gildone

That's the real problem. It's also important to remember that the harm to the economy from doing nothing about global warming will be far greater than the cost of mitigating what we still can at this point. We can't stop it entirely, but we still mitigate the worst of it if we act now.

Yes it is a bunch of crap. One thing to remember: Many of the things we need to do to reduce carbon emissions are the same things we need to do for energy independence, and it's stuff that will create jobs, grow new industries, and generally enhance the economy. One of the chief ways we reduce fossil fuel use is to become a lot more energy efficient. We waste a significant amount of energy in the US. Since it's cheaper to save energy than it is to buy it, becoming more energy efficient won't bankrupt the economy, it will save it a hell of a lot of money. At the same time we deploy more and more alternative energy. These new industries grow and create jobs as the dinosaur fossil fuel industries contract. Again, no net harm to the economy. Whole industries have come and gone over the past 150 years, yet we've never had major economic harm from this. I would suggest people read some of the reports put out by the Rocky Mountain Institute about energy efficiency, renewables, reducing fossil fuel use at a profit, etc. www.rmi.org

The idea that cutting carbon emissions will hurt the economy is a bunch of crap. I'm tired of hearing this argument.

I am also cautiously optimistic. So far, the Strickland administration has been saying all the right things about transportation and land use. According to this latest statement, it looks as though it's not just campaign rhetoric and he really wants change. I have to stay cautious, though. Rooting for balanced transportation in Ohio has been a lot like rooting for the Browns-- hopes dashed year after year...

Only time will tell. I hope this guy really does understand that the "T" in ODOT stands for Transportation and not just Highways. So far, Strickland's appointments for other agencies have been pretty good.

But if an intercity train serves a commuter purpose, a state can use its federal share of gas tax monies to fund it. At least I think that's what KJP said at one time. Or am I misremembering?

There's a large safety component to quiet zones. The quiet is actually a side-benefit, but "quiet" is what people react to.

I'm glad I don't live in Georgia... Ohio has been bad enough.

^well, it was renewed a few years ago when I saw a powerpoint transcript of a presentation they gave about privatizing Amtrak. They went through an entire litanny of successful privatizations of formerly government owned industries in Britain to show how marvelously privatization works. The problem was, the one example of British privatization that was applicable to Amtrak was never mentioned-- British Rail. Nope, not mentioned once anywhere in the presentation-- they are morons IMHO. And that time period was at the height of the problems that BR was having. That aside, let's get back on topic: Anyone think Greyhound's new British owners will bring in some fresh thinking and maybe more well thought out services and better marketing? I hope so. Greyhound could be so much more useable than it is.

I wonder if the new owners will have any fresh ideas about how to improve Greyhound services. Lately, Greyhound has been trying the long failed Amtrak policy (forced by Congress and idiot consultants like Mercer) of trying to cut their way to prosperity.

Timber in Transition: Subdivisions in remote areas increase cost county services By MICHAEL JAMISON of the Missoulian KALISPELL - It's not much to look at, this lonely six-mile stretch of bumpy gravel road. Yet this rural route has become a battleground of sorts, a place where lines will be drawn, where “we will finally decide how much taxpayer subsidy Plum Creek will continue to receive.” “That's really what's at stake,” said Joe Brenneman, one of three Flathead County commissioners. “That taxpayers will pay for Plum Creek profits is no longer a question. The question is, how much will they pay?” At issue is a winding old road west of Kalispell, tracking nine miles from U.S. Highway 2 to Ashley Lake. For years, Brenneman said, the only real traffic on the road was Plum Creek Timber Co. trucks, hauling logs to the mill... http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/02/06/news/mtregional/news06.txt Reporter Michael Jamison can be reached at 1-800-366-7186 or at [email protected]

Now Vietnam? And what does Bush propose in his budget? $900 million, including $100 million for a state capital grant program-- absolute crumbs! and no money for the next generation high speed rail program. We're on our way to becoming a 3rd rate nation... http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSHAN159060 Vietnam to build high-speed rail with Japan aid 06 Feb 2007 10:08:30 GMT Source: Reuters Printable view | Email this article | RSS [-] Text [+] HANOI, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Vietnam will build a high speed railway with aid from Japan at an estimated cost of $33 billion, a project that would cut travel time by two-thirds between Hanoi in the north and southern Ho Chi Minh City, the government said. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung gave approval to state-run Vietnam Railways to invest in the 1,630-km (1,010 miles) track, a statement on the government's Web site (www.vietnam.gov.vn) late on Monday said... also archived here: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HAN159060.htm

THE AGENDA RESTATED By James Howard Kunstler Out in the public arena, people frequently twang on me for being "Mister Gloom'n'doom," or for "not offering any solutions." I find this bizarre because I never fail to present audiences with a long, explicit task list of projects that American society needs to take up in the face of the combined problems I have labeled The Long Emergency. That the audience never hears this, and then indignantly demands such instruction, only reinforces my sense that the cognitive dissonance in our culture has gone totally off the charts. Insofar as I just returned from a college lecture road trip, and heard the same carping all over again, I conclude that it's necessary for me to spell it all out a'fresh. I think of this not so much as a roster of "solutions" but as a set of reasonable responses to a new set of circumstances. (Not everything we try to do will succeed, that is, be a "solution.") So, for those of you who are tired of wringing your hands, who would like to do something useful, or focus your attention in a purposeful way, here it is. Original article : http://jameshowardkunstler.typepad.com/clusterf$&k_nation/2007/02/the_agenda_rest.html

http://en.ce.cn/National/Local/200702/06/t20070206_10332506.shtml Shanghai leads the way in shipping-railway transport Last Updated(Beijing Time):2007-02-06 10:34 Shanghai Port has taken its first step toward penetrating deeper inland through an integrated marine-railway transport. A train with 56 container carriages left the city's Luchaogang station for Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui Province, on Friday, kicking off direct rail container service the two places. Luchaogang is close to the Shanghai's Yangshan deepwater port...

US diplomats refuse to pay congestion charge: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4359566.stm Cox not mentioned, however, the article speaks for itself about the Bush administration's double standard. I know I saw an article with Cox's name or some other well known US transit hater. Nothing at planetizen or energybulletin. I'm not crazy! at least I don't think I am... :? Sorry everybody.... :? boy I feel stupid now...

Well, I was wrong about ambassador, but I could swear I saw his name in an article about it. There was an article a month or so ago about how he refuses to pay London's congestion charges. I wish I can remember where I saw it. It may have been here or on energybulletin.net or planetizen. Now I'm wondering if it was someone besides Cox. I know I read the article and I know it mentioned some well known US transit hater. I'll try to dig it up...

Congestion pricing only makes sense in cities with good public transit (and bicycling) alternatives. If there are few options to get where you need to go, you'll still have the traffic. It would work better in Cleveland (but even Cleveland needs more alternatives)than Columbus, but it would work far better in cities like Boston, Portland, NYC, etc. Interesting that Bush is suggesting congestion pricing when his ambassador to Britain--refuses to pay the congestion charges in London.

The food vs. fuel problem is starting. It's the demand for corn for ethanol that's creating the problem: http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/miami/23237.html Zócalo protest calls attention to high prices By Kelly Arthur Garrett/The Herald Mexico El Universal 01 feb. 2007 After two quiet months, demonstrators filled the capital´s central square Wednesday, protesting high food prices and clearly showing President Calderón his honeymoon is over... Wednesday´s march and rally grew out of widespread public anger at the suddenly skyrocketing prices of tortillas, the nation´s staple food. The Calderón administration took belated action by forging an agreement among suppliers and manufacturers to hold the line at 8.50 pesos per kilo, with uneven success....

Nope, one bus a day doesn't cut it. That's almost as bad as Amtrak. And, I say almost as bad because at least the bus offers daylight service! Megabus between the 3-C's would be fine with me. It's going to be a while before the 3-C Ohio Hub trains start running. We need something usable in the mean time.

I'll start with a rant... I need to go to Columbus next Saturday. I need to be in Columbus by about 9:30 AM. I thought I'd check the Greyhound schedules. They suck. Here are my options: Departs (CLE) Arrives (COL) Duration 04:30am 06:55am 2h, 25m 09:15am 11:59am 2h, 44m 11:45am 02:30pm 2h, 45m 03:00pm 05:25pm 2h, 25m 07:15pm 09:55pm 2h, 40m 11:00pm 01:25am 2h, 25m This isn't the first time I've needed to go to Columbus and be there between 8 AM and 9:30 AM. There have been many occasions in the past several years both on Saturdays and during the week. It's no wonder that Greyhound has had to file bankruptcy, what, twice in the past 20 years? And ended up in the red again a few years ago. They seem to have no clue as how to provide usable service.

We had a thread a while back on Megabus.com, how about a more general thread on intercity bus services?

I wasn't even born until "the day" was a few short years from the end. I have a vague recollection of being in Tower City when my brother and I rode the Red Line with my mom from East Cleveland, but my first real train trip wasn't until I rode the Broadway Limited in 1995. Hell, that was Amtrak and I've still never recovered. Nor am I able leave the often frustrating and depressing pursuit of passenger rail advocacy and there's no 12-step program that will help. Would have been nice to ride the 20th Century Limited in it's glory days, but then I'd be depressed for sure since it's demise.

Amen to that! :clap: or have to navigate busy city streets when you could hop on a streetcar instead...

^I actually own some NS stock. I bought it about 15 months ago. I wish I would have bought it 8 years ago when it was $12/share...

Actually, the cities themselves a strong hand in this. They thought if the highways came into the city centers, it would be easier for suburbanites to get to downtown shopping districts. It wasn't long, however, before the suburban shopping mall was invented...