That there aren't viable alternatives has nothing to do with HSR being a good option for the way our state has developed... Say the line DOES get built (probably the biggest assumption of all time). Unless you happen to live in one of the towns the line passes through, it's useless. You still have to get to and from the depot. Your argument shows exactly this, that urban areas are the problem and highways won't work. So how exactly does high speed rail solve this when our so-called urban areas are in fact spread out in the first palce? Look at the LA Basin and the Peninsula as prime examples. How can high speed rail ever work there without stopping a bunch of times? You still must get to the depot. I'm all for commute lines like we have in place. But we aren't built like Europe. It's not being a naysayer, its using common sense. People argue that naysayers were against Bart. Be that as it may, Bart still matches the layout of people in this state. HSR doesn't at all.