Post ARhaDWkVeAHFGTORgO by HistoPol@mastodon.social
(DIR) More posts by HistoPol@mastodon.social
(DIR) Post #ARbqGKUO7PPKQaS2Hw by JessTheUnstill@infosec.exchange
2023-01-13T15:34:15Z
1 likes, 2 repeats
The biggest lie the US public ever bought into about public transportation - busses, subways, trains, is that should be a profitable service. They're not a profitable service, they're public infrastructure.Aside from toll roads (which are a regressive tax on the poor and should be eliminated), we don't expect our roads or sidewalks to earn a profit. They're simply a utility that is granted to the public because you live there. The roads don't close at 2AM just because not enough people drive on them for them to turn a profit, they're there 24x7x365 for people to be able to get from point A to point B no matter when they need to go there. When I buy a house on a road, I don't have to worry that some future administration will decide to tear up that road in front of my house and leave me with no way to get to work. It's simply part of our social contract that you can get to every location in town via a road and a car. Why can we not offer the public the same for mass transit? Define an area of the city that is a Guaranteed Free Public Transportation zone. Every home and place of business within that zone is guaranteed to have public transportation service 24x7x365 to every other place within that zone. where you'll never have to wait more than 15 minutes, and you won't have to transfer more than 2 times. Sure, maybe you say "After midnight, the busses don't run, but the city will pay for your taxis, because it's more efficient to run a fleet of taxis than to operate busses", but you've maintained that public infrastructure commitment.#publictransit #masstransit
(DIR) Post #ARbqGMErc6B5r1CfMu by JessTheUnstill@infosec.exchange
2023-01-13T15:36:17Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
I'll bet if you crunch the numbers, the taxes to pay for it would be far lower than the amount people pay in car payments and insurance payments. Plus, when paid with taxes, you can use a progressive tax structure so we can allow those with more to pay more of the burden.
(DIR) Post #ARhaDRNzaSIKdBotOK by doppelgrau@ruhr.social
2023-01-13T15:42:16Z
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@JessTheUnstill In addition: since public transit is more space efficient, it would reduce congestion for the remaining car drivers. There is a very famous photo from 1990 in the city center of the town Münster (germany) for the space required to transport 72 people
(DIR) Post #ARhaDRoZzbYtxeG7pg by JessTheUnstill@infosec.exchange
2023-01-13T16:22:35Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@doppelgrau Not to mention the parking. Suddenly you no longer have any need for all those parking lots and parking garages holding private vehicles that are only in use 5% of the time. You've freed up dozens of lots for people to live and work!
(DIR) Post #ARhaDSUPU51S3NpX28 by HistoPol@mastodon.social
2023-01-14T21:00:54Z
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@JessTheUnstill @doppelgrau While true, this commonplace #Green thinking ignores the needs of the many handicapped or frail elderly people or stressed-out parents with several younger kids who already feel guilty about spending too little time with their family.Using public transport in off-peak times often doubles or triples travelling times + involves quite some walking. Furthermore, in rural areas, #PublicTransport is mostly too rare and often too expensive due to low population density.
(DIR) Post #ARhaDSw3pH8lR8lc8G by badtux@mastodon.social
2023-01-15T05:06:48Z
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@HistoPol @JessTheUnstill @doppelgrau In short, your observations about the handicapped and public transit are totally divorced from the reality. Public transit is the most friendly form of transit for the handicapped, and that has been true for decades.
(DIR) Post #ARhaDTMIFk7kkV2Z1M by HistoPol@mastodon.social
2023-01-15T13:36:48Z
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@badtux @JessTheUnstill @doppelgrau Interesting observation.A longer time ago, I was managing a driving service for the handicapped. All of our clients would not have shared your opinion. In particular, as almost all would not have made it even to the next bus stop half a mile away by themselves.The ones that might have made it would still mostly have preferred a cab/taxi.Most of the people I know aged up to 80/85 who are not nursing-home residents still manage to drive...1/2
(DIR) Post #ARhaDU2pha9SsQwXKK by HistoPol@mastodon.social
2023-01-15T14:08:32Z
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@badtux @JessTheUnstill @doppelgrau 2/3...however, many would not manage more than walking to a bus station and back 600m/half a mile (and back) and then still go shopping downtown.Also, someone merely having an injured foot would not make it out of the unfathomable undergrounds in the #CityOfLondon when the #escalators are out of order....
(DIR) Post #ARhaDUVtxVP6KaXkdU by HistoPol@mastodon.social
2023-01-15T14:12:26Z
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@badtux @JessTheUnstill @doppelgrau 3/3...Oh, and if you are not #CrocodileDundee, taking an underground train in metropolises like #MexicoCity might prove too much adventure, in particular at night. 😉 So, all I am saying is that while #PublicTransport might be the best, often only solution in urban areas, it is not for a significant number of people.Also, an e-bike, for many, is an even faster solution for short and medium distances if there are bike lanes.
(DIR) Post #ARhaDUzgAnDtowTX3A by badtux@mastodon.social
2023-01-15T21:27:01Z
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@HistoPol @JessTheUnstill @doppelgrau The fact that a third world nation has an unsafe mass transit system is of supreme disinterest to me. The fact that the United States lacks a functional mass transit system in 99% of its cities -- by functional, I mean any address no more than 2 blocks from a stop, and buses/trains run every 15 minutes -- makes life excruciatingly difficult for those who can't drive cars for whatever reason.
(DIR) Post #ARhaDVOqfDM950FdHU by HistoPol@mastodon.social
2023-01-16T13:14:55Z
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@badtux @JessTheUnstill @doppelgrau @badtux @JessTheUnstill @doppelgrau (1/n)Agreed.I was trying to have an international perspective.People complain about public transport in most places.In fact, my feeling is that it is one of the goods where demand is by far greater than supply almost anywhere.As I heard on the radio today, the richest one percent have accumulared two thirds of wealth-gains since before the Pandemic (e.g...
(DIR) Post #ARhaDVrCxm2cUxWHU8 by HistoPol@mastodon.social
2023-01-16T13:15:43Z
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@badtux @JessTheUnstill @doppelgrau (2/n)...the #food and #energy sectors).As trickle-down clearly could never work, it is high time to finally level the playing field for the people.A wealth tax, a steep carbon tax, in particular for private trips to space, and an #ExcessProfitsTax/#WindfallProfitTax of at least 50% would go a long way to pay for a state-of-the-art #PublicTransport (and health) system...
(DIR) Post #ARhaDWKHDhIFx77UnI by HistoPol@mastodon.social
2023-01-16T13:16:55Z
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@badtux @JessTheUnstill @doppelgrau (3/n)...A windfall profit tax has been introduced in several countries, including #Britain.Cheap public transport would have a asymmetrically benefitial impact on low-income households. They would lower inner-city rents, as much more workers would be able to live in more distant suburbs (like in #SanFrancisco and #NYC).The wealth of big home real-estate owners would be adversely affected, as prices would drop there...
(DIR) Post #ARhaDWkVeAHFGTORgO by HistoPol@mastodon.social
2023-01-16T13:17:56Z
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@badtux @JessTheUnstill @doppelgrau (4/n)...The effect on #GlobalWarming would be significant, too.In the #US, however I fear that this will not happen in the next decade. Government, in particular #Congress and #SCOTUS have mutated into a #plutocracy ever since that fatal decision #CitizensUnitedVsFEC in 2010. What is even worse, it is not just #US #DarkMoney from national industry but increasingly from antagonistic,...
(DIR) Post #ARhaDXG3krVwqK9drM by HistoPol@mastodon.social
2023-01-16T13:18:54Z
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@badtux @JessTheUnstill @doppelgrau (5/6)...#autocratic foreign countries like #Russia and #SaudiArabia that is skewing the US' and other western democracies (e.g. #UK, #France, #Hungary). At the beginning of this year, for instance, it turned out that #Qatar had bought the vice-president of the #EuropeanParliament.I would like to have a more optimistic outlook, but I don’t. #VoterSupressionLaws including...
(DIR) Post #ARhaDXxf8kOP1YYSp6 by HistoPol@mastodon.social
2023-01-16T13:23:09Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@badtux @JessTheUnstill @doppelgrau (6/6)...#Gerrymandering, chiefly by #Republicans, have been trying to further cement the #US' #plutocracy.