Jalopnik: public transportation

Cartoonist Peter Bagge Explains How, Why Amtrak Sucks

Murilee Martin — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:30:00 EDT

After checking out our Ten Worst Train Stations post, I recalled Hate Comics creator and brilliant libertarian ranter Peter Bagge's insightful comic entitled "Amtrak Sucks."

Now, there's nothing wrong with public transportation per se, as long as it gets the job done. Oh, sure, your typical vodka-drinking commie- who will under no circumstances drink water- is gung-ho for all forms of public transportation for the same general commie principle that makes him gung-ho for water flouridation and communal kitchens, but riding from LA to San Francisco in a 250 MPH bullet train would sure beat the hell out of those TSA cavity searches at the airport. None of that futuristic train-y goodness is ever gonna happen, however, as long as the nightmare Amtrak zombie continues to suck up federal tax bucks while providing the kind of service that would shame even Leonid Brezhnev.

Bagge actually makes the point that it's not the Fiendish Flouridators who keep Amtrak shambling along; instead, it's the train worshipers who deserve the blame. He's writing for a libertarian publication here (i.e., a bunch of highly articulate nerds who would be probably get ground up like hamburger by Hilux-driving warlords approximately 17 seconds after their utopia came true), so Amtrak is about the easiest fish-in-a-barrel target imaginable, but still very much worth reading.

[Reason Online]

What Happens When Your Country Relies On Public Transportation

Wes Siler — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT

Here at Jalopnik we're all for society's sheep using public transportation, but it does have its downsides. For example, in London right now there's a tube strike, forcing a city of effete train-taking commuters onto the roads.

London already has horrible traffic, the byproduct of living in a city designed before cars. On the occasional day where I had to drive a press car instead of a bicycle or motorcycle from my home in Ladbroke Grove to my office in Clerkenwell I could expect the four-mile trip to take at least two hours. I once did it in five-minutes flat on a GSX-R1000.

With the tube strike, all but three of the city's underground lines are closed, cutting off the only way non-daredevil commuters have to get from A to B. We're not quite as extreme as Michael Moore in our enthusiasm for increased public transportation in the US, but we hope to some day see it somewhere outside of Manhattan. We just hope that as it develops, we don't put all our eggs in one basket like London has. [via The Guardian]

When In Seattle, Ride The S.L.U.T.

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:30:00 EDT

Not much to see here except that the South Lake Union Trolley abbreviates to S.L.U.T. and an awkwardly named coffee shop in Seattle (Kapow! Coffee) has began selling shirts that read, "Ride the S.L.U.T." Not only is it funny, but we'd wear one. Officials have since changed the name to South Lake Union Streetcar, but no one wants a "Ride the S.L.U.S." T-shirt. One more thing: tee hee! [msnbc.com]

San Francisco Transit Wonks Shoot Selves in Foot

Davey G. Johnson — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 16:30:00 EDT

Arguing about the problems with Sucka Free transit can be likened to fourteen year-olds debating which of Iron Maiden's 1980s lighting rigs were the coolest. (We're voting for Somewhere on Tour if there's an official record.) Board of Supervisors honcho Aaron Peskin has posited that "Voters will have to ask themselves: Do you want San Francisco to be more like Paris or Los Angeles?" We love Paris and Los Angeles, but the parking situation in SF is untenable, and the fact that property owners are restricted on single-family-home garage building rankles us to no end. On the other hand, the public transit initiative proposed sounds tantalizing, as SF is a very transit-workable environment. The downside? The pro-transit faction has embedded a poison pill into their initiative that if passed, would negate the improved-parking bill. Which means to us, as interesting and important as the transit initiative is, we'd be forced to cast a strong nein toward the fascists. Both parking and transit in The City need improvement. It's not an either/or solution. Also, please castrate the DPT and stop bending over for Auto Return. Thank you. We love you, San Francisco. [SFGate]

Sikorsky Turbo Train

Mike Bumbeck — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:00:00 EDT

While the united state of the passenger train may be fairly well derailed today, it wasn't always the case. With a rolling target of 1968, Igor Sikorsky and company applied the engineering genius of their helicopters to the Turbo Train. The train featured a gas turbine powerplant along with an aircraft-like body that leaned the into the corners to achieve greater velocity on existing rail beds. A mere ten years later Hollywood attempted but failed to glom onto the momentum of the both the Love Boat and the Turbo Train with a gem of a production called Supertrain. – Mike Bumbeck

Turbo Train [sikorskyarchives.com]

More Articulate Than Dr. Killinger: Volvo Bus Chassis!

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 20:00:00 EDT

Pack your magic murder bags, minions, and hop your eyes on over to this Volvo articulated bus chassis. There's all type of mechanically wacky madness going on here. Click through, thrill to the sight of hydraulics, air springs and large diesel engines designed to vibrate away beneath the load floor of a public transit vehicle so mighty, even the glorious Red Flag limo shall cower in its presence. What magnificence or joy can you find in these photographs? – Davey G. Johnson

Related:
The Bus Always Wins [Internal]

Transport in Los Angeles: It Exists!

Davey G. Johnson — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 20:45:00 EST

The Pacific Electric Red Cars were legendary in prewar Los Angeles part of a 1,500-mile streetcar network that enabled the city to grow before everyone had sixteen cars and a Mike Brady-designed ranch house. A few years back they restored one of the old streetcars and used it as a model to construct replicas which run up and down the San Pedro waterfront from the cruise ship terminal down to 22nd Street. But they're not all that's left of public transit in LA, in fact, there's been a massive push out here to increase the system's efficiency. And amazingly, in Southern California — land of the auto-centric solipsist — it's actually starting to work. – Davey G. Johnson

L.A., Long Ruled by Cars, Becoming a Transit Leader [Washington Post]

Japanese Dual-Mode Mini Train Could Be Big in Japan

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 11:55:30 EST

Picture a bus that can be driven both on rails and on the street. Now stop laughing. Seriously, in Japan the JR Hokkaido Railway Company has already come up with such a hybrid — which switches between rubber tires and steel wheels — and is close to putting it into service. More than 4,000 riders have already test-ridden the dual-mode vehicle, as part of a test in November. The point is to give small rail operators an option to make their local lines more efficient and adaptable, while cutting costs. The price for each car will be around $150,000, or 1/7 the price of a diesel rail car. The first commercial run will likely begin this April, on parts of the Semmo Line near Shiretoko. – Mike Spinelli

Dual-mode vehicle a hit in Japan [Sydney Morning Herald]

Related:
Now Here It Is, Your Jalopnik Moment of Zen [internal]

German MagLev Train Kills People

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 22:15:00 EDT

We've debated on posting on this, as it isn't strictly a car. In fact, it doesn't even roll. It's Germany's experimental-yet-open-to-the-public Transrapid magnetic-levitation train, and it was involved in a fatal accident on a test track in the northwestern part of Deutschland. Apparently a result of human error, the high-speed conveyance smacked into a maintainence vehicle at around 120mph, sending passengers hurtling through the front panoramic window of the train and catching fire as it ground to a halt. 21 are confirmed dead. Du unsere G te...

At least 25 killed in magnetic train crash in Germany [The Independent]

Dear Doctor: We're Sorry About Your Tragedy, But Get a Life [Internal]

Public Transit Needs A "Turd Blossom"

Ray Wert — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 17:01:02 EDT

NPR humorist Brian Unger has a semi-serious solution to the nation's oil crisis — let's put Karl "Turd Blossom" Rove on the case. Unger thinks what many already believe, what the nation needs is a "Manhattan Project" for mass transit. The plan is for us to be able to leave work-and-back commuting to the trains, planes and buses. As long as we still get to have our cars on the weekends for fun — k, Brian?

Reaching My Petroleum Tipping Point [Podcast @ NPR]
Drivers switch to public transit [USA Today]

Related:
Adventures in Peoplemoving [internal]

GM To Toyota: STUPID! You're So STUPID!

Ray Wert — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 15:10:53 EST

The General's FastLane Blog is taking great umbrage at a recent claim that Toyota created the "world's first longitudinal hybrid transmission." It appears, from comments made by Tom Stephens, GM's Group VP for GM Powertrain, that GM already has not one, but two hybridized longitudinal transmissions...and...they are nearing completion of a third. Aww, snap! Toyota...you just totally got served. I mean, dudes, even the WashPo corrected themselves, and they're the guys who hire professionals who make stuff up. But wait, GM coulda just taken the red snapper and left it at that. Instead, they decided to drop a bomb and throw down the 420 GM hybrid powered buses they've got in 30 cities in the US and Canada. Let's see ya take that, Toyota. I think GM just called ya stupid.

Toyota First? Maybe Third? [GM FastLane Blog]

Related:
More stuff on hybrid [internal]

Mercedes Gets on the Short Bus

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 14:16:10 EST

The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round, 'round and 'round...uh, wha' hrm? Sorry. We zoned there for a second, lost in the reverie of riding the school bus. Which we actually rarely did, opting for hoofing it or biking. And we're trying to remember, despite our mental ineptitude, whether we actually rode the short bus. But the boys and girls decided that the world needed a better short bus, and they recruited the Sprinter for the task, adding various safety features and calling it "Schulbus: The New Generation," which we swear was a clip from a sketch comedy show pilot that never saw the light of day.

Mercedes Debuts New Generation School Bus Concept [eMercedesBenz]

New Jersey's Sith Cheese Bus Pilot of Death

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 13:50:20 EST

Bumbeck took time out of his [Star]quest for fire and tossed us this item from the New York Daily News regarding a Staten Island bus driver who masterminded a Star Wars-themed fight club aboard his bus, complete with the posted bylaws of the Death Cheese Club, which state in part: "In a ranking of Master or above, the penalty is death or severe beating...[Heresy] will not be tolerated." Meanwhile, kids were getting beat up and having their clothes sliced up with scissors. Michael Cianci, the driver in question, lives in New Jersey with his mom. Why does this not surprise us in the least?

Meet Jabba the nut [New York Daily News]

Related:
Is There a Science to Safe Bus Paint Schemes? [Internal]

More People Mover Fun!

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 18:06:31 EST

Oh, why not? It's Friday, and can you really get enough of Detroit's favorite four-bit boondoggle, the People Mover? Reading the article on Wikipedia, we were amazed at some of the more pertinent points in the 'Mover's 18-year history. For example, the implosion of the Hudson's building in '98 damaged the track, completely knocking the system out of service for two months, and leaving it limping along for another year. RenCen construction kept it from running its full loop for two years. We can't think of any other city we've visited with such an ill-conceived farce of a light rail system. Still, we can't help but love the damn thing. It's the freakin' People Mover, ferrchrissakes!

Detroit People Mover [Wikipedia]

Related:
Adventures in Peoplemoving! [Internal]

Adventures in Peoplemoving

Davey G. Johnson — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 15:32:30 EST

Yes, Virginia, there is public rail transit in the heart of the Mot r City. The Detroit People Mover only costs 50 cents to ride, and well, you get what you pay for. Last night after giving up on wrangling Spinelli into the DCX event at the Firehouse, we supped elsewhere and then caught the last People Mover back to our respective hotels, near the Broadway and Times Square stations.

The train hurtled past the stop at Broadway, leaving Spinelli at the mercies of Johnson's confused stumbling around downtown, which, if you've never been, is laid out in a radial pattern with lots of one way streets and diagonals. This morning, when we attempted to catch the People Mover at 6:30am, it was closed and we ended up cabbing and/or hoofing it down to Cobo. It's a four-bit boondoggle, we tell ya. A goddamn four-bit boondoggle.

The Detroit People Mover

Trading the Short Bus for the Double Decker in London Town

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 19:35:53 EST

Apparently, some people aren't happy with the fact that London's retiring its signature Route- master double-decker buses. Or maybe they're all too happy. Some loon swiped one from the Tolworth bus garage and went on a rampage through Purley, leaving smashed-type cars in his wake. Mark Moser, a man whose Volvo was maimed in the brouhaha, had this to say: "I thought the noise was the dust-man but then I heard shouting." Well, there's a a distinct possibility someone may've been dusted...

Double decker mayhem

New York to Go All High-Occupancy Like in Event of Strike

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 13:17:00 EST

With a transit-worker strike looming, officials in New York are putting together contingency plans, including shuttle trains from 33rd St. to the World Trade Center, and a radical HOV-only plan in the Holland and Lincoln tunnels. If the strike goes off Friday morning, only vehicles containing four individuals will be allowed through the portals, which is the first we've heard of such a measure. Bay Area bridges require 3 people for use of the HOV lanes but four? It certainly illustrates how much New Yorkers rely on public transit, at the very least.

Tunnels vision for strike: At least 4 in cars [The Jersey Journal]

Is There a Science to Safe Bus Paint Schemes?

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 23:13:36 EST

Officials in Los Angeles are questioning the decision to paint Orange Line buses silver. Designed to give the impression of luxurious speed, the silver buses have been involved in a number of accidents, which leads authorities to wonder if they made a mistake and should've gone with a more visible color. Then again, all of the buses were hit by drivers making illegal turns and running lights. Says LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who sits on the Metropolitan Transit Authority's board of directors, "The problem we've been having is people not paying attention to traffic signals. That's not a color issue." Maybe the problem's the color of the traffic lights, then?

Bus Colors a Gray Area, Studies Show [LA Times]

Related:
New York City for Dummies: How to Ride the Bus [Internal]