Society wants it, companies don’t
That is why we won’t adopt trains and why we haven’t yet
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Society wants it, companies don’t
That is why we won’t adopt trains and why we haven’t yet
It's funny because trains are both the past and the future.
Also, trains and light rail have already been automated. The tech is already here.
In Europe ( i mean Paris, France and Italy ) public authority had pushed hard on micromobility, but now they are, in reality banning it cause safety problems.
I wonder how a train is picking up my walking disabled mother from three Kilometres afar?
Will a train stop at my house to pick up my some two tons of gardening scraps per year?
At which time will it deliver my 100kg of groceries per week?
Do you run an orphanage?
Tbh, as someone living in rural community all i want is decent public transportation of any sort. Like, it would be nice to have trains or escooters but, we don't even have busses ( though that having been said i don't how busses would get out here without it making tarc fare more expensive) or making bikes or scooter ( e or otherwise) a viable option in my area or making walking a more viable option. Admittedly i don't know how they would do the last one but, the others they've been trying to do for awhile. I'm hoping that this not only made sense but, actually was on point.
The US (and much of europe) needs to realize that car centric planning is not the solution to mobility problems, it's the cause! Suburbia could be more walkable if a few steps were taken during planning:
narrower roads (less wasted space, slower driving speeds, shorter distances)
Pedestrian paths that connect cul-de-sacs and streets (quicker access to higher order roads for pedestrians)
mixed use zoning/town houses (bring destinations to the people)
no mandatory minimum parking requirements for businesses (same advantages as my first point)
Well in the UK, considering that a return ticket to London for commuting hours costs me £140, no, it is not the future here. I could drive most of the way from home into London, pay the ULEZ charge, park in an expensive train station car park and get a short distance train for a third of that, including fuel.
But that's an issue with capitalism, not the technology itself. Roads and high(motor)ways are very heavily subsidized and tax funded, while rail in the UK is largely privatized. It's just a sign of what is being prioritized by government and/or society, which is cars in this case. There are plenty of places where public transit is free or at least the definitive cheapest way to travel, also due to government funding.
At one point you just can't move all these people where they need to be in individual tin cans that seat four but mostly hold one.
I rented a car with adaptive cruise controle a month ago and it felt like riding a train. Driverles cars could work if they aren't personal possession.