Video - High-Speed Rails Too Expensive?

"The Obama administration has allocated $8 billion for high-speed rail projects taking shape across the U.S., but critics say the projects are too expensive."



I'm all for increased public transportation, anything to get us out of our climate destroying cars and airplanes. I loved riding the chunnel high speed train from England to France. Trains are so much more civilized a mode of transport than planes and auto's. We got by in the UK just fine for two years without a car. However, I'm not sure about putting a high speed line in Florida. Why build it just to watch it get washed away in a decade or two?

Video - Walkable cities, Enrique Penalosa

"Mathematically, it is totally impossible to solve the transportation problems of a city using cars." Enrique Penalosa

Public Transport in Bermuda

It is easy to find room for improvement in any city or country. Often we take the aspects of a culture that represent real efforts towards sustainability for granted.

For me Public Transportation, like universal health care, is a basic requirement of a civilized society. Bermuda has excellent health care, though private and expensive no-one is turned away and I've never heard of anyone being bankrupted or made homeless by an insurance company here.

The Public transport here is excellent. One can get a ferry or bus to within an easy walk of anywhere on the island. A bus pass costs $55/month, far less than owning, maintaining, licensing and insuring a private vehicle. Now I've recently heard that they've made it free for kids going to school. This decision should remove thousands of cars from the road during morning rush hours and when school lets out in the afternoon. I've seen kids as young as 5 years old traveling alone to school in safety. The entire community looks after the young children here.

Another step the government has taken is to ban the import of two stroke motorcycles which significantly improves the air quality. On the down side, stupidly large vehicles are now allowed to be imported for private use. Heavily taxed, though this makes no difference for those with more money than brains, there is even a hummer or two on this island of narrow twisty turny roads. Strangely, even with this wonderful public transport system, there are more cars per capita here than anyplace in the world.

Overall, the transport system here is more sustainable, reliable, and even enjoyable than any place I've ever lived.

Thanks to The Buses of Bermuda. Book. 2004, Colin Pomeroy for the image from http://www.bermuda-online.org/getround.htm