I find the hardest issue with trains is getting to the smaller side destinations. I guess you’re still gonna need a small car or bike for that of course. Plus I’m used to semi rural so I’d still have to drive a few miles to even get on the train to go somewhere. And it wouldnt make any sense for going to a friends house for example.
No idea how it works really. Plus I’m almost always hauling gear to a destination so a train wouldnt work for me anyway. Going to get groceries is about the only thing I’d use it for and I wouldnt be able to carry an entire cartload.
Plus I’m almost always hauling gear to a destination so a train wouldnt work for me anyway. Going to get groceries is about the only thing I’d use it for and I wouldnt be able to carry an entire cartload.
Commuter trains in Europe and Asia have dedicated spaces for riders to store stuff they need to haul. People in my city bring entire truckloads of stuff on board the dedicated freight spaces at the end of each train car.
Think of it as mixed-mode transport. Here’s how it’s done in much of Europe:
Walkable cities
Bike lanes within cities and to suburbs
Rent e-bike or scooter, sometimes included in bus/train passes
Free bike service stations with pumps and tools placed around the town
Mix of buses, underground trains, trams with lots of stops and departures
You can bring your bike on the train
Fast intercity trains, main train station centrally located
Use cargo bike for hauling stuff
Cars/vans for everything else
But honestly though it sounds like your situation (rural, often transporting bulky things) calls for a car. But the point is that reducing the number of cars on the road helps the remaining drivers too.
Yeah but you have what you have. I don’t think it’s viable to just destroy suburbia either. Narrowing roads to add proper walking/biking paths, adding some stores/services and public transit would go some of the way.
I think you’re imagining that the suggestion being put forward is that they’d just build that one train line, and everything else would stay exactly the same?
Haha no, that would be rediculous. I’m just saying its very hard to imagine my life with trains and how that actually factors into daily life.
The only time ive been on trains/subways is vacationing to big cities, where I still had a rental car but parked far from the city and rode the train in. That was fine and all for touristy things.
For 98% of people in huge cities I can see it. For every person I know IRL, it would not work. The suburban nightmare alone with people with 4 kids trying to get them to school alone wouldnt work. You’d basically have to tear down and rebuild all of suburbia. Not that I’m opposed to that, just leave me out of the city myself.
I find the hardest issue with trains is getting to the smaller side destinations. I guess you’re still gonna need a small car or bike for that of course
That’s the same with airports. And actually no big deal if you have working public transport. You arrive in the city center. And then there are local trains, street cars and busses to bring you into every part of the city or to nearby smaller towns
You can’t put an international airport anywhere and there may be some flights going to smaller airports from that, but there are no airstrips in your local suburbs?
I find the hardest issue with trains is getting to the smaller side destinations. I guess you’re still gonna need a small car or bike for that of course. Plus I’m used to semi rural so I’d still have to drive a few miles to even get on the train to go somewhere. And it wouldnt make any sense for going to a friends house for example.
No idea how it works really. Plus I’m almost always hauling gear to a destination so a train wouldnt work for me anyway. Going to get groceries is about the only thing I’d use it for and I wouldnt be able to carry an entire cartload.
Commuter trains in Europe and Asia have dedicated spaces for riders to store stuff they need to haul. People in my city bring entire truckloads of stuff on board the dedicated freight spaces at the end of each train car.
Ive never seen that but that makes sense !
Think of it as mixed-mode transport. Here’s how it’s done in much of Europe:
But honestly though it sounds like your situation (rural, often transporting bulky things) calls for a car. But the point is that reducing the number of cars on the road helps the remaining drivers too.
Thank you for clarifying, I totally agree with that solution.
Less suburban hellscape designs would help too, in the US.
Yeah but you have what you have. I don’t think it’s viable to just destroy suburbia either. Narrowing roads to add proper walking/biking paths, adding some stores/services and public transit would go some of the way.
For sure
I think you’re imagining that the suggestion being put forward is that they’d just build that one train line, and everything else would stay exactly the same?
Haha no, that would be rediculous. I’m just saying its very hard to imagine my life with trains and how that actually factors into daily life.
The only time ive been on trains/subways is vacationing to big cities, where I still had a rental car but parked far from the city and rode the train in. That was fine and all for touristy things.
For 98% of people in huge cities I can see it. For every person I know IRL, it would not work. The suburban nightmare alone with people with 4 kids trying to get them to school alone wouldnt work. You’d basically have to tear down and rebuild all of suburbia. Not that I’m opposed to that, just leave me out of the city myself.
That’s the same with airports. And actually no big deal if you have working public transport. You arrive in the city center. And then there are local trains, street cars and busses to bring you into every part of the city or to nearby smaller towns
Yep makes sense !
you can put an airstrip almost anywhere, train tracks cost significantly more.
You can’t put an international airport anywhere and there may be some flights going to smaller airports from that, but there are no airstrips in your local suburbs?
look at a map of “airports” around anchorage like this one, and you will see plenty is the vaguely suburp shaped outskirts
Alaska really is not the area you want to look into.
It’s where I am, and is by far the largest state.