Public Transport
In the UK we have what is laughingly referred to by “Two Jags” and the other fat cat politicians as an “integrated transport policy”. This basically means make it difficult and highly taxed to use cars while making it deeply unpleasant, expensive or nearly impossible to use public transport.
Unless you live in London, which is slightly more convenient as they at least have the tube.
the Blog at Calgary : Transportation Planning in Review discusses the plans for Calgary. I don’t live in Calgary but want to. I take a keen interest in all things Cowtopia. There is an election this weekend too. I want to be a new calgarian, not the redneck funny hat wearing type but the SUV driving suburban type.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of public transport. I used it daily when I had a proper job rather than working in my underwear. I didn’t like the reality of public transport one bit. It is expensive, smelly, frightening, inefficient, unsafe, threatening, unpredictable, unhealthy, dangerous, and lots of other nasty things. It wasn’t just the druggies, the drunks and the abusive passengers, or the urine spilling around the floor, the sticky seats stuck up with God knows what. They never ever ever run on time. Try using the train being delayed for the 40th time as an excuse to a boss who walks to work from his penthouse sweet two blocks away.
I even swapped my laptop bag for a rucksack type so as not to get mugged. I know several people who swapped their earphones for non-white ones for the same reason. On the rare occasion public transport (to get the one bus or train an hour that was available) I still had to use my car to get me to and from the station. Integrated? Don’t make me laugh.
Technorati Tags: calgary, transport, dirtysmellyscaryengland
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January 19th, 2006 at 8:50 pm
Funny… one lasting impression I have of public transit in Europe is of how efficient and easy it is to use. Everywhere from Helsinki to Budapest to Madrid to Barcelona. We have far far to go here in the GWN to come anywhere close to it. Our largest city has maybe a quarter
of the coverage of Barcelona in terms of subway routes (underground, metro), and yet Barcelona is on ethird the popualtion of the GTA.
Still, ours is pretty safe, if inefficient and crowded.
January 19th, 2006 at 8:54 pm
Depends where you go in europe really. Don’t bother in England unless you carry a scary-looking weapon and are not in a hurry but france is pretty good in comparison. I haven’t been to the places you mention so I couldn’t comment :O)