[TriLUG] [OT] TriLUGger on the news

[tomed at bellsouth.net]

In areas like this, where sprawl is maximal and public transport is
minimal, the combination of bicycling and bus has a lot of synergy.
Both modes mitigate each other's deficiencies: transit will carry
you and your bike through heavy traffic, and when the busses aren't
running, traffic tends to be light.

Attacking sprawl with a bike, though, takes a lot more physical
strength and stamina than what most people have. It was a real shock
to my system when I started. Discouraging at first. Developing more
S&S, though, has turned out to be the biggest benefit of all - much
more important than financial savings.

Tom Ed

At Mon, 21 May 2007 08:40:41 -0400,
Magnus wrote:
> 
> Glenn Hennessee wrote:
> >  If we spent on mass transit at the same
> > level that we do on roads and airports we would have a mass transit 
> > system that would be better than any other in the world. 
> 
> The geology of North Carolina probably precludes it from having a mass 
> transit system on par with the major cities of the world REGARDLESS of 
> how much is spent.  Ever notice almost none of the homes around here 
> have basements?  It's one of the first things us relocated yankees tend 
> to notice when shopping for a house in the Triangle.
> 
> Having a world class mass transit system depends on having a subway 
> running through the city itself.  Our cities don't have very dense urban 
> centers.  We get a few buildings taller than four stories clumped 
> together but the rest is just sprawl.
> 
> Early city planners completely failed.  The City Council in Durham 
> actually made things worse, not better, throughout the 3 decades 
> following WW2 as they tore down historic buildings and went from dense 
> pedestrian-friendly urban streetscapes to having open plazas and parking 
> lots all over.  They also eliminated their streetcar system many years ago.
> 
> As bad as our sprawl is, light rail was probably our best hope for a 
> mass transit backbone.  We will see Duke Nukem Forever before we see 
> regional rail here.
> -- 
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