I really hope the Daniel Penny case was a signpost moment in the left's shove-your-nose-in-shit approach to public transit. It has to be safe, clean, and inexpensive in order to be the preferable alternative, and rolling crack dens are not safe or clean. I get that. The PMC/lumpen alliance has been soundly defeated at the ballot box, and transit needs to be a specific place where the left takes that defeat to heart and repositions accordingly.

It's easy for someone like Hawg Ass to hyuk-hyuk his way through posts about "concrete jungles" from the exurban comfort of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, but driving in Chicagoland, both into the city and around it, is a miserable experience. Chicago is a railyard with sports teams. It would be ridiculous not to maximize that aspect of our infrastructure for mass gatherings.

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Yes, when I think of rich people, the first thing that comes to mind is "I bet they don't own a car. Too expensive.".

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

This, it's just a shame that the pols have messed it up so much. As was stated, Metra is the best of the worst. And back in the day when CTA had A & B stops and ran more frequently, that was usable too.

I drive to Bears games because of both tailgating and the distance and difficulty of getting to and from Soldier Field from Ogilvie on game day. Otherwise if I go to the city it's on Metra.

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"I honestly don't see a good bet on the board here."

Don't want to own a car? Fine, but stop lying and rationalizing and shoving this bullshit argument down out throats. The artful and less crass get every package and grocery delivered and use Uber. WYC?

I am a regular Metra user and I have found it to be far superior to driving for a daily commute, but almost never use it on the weekends, because the trains are few and far between and traffic is not as bad as it is during rush hour.

I think my mindset exposes the root of the mass transit problem. To make public transportation an attractive option, you have to both improve it and make driving more painful. While most Americans are in favor of improving mass transit, at least in a vacuum, virtually no one is in favor of making driving more painful.

Let's say you clean up public transit, it still wouldn't be my preferred option as you lose the ability to dictate your own schedule with it. Especially on weekends where service is less frequent. It's absolutely terrible for errand running or anything of the sort, especially if you have kids.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Most Americans come & go to/from the same place at the same times every day for their job. Just replacing those ten trips a week saves you time, money & frustration while dramatically lowering your risk of being killed/injured in an accident. Obviously I’m not advocating for an electrician or plumber to take the bus/train from job to job, but for most people there is a vastly superior alternative to driving.

But obviously we’ve been glued to this false dichotomy where giving away one inch of ground to cars is seen as an existential threat to people’s entire way of life. As if you can’t even own a car if there is a viable public transportation option. If you’ve ever been to Australia or Europe you could see this is not the case.

Wellington NZ has a lower metro population than Madison WI and about the same as Peoria IL. Here’s their rail system:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... ap.svg.png

Now Wellington has the lowest car ownership per capita of any city in NZ, but it’s still about 70:100 cars:people. So it’s not like the government is out there taking away people’s automobiles. It’s just an option, which is all I’m asking for.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

Exactly. Staying away from the mentally ill is a bonus, but there’s no comparison with the flexibility of a car for everyday living.

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Americans are also conditioned to think something like mass transit needs to be profitable and 'run like a business'. That's why you get reduced service in non-peak times.

A business should never be run to lose money.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

You think roads are bringing in more money than they cost? El oh el.

Build another fucking tollway.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

the tollway is doing just fine

no its not

they must be cooking the books then

https://www.auditor.illinois.gov/audit-reports/Compliance-Agency-List/Toll-Hwy-Auth/FY23-Toll-Hwy-Auth-Fin-Digest.pdf

might still be pursuing both options. seems optimistic from AH mayor who thinks he could get a deal before he leaves office May 5

trib article
https://archive.ph/gR9zu

The city and state basically telling the Bears "just play in Soldier Field as it is now for 50 years" is making AH the only option. Luckily it may be the best option.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

This thread is really making me feel better about upgrading my ride to a brand-new pickup truck.

Thank you, USA!

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Yep, cars are great and anyone who tells you to ditch one for public transit clearly doesn't have kids.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

I’ll park my F150 on Curious’ front lawn.

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Elections have consequences.

Europe owns, lived in Munich for five months. Took the U-Bahn to Bayern's arena a few times, drinking beers along the way. During the work week, taking the train enables you to nap in the morning and read a book or doom scroll your phone in the evening. Oh I forgot, the average American't scrolls their phone that rests in their crotch while driving down the Kennedy. I hope they don't take out a drunk and confused JORR stumbling along the shoulder's edge.