Work - or rather, concern for excess fuel consumption involving us overly in the middle east, leads me to enjoy the trains in our areas. It's a bit sad that even where I live some are against more rail lines being built:
I HATE sitting on one of our many side streets waiting for a train to roll through. It's a danger at each street crossing. Does anyone know how many streets a train crosses at street level? The answer for the Rapid is zero. Add to that the danger to pedestrian traffic and the additional noise of a train through Lakewood and it's hard for me to see any benefit for Lakewood.
- Donald Farris, the
Lakewood Observer forums
(
source)
Actually the trains cross the streets a lot in Shaker Heights, but they've built the street alongside it. And as someone in the thread notes, cars are not too friendly when they bounce pedestrians around either. At least to be hit by a train, you have to be on the tracks. Cars can get you anywhere, on the sidewalk, in your homes, in balloons, and even in Canada.
There are still plenty of folks riding the rails who are just kept rapt by our ever-exciting economy that makes you wonder if buying a 5 ride ticket to get to your job is a wise investment. I saw one fellow eagerly reading, which makes people who might want to write pleased, although he was reading Dan Brown, which is a bit like watching someone eating scallops raised in a bathtub, if you see what I mean.
In other news the RTA (the local train and bus concern) is about to improve service for us all! They're going to...eliminate ticket booths in favour of ticket machines....and patrol the trains for those without proof of purchase. They already have the machines, sitting in Tower City and elsewhere. They have not been used for at least a month or more so far. They are still all on, and using electricity, but it being summer that's probably a good idea.
The main thing is I am still living in the region and enjoying mass transit, and so are many others. People who cannot bathe, smokers, and those carrying bags of deep-fried breakfast can feel free to avoid the trains if they wish, I've been told they help the environment more by being outside or in cars, or standing on the ends of piers on the lake.
Labels: train
