DracoFelis |
07-10-2007 06:34 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by baddog671
(Post 62951)
Grrr, I hate it when people talk about the USA vs. Europe thing, its nothing alike. That is like comparing apples to oranges. Ok, yes, Europe gets raped on fuel and its mostly taxes but they have options. They can take a bus, they can get a taxi, bicycle, trolly, subway, walk, etc etc. What option do I have? There is no bus, no taxis, no trolly or subway. The nearest establishment is 6 miles away so biking and walking are out of the question. Europe is more tightly packed than America, the commutes are much smaller and public transportation is more abundant.
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Sad, but true!
It's been over 30 years since I've been to Europe, and I was a kid at the time, but I still remember just how good the public transportation was (it blows away the public transportation available in the USA). Europe has reasonably priced passenger trains (between countries), buses, electric trolleys in some (many?) cities, etc. Now, I would love decent public transportation in the USA, but its going to be years in coming (even assuming that the current gas prices actually help fuel a general demand for better public transportation)...
BTW:
I'm willing to Hypermile, but both me and the wife are currently stuck with some serious commuting (in our own cars). While the city (where I work) itself has buses (although not necessarily bus schedules/routes that fit in well with getting to/from work), our house is sufficiently "out of town" that taking the bus in town is a little silly (as we still have to use our own cars to get to/from town, even if we could "in theory" take the bus once we get to town).
NOTE:
Doesn't Europe get a lot of their tax revenue from gas taxes (thereby having lower taxes in other areas)? I actually like that model if/when it's combined with decent public transportation (because it helps encourage FE, as well as lowering other taxes needed for government services). However, in the USA, where we often have to drive many miles AND there is often no viable public transportation, it really sucks (essentially being a regressive tax on working people)...
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