12-21-2016, 10:29 PM
(12-21-2016, 10:04 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: I think you are not understanding what's I'm saying. Nobody is attacking you for driving, nobody is suggesting that you should be taking transit. What I am suggesting is that you continue to live in a mindset of how things are. I hope you can imagine a different world.
For example, one with a 200 km/h train between Cambridge and Kitchener instead of the expressway. Now your house is a higher density transit oriented neighbourhood. Now it's a 40 minute drive to your work, and a 5 minute walk to a bus which takes 5 minutes to a train station which takes 20 minutes up to Kitchener, that's a 5 minute walk away from your work. Now it's a 35-40 minute transit ride to work. This is a different type of world, with different investments and priorities, all of a sudden transit *can* be a feasible option for the vast majority of people.
And then the vast majority of these roads wouldn't be needed. Yes, we still need roads to everywhere, but we no longer need a massive 6 lane wide expressway. We no longer need huge parking areas, and wide roads with parking on both sides.
This world is hard to imagine, but conveniently, you can go see it first hand if you want, it's a short trans-Atlantic flight away. And you'll find that Europe does also have plenty of rural areas, with small towns, with people who mostly drive, but who also usually have bus service. But in larger cities, certainly ones the size of Cambridge or Waterloo, there's much much better transit and many more people can make use of it.
I am not trying to build you up to be a knuckledragger because you're faced with the reality of the world you live in. I respect that. If I still lived in New Hamburg (or even a suburb of KW) I'd also own and drive a car. I am fortunate enough not to have to. But I am suggesting that you should understand and acknowledge exactly why and how we do have the world we have.
And as for the sticks, I lived in New Hamburg. When I lived there my *ONLY* options for getting home were a 6 hour walk along dangerous roads, an 80 dollar taxi ride, or driving myself. Guess which I did. Right now, there is a bus to the town. It's not terribly popular but now everyone who lives there at least has an option. They at least have the freedom of travel. That's what I'm talking about.
a 200 kmh train from cambridge to kitchener costs would outweigh the cost of building a road network, tokyo can do it because it has real density, cambridge has a few busloads of people an hour. How is my home in a higher density area unless all the homes in the area are torn down and replaced with condos. Given the popularity of milton I think people prefer a single detached dwelling or a townhouse vs living in a condo. The only location with real density nearby is toronto.
As for attacks there are post after post suggesting my cost of living needs to be dramatically higher now when there is no way to get me to work in nearly the same amount of time or price.
If you want to take transit, take transit