this crap loosely on regulation and other's definitions and shut like that. I ain't riding a fucking bus in Houston. There's too many poor people who smell like piss.