Wednesday October 24, 2007, 3:51 pm
I like the way environmentalists and people backing the hybrid cars around the world aren't speaking up when it comes to a more energy-efficient way of transportation for the congested roads, freeways & highways we travel every day. Ok, this is why we have a mess on our hands in most cities, states in the US...but will the environmentalists actually acknowledge it??? Uhmmm...NO.

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 4:01 pm
We need more soultions that are postive like train ridership being up.
We have become so depemdent on cars, we need like at a alternate ways to travel.

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 4:02 pm
I WISH we would spend some money ontrain infrastricture that we destroyed when cars became the way to travel. So many places don't HAVE any train routes - big cities included - and that's a shame. Trains are fun...expensive right now, though, because of the limited amount of available rails.

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 4:02 pm
I WISH we would spend some money ontrain infrastricture that we destroyed when cars became the way to travel. So many places don't HAVE any train routes - big cities included - and that's a shame. Trains are fun...expensive right now, though, because of the limited amount of available rails.

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 4:03 pm
sorry for the typos....grrrrr

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 4:19 pm
good news...and good job...

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 4:32 pm
Cate, whenever I travel to Seattle I always take the train - and enjoy it!

In the Portland, OR metro area we have a great light rail system. Ridership is high, and although trains run about every 10 minutes during commute hours, thoses are the times the trains are always packed. Usage is so high during sporting events, festivals, etc. that extra trains are usually added to the schedule.

There is also a streetcar system in an extended area downtown which supplements the light rail and bus systems (our bus system is pretty good too!).

Many companies in Portland, along with the County and City governments, offer employees free passes to encourage use of public transportation and decrease congestion. If you're on any of the major roads leading into downtown Portland in the morning, you can see numerous people biking to work as well.

I haven't had a vehicle in more than 12 years and use various components of the public transportation system on a daily basis.

Cynthia

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 4:35 pm
Lets hope it catches on around the world.

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 5:02 pm
Noted thanks..K

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 5:08 pm
Public transportation is awesome, but unfortunately not available in all areas (as mentioned by Cate already).
I'm hoping for vehicles operating with MAGNETIC power. Let's hope our marvelous innovators, scientists
and inventors come up with some alternatives soon.

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 5:30 pm
Noted/forwarding.

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 5:44 pm
Thanks for commenting Cate /Cynthia. I've seen what beautiful cities there are in both Portland and places like Minneapolis, too. Lightrails...even if they don't reach out to every suburb COULD be done in most major cities. I'm in Phoenix...growing in leaps & bounds, and we're lucky to get a bus! I wouldn't even mind if you could drive a shorter distance to then grab a bus, a train, a lightrail, a streetcar! I just think we need to put our heads and $'s together to work on a major solution to the cost of owning a car...or 2...or 3! Everyone will have to sacrifice, but maybe some sprawled out towns (and neighbors) might get to know each other better, WHILE helping the environment.

I'm so impressed with you NOT owning a vehicle in 12 years, Cynthia! You're proof that if the city works, the environment is HAPPY! :)

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 6:31 pm
That's about the total population of Australia riding on trains!

The Greens Political Party here has a bumper sticker that says
"Trains not Traffic Jams"

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 6:46 pm
Thanks for the info. Good luck Kathy

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 7:26 pm
Too bad trains and railways aren;t top priority, and hybrid cars cost so much. I don't know alot about how destructive cars are to the enviornment. I have a small, 4cylinder car, and I don't drive more than 3 times a week, but that isn't good either

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 8:03 pm
I love the train..here in the Portland area we have an inspirational system..it is called the Max and it is light rail..but I wish more Oregonians would use it. It is extending down to McMinneville and will eventually include Salem, Or. Portland being a very congested city it is ashame more do NOT use the system. But it is obviously used enough that it is being expanded like this.
I adore trains. One reason there is an increase in train usage is that people are SO fed up with the airlines.... I can catch a train and go cross country if I choose to. And a lovely trip it would be. But one needs some time to do it. Cheers to you all.

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 9:34 pm
A real "Back To The Future" piece here. We NEED
to re-discover trains, as the technology exists
now in the early 21st Century.
Panela is right, we need to get some Mag-Lev
systems up. Look at places like Europe and
Japan, which have AMAZING railway systems!
The railway system in the states still looks
like the 19th Century, and that's inexcusable!

A great post, Kathy.
Thank you.
noted.

Wednesday October 24, 2007, 11:31 pm
Noted! Thanks Kathy.

Thursday October 25, 2007, 2:30 am
Noted, Kathy. So many cities in which I have lived have fought putting in anything that is a mass people mover--it is really a challenge in Texas, for instance, which cannot even get good participation in getting people to carpool with the advantage of carpool express lanes. I love going places with light rail, regular bus service, and being able to hop a commute. Here's a case of a solution(s) to a number of problems and no one will give up their gas guzzlers. Beats me!

Thursday October 25, 2007, 7:21 am
Ooooooh, I LOVE riding trains!

Thursday October 25, 2007, 1:28 pm
I rode from Newark NJ to Oakland CA.
The journey was like dreaming with your eyes open.
My cameras were powerless to capture the sensation.

Thursday October 25, 2007, 2:41 pm
Noted~ Thanks Kathy for posting this informative piece!
A change does have to take place in our mental and visual perceptions regarding this most crucial issue effecting/affecting our planet!

Friday October 26, 2007, 5:21 pm
I love riding the train! It's my choice of travel for state to state. (It beats the hell ot of greyhound bus!)

Sunday October 28, 2007, 5:23 am
noted. I try to walk whereever I go, or ride the bus if its too far to walk to. I also use transportation from my insurance company to go to doctor appointments. I am not able to drive.

Monday October 29, 2007, 4:51 pm
Where I live, there isn't much public transportation. Within the past couple of years, bus lines have expanded for commuters going to NYC but we have no trains. They have been talking about getting the trains running for 30 years and we are no closer to that than when they first started talking about it. People are waiting anxiously for more mass transit opportunities here in the Pocono Mts of PA.