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Re: SMART And Its Devious Diesel and Must be Stopped
Author: OldPoleBurner
Date: 12-10-2012 - 13:59
I guess you really did ask for the vitriol - when you dish it out so liberally while acting as a self appointed spokesman for Marin County! Just who are these people you represent; or is the "hate trains" idea just your own.
> The Northbay is still reasonably tighly-knitted, unlike, say, the demoralized, ghetto mean streets of Oakland or San Jose.....
Tight-knitted? ! ! !
They used to refer to "good ol' boys" in the Jim Crow south as tight-knitted. But from the tone of your description of Marin County, just plain SNOBBISH would have been just as good a choice of words. And did you really mean to expose the serious lack of diversity in thought there? Well, You'd be right! Especially if you refer to a lack of diversity in political and civic opinion? - such as in whether or not they should do what can be done, to get our citizens to work in a economically and ecologically responsible manner.
> They are not going to respond passively when there is a SMART grade-crossing [accident] with fatalities,....
So what is that - a threat?
Will they riot in the streets? Or what? --
Only if you pass out free pot in return.
> .... especially when a lot of them feel the whole train operation is obsolete and should be outta here. Besides 55mph, typical of urban light rail, is appropriate, not 80mph.
Urban Light Rail, at a mere 55mph? First of all, Marin and Sonoma Counties are not urban areas - they are "sub" urban, and very sprawled. 55mph just plain won't do - won't compete well at all. And we do want it to successfully compete for the free will choice of its riders - right? Or do we expect to successfully coerce American citizens into using it? NO - it must be competitive!
And the main reason light rail speeds are generally limited is twofold; 1st - lack of crash worthiness; 2nd - small vehicles must have small wheels - too small for much speed.
So, if you're going to do it at all, it needs to be done with the competition in mind. The best option therefore, would be a heavy suburban electrified railway (either loco-hauled or MU; such as the Long Island, Metro-North, or countless others throughout the world. It should go from the closest ferry slips at the Bay, to beyond Santa Rosa.
SMART's equipment choices here are therefore indeed reasonable, given the real need to keep costs at a minimum in these depression times. Improvements can still come later. Moreover, including freight service in the mix, just like in olden times, can help cross-subsidize the passenger service. That's right - sell excess capacity in the infrastructure, and thus share the costs. That indeed is a NO BRAINER!
And BTW, just how are the fastest growing forms of transport in the world and in the USA, somehow obsolete?
What is really obsolete, is regular reliance on automobiles and trucks. Not because we don't like them, or consider them to be beneath us; but because they are economically and ecologically unsustainable, for regular use in commuting. And how many wars are we going to have to fight, just to keep access lanes open to all that extra oil; just so a bunch of freaky SNOBS can live in a train free world.
Y'all need to get over it - TRAINS ARE IN YOUR FUTURE - if you are so lucky as to even have a future.
> The Northbay is still reasonably tighly-knitted, unlike, say, the demoralized, ghetto mean streets of Oakland or San Jose.....
Tight-knitted? ! ! !
They used to refer to "good ol' boys" in the Jim Crow south as tight-knitted. But from the tone of your description of Marin County, just plain SNOBBISH would have been just as good a choice of words. And did you really mean to expose the serious lack of diversity in thought there? Well, You'd be right! Especially if you refer to a lack of diversity in political and civic opinion? - such as in whether or not they should do what can be done, to get our citizens to work in a economically and ecologically responsible manner.
> They are not going to respond passively when there is a SMART grade-crossing [accident] with fatalities,....
So what is that - a threat?
Will they riot in the streets? Or what? --
Only if you pass out free pot in return.
> .... especially when a lot of them feel the whole train operation is obsolete and should be outta here. Besides 55mph, typical of urban light rail, is appropriate, not 80mph.
Urban Light Rail, at a mere 55mph? First of all, Marin and Sonoma Counties are not urban areas - they are "sub" urban, and very sprawled. 55mph just plain won't do - won't compete well at all. And we do want it to successfully compete for the free will choice of its riders - right? Or do we expect to successfully coerce American citizens into using it? NO - it must be competitive!
And the main reason light rail speeds are generally limited is twofold; 1st - lack of crash worthiness; 2nd - small vehicles must have small wheels - too small for much speed.
So, if you're going to do it at all, it needs to be done with the competition in mind. The best option therefore, would be a heavy suburban electrified railway (either loco-hauled or MU; such as the Long Island, Metro-North, or countless others throughout the world. It should go from the closest ferry slips at the Bay, to beyond Santa Rosa.
SMART's equipment choices here are therefore indeed reasonable, given the real need to keep costs at a minimum in these depression times. Improvements can still come later. Moreover, including freight service in the mix, just like in olden times, can help cross-subsidize the passenger service. That's right - sell excess capacity in the infrastructure, and thus share the costs. That indeed is a NO BRAINER!
And BTW, just how are the fastest growing forms of transport in the world and in the USA, somehow obsolete?
What is really obsolete, is regular reliance on automobiles and trucks. Not because we don't like them, or consider them to be beneath us; but because they are economically and ecologically unsustainable, for regular use in commuting. And how many wars are we going to have to fight, just to keep access lanes open to all that extra oil; just so a bunch of freaky SNOBS can live in a train free world.
Y'all need to get over it - TRAINS ARE IN YOUR FUTURE - if you are so lucky as to even have a future.
