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 Posted - December 11 2024 : 09:20:23 AM
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n94-_yE4IeU
This is a thought-provoking piece regarding the never
ending cycle of more roads begetting more cars ad
infinitum.
The sequel to this, regarding Autonomous Vehicles is even
more disturbing.
There are very few people who are not car dependent- WKS
being one of them. Not an easy trick.
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Posted - December 13 2024 : 12:00:35 PM
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Speaking of which, I cannot locate the Daily Driver thread, so to that end, my
old Hyundai Accent, purchased new has 300 K on it, and the kids were
after me to get a new car, so I did. They just didn't specify how new, however.
1959 Ranchero. Great for around town, as any extended trips I've vowed to
take bus, plane, or train.
Edited by - Chops124 on December 13 2024 12:02:14 PM
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Posted - December 14 2024 : 05:26:49 AM
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quote:
There are very few people who are not car dependent- WKS
being one of them. Not an easy trick.
Originally posted by Chops124Â -Â December 11 2024Â :Â 09:20:23 AM
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WKS is fortunate enough to live in an area with a good mass transit system. Most of us do not. I spent about 20 years without a car in Pittsburgh. Riding transit there is a nightmare. Almost every route goes downtown, and if you live in the suburbs a trip of 3-4 miles by car takes over 2 hours and a transfer downtown to come back out to a place almost within walking distance of where you started. The bus routes are often routed into every shopping venter along the way, further slowing them down. The busiest transit corridor in the city is served by busses on congested city streets because 40 years ago short sighted politicians voted down funding that would have put a subway line in this corridor. But the politicians have NO problem finding money for things that "matter" like a new stadium for each sports team in town. Vast areas of the suburbs have little to no service at all. Guess where the good paying jobs are?
About 20 years ago I finally got a reliable car. My income has more than doubled during that time because I could now access those good paying jobs. I currently work 32 miles away from where I live, in an area without bus service. If i can't drive the only transit option is an Uber ride costing $60 each way.
All of this is just for basic survival. For recreation, options would be limited to where Amtrak or Greyhound go, at the times they choose to run. Amtrak to CUmberland, MD for example leaves before the busses start to run, so this trip would entail sleeping in the train station if it is open, or a very expensive hotel room if it is not. My wife is now in a wheelchair which adds a while other level to the nightmare of public transit.
Like I said, WKS is fortunate to live where he does. Most of us do not have the transit options he does.
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Posted - December 14 2024 : 09:13:24 AM
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quote:Speaking of which, I cannot locate the Daily Driver thread, so to that end, my
old Hyundai Accent, purchased new has 300 K on it, and the kids were
after me to get a new car, so I did. They just didn't specify how new, however.
1959 Ranchero. Great for around town, as any extended trips I've vowed to
take bus, plane, or train.
Originally posted by Chops124Â -Â December 13 2024Â :Â 12:00:35 PM
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I knows that place!
cause of Fluffy! 
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 Posted - December 14 2024 : 4:59:20 PM
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Mass transit has many advantages for sure. Helps when you live in areas that have abundant services.
Some people still take advantage of what little service is available.
A rather infamous person used mass transit very recently to hide from the law.
Looks like Greyhound bus took him from New York to Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and finally to Altoona of all places.
He expected to evade police there but no such luck for him.
He should have hidden around Horseshoe Curve .
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Posted - December 15 2024 : 07:37:00 AM
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LOL I have my own Altoona and the cops story from the mid 1980s.
I had alluded to the fact that I didn't have a car. I used to ride the rails on weekends with a friend, and Altoona was a favourite run for us. We'd hop the train in Pittsburgh when it stopped to pick up helpers, then get off in ALtoona when it stopped to cut them off.
One night we got into Altoona after midnite, and my friend as was his custom headed for the 24 hour Waffle House to remove his contacts in the bathroom. I told him I'd meet him down in the boneyard, where we'd usually sleep in the seats of one of the hundreds of locomotives awaiting scrap or rebuild.
After we'd split up, I was walking across the parking lot of the mall wher ethe McDonalds was located, wearing a back pack at about 1 or 2 in the morning. A cop detained me asking where I was going. Obviously I couldn't tell him I just got off a freight and was headed to the railroad yard, so I told him I was hitchhiking to visit a friend at Penn State in State COllege, and my last ride had dropped me off in downtown Altoona, and I was trying to get to US220 (now I-99) to continue my trip. He kindly offered me a ride there. I couldn't very well turn him down, and 220 was a mile or two from the railroad on the other side of the valley.
Long story short, after he dropped me off, I spent the next hour or so sneaking through Alleys and back yards trying to get back to the yard without being seen. I would have had a tough time explaining what I was doing back in town when he'd just ridden me out to the highway.
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Posted - December 16 2024 : 5:02:59 PM
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I completely get that. A ten minute drive to the local supermarket would be
a one and a half hour ride with a transfer by bus. Moreover, El Paso runs
these Brio articulated buses over the more "heavily traveled routes." All
of these buses, and the downtown street car, rarely have more than half
a dozen patrons at any given time, and frequently run empty.
The routing is a mystery to me, as the pick-ups seem to avoid the densest
population areas requiring a hike to get to a designated bus stop. For all the
requirement, the routes could be served by 12 passenger vans rather than
the forty foot empty buses in use.
It is a huge tax bill. We are forced to use cars instead of street cars. Small
EV's with a fifty mile range using lead acid cells would be adequate for 90% of
my commuting needs.
 
Edited by - Chops124 on December 16 2024 5:05:00 PM
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Posted - December 16 2024 : 5:11:28 PM
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My beautiful bride of 33 years.
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Posted - December 17 2024 : 01:38:53 AM
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I've come to the conclusion in recent years that, presumably in every locale, there is a small but VERY vocal group of citizens who file endless complaints with the city, their councilor, the transit service, the news.... anyone who will listen. There are bus routes in my area that make absolutely no sense, but the councilors know they will get harassed non-stop if they change anything. /end rant
Chops, that car is sweeeeeeet. I can only dream of living somewhere warm enough to make driving something of that age year-round practical. If you've never seen it before, there is a 'show' called Roadkill that started on Youtube a while back which features a Ranchero in a few episodes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydYiV9GoCU4
Edited by - DaCheez on December 17 2024 01:40:32 AM
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Posted - December 17 2024 : 01:39:39 AM
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.
Edited by - DaCheez on December 17 2024 01:40:14 AM
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Posted - December 17 2024 : 1:33:57 PM
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Seeing all those swimsuits on the trolley reminded me of what a harmonious combination water and electricity can be.
Carpe Manana!
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