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Post by floridastorm on Nov 3, 2010 19:19:21 GMT
Since where I live in the US we don't have either light rail or trams, what is the uniqueness in riding them? I will be in London the middle of this month as a tourist and would really like to try both of these methods of transportation. I'm kind of a transportation buff, planes, trains, buses, etc. Would also like to try the Eurostar. However, don't believe I will have the time. Europe's public transportation systems far exceed most of those here in the states.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2010 20:23:05 GMT
If your anything like my girlfriend the big draw of the dlr is the fact you can sit at the front and pretend your driving the train lol
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2010 21:39:31 GMT
I am not a great fan of the DLR give me the SF MUNI or Boston T anytime.  |
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rincew1nd
Administrator
Junior Under-wizzard of quiz
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Post by rincew1nd on Nov 3, 2010 22:09:42 GMT
If your anything like my girlfriend the big draw of the dlr is the fact you can sit at the front and pretend your driving the train lol I'm glad I'm not the only one! I prefer the right-hand side though, you don't get evicted by the Train Captain if you sit there. Failing that, the observation car at the rear. |
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Ben
fotopic... whats that?
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Post by Ben on Nov 3, 2010 22:58:50 GMT
Welcome to the forum Floridastorm. From what I can gather the US's heyday of public transport is for the time being long gone, the trolley systems, interurbans and 'El' have for a long time been seen as undesirable. However the US seems to be embracing High Speed rail quite a bit now. Do you think the midterms will affect this though?
Trams and light rail fill niches inbetween bus and metro services, where demand is either too high or too low to warrent either respectively generally.
However the DLR and tramlink are both very poor examples of what they pertain to be, both brought on by politicians lack of faith in public transport and the fact Britain is poor.
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Post by floridastorm on Nov 4, 2010 19:47:38 GMT
Welcome to the forum Floridastorm. From what I can gather the US's heyday of public transport is for the time being long gone, the trolley systems, interurbans and 'El' have for a long time been seen as undesirable. However the US seems to be embracing High Speed rail quite a bit now. Do you think the midterms will affect this though? Trams and light rail fill niches inbetween bus and metro services, where demand is either too high or too low to warrent either respectively generally. However the DLR and tramlink are both very poor examples of what they pertain to be, both brought on by politicians lack of faith in public transport and the fact Britain is poor. Well, the US is now poor also. We decided to invest in high speed interstates instead of public transportation infrastructure years ago. It is much too expensive now to reinvent the wheel. So, with the exception of a few metropolitan areas like San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and some others, we have little or no public transportation to speak of. We certainly don't have modern light rail and trams like the UK or Europe. We also have no high speed or even efficient passenger rail systems. With our vast expanse of land we could surely use a Eurostar type or Bullet type trains. As far as the political landscape, brought upon by the direction the elections took on Tuesday, I doubt that things will change drastically. Obama will just veto everything and gridlock will ensue for the next two years. Public transportation upgrades or enhancements are expensive and take years to accomplish. We have no funds in which to invest in such ambitious programs regardless. As I have stated, I'm basically a transportation buff that always seeks to try things that are new or different from experiences that I have had in the past. Light rail, specifically where it is computer driven, and trams fascinate me. The new monorail and subway systems in Bangkok also fascinate me. I have ridden both. I do appreciate the information provided and look forward to experiencing the DLR and trams next week when I arrive in London. |
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