[Sosfbay-discuss] Green Transportation Option to Replace Bechtel's BART Boondogle for (was Re: going car free)

[JamBoi]

I agree with Andi that a good term for what we're aiming at are
'European' or maybe 'Japanese' standards.  

I strongly agree that we need around-the-bay service like the historic
Key System http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_System and East Bay
Electric Lines http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Bay_Electric_Lines
that covered the whole Bay and was purposely destroyed by the
auto/bus/oil/tire kabal to make sure we would move over to the less
effecient bus and give up our extremely effecient train system. 
However Bechtel's BART is such a wasteful system it needs to be
dismantled and replaced by a truly modern 21st century system (not
1960's tek) which is fast, and fuel effecient like an electric train.

Many people are unware of just how wasteful Bechtel's BART is, so allow
me to explain:  First off, have y'all rode Behtel's BART lately??? Its
hella loud.  Whenever you go through a tunnel it is absolutely
deafening - and that is no exageration.  It is dirty and smelly and
disgusting.  Below the smelly surface, Bechtel's BART uses a
proprietary gauge, and proprietary cars so that we will never be able
to obtain economy of scale with them.  The electric third rail is a
hazard to all living beings and so Bechtel's BART has to go to
extraordinary lengths to protect the third rail from beings; therefore
it is raised off the ground in many places (read big $$$) and hidden
behind extensive, expensive fences.  In all respects Bechtel's (the
military industrial giant which is just another Halliburton and which
Diane Feinstein is tied into) BART is an enormous money waster.  It
costs something like 10x -- yes that's right -- 10X the amount the
electric train (that we could have had years ago and could innact very
rapidly at any time) would cost.  Anyone who's really looked into
Bechtel's BART is aware of what a boondogle Bechtel's BART truly is. 
We need to move forward into the 21st century and dismantle this
20th-century military-industrial complex dinosaur.  Bechtel's BART is
truly apalling when you take a good look at what it really is.  By its
very nature it can *never* be made to be effecient no matter how many
millions are thrown at it.  It will *always* be the boondoggle that
Bechtel designed it to be.

There are several coalitional efforts to modernize our transportation
system and reject Bechtel's BART in favor of replacing the dinosaur
with new, clean, green technology.  While there are no perfect
solutions, but we don't need to submit to the military-industrial
complex for 21st century green transportation options for the South
Bay.

Bay Rail Alliance (formerly Peninsula Rail 2000):
http://www.bayrailalliance.org/about_us

ModernTransit.org
http://www.moderntransit.org/

Here's a page on Personal Rapid Transit:
http://www.electric-bikes.com/prt.htm

Rail Passenger Association links to California rail advocacy groups:
http://www.railpac.org/links/

Green means GO!

Drew


--- Andrea Dorey <andid at cagreens.org> wrote:

> I agree with Drew about bringing the services we have up to European 
> 
> standards (my term, not his).
> 
> We also need to get multiple methods of transportation, including  
> BART, going around the Bay Area and make it as user friendly as  
> possible—that, IMHO, means allowing car/gas slaves to park their  
> monsters for free until we have them hooked and out of their gas- 
> guzzlers.  We cannot set impossibly high standards for people who are
> just starting to cope with $3.50/gallon and the reality of global  
> warming.  It's going to be a gradual process.
> 
> I was coaxed out of a 1984 BMW 533i (read muscle car @ 19 mpg) only  
> when Honda Insight came out with their hybrid rocket car.  In two  
> weeks of driving the little "butterfly" car, I discovered that the  
> BMW felt like an overgrown "tank"!
> 
> People are trainable, but not by hitting them over the head with our 
> high principles (IMHO).  Sorry for the lecture.  But so often I see  
> things go wrong because nothing but the perfect solution is good  
> enough for the far left.
> 
> Andi
 Re: [Sosfbay-discuss] going car free
To:	"Jim Doyle" <j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net>, "sosfbay discussion group"
<sosfbay-discuss at cagreens.org>


Locally we need to work on the VTA to get their service up to snuff. 
There are many adjustments to the routes taken, additional community
bus runs,  speeding up of the Light Rail and killing the rediculously
expensive BART extension in favor rail service (a fraction of the cost)
that could all make going car free in SCC *much* more workable.

There is a VTA Rider's Union e-mail list that is moderately active.  We
(the GPSCC) could support this coalitional effort!  Here's the eddress:
http://www.vtaridersunion.org/

Impeach for Peace!

Drew

--- Jim Doyle <j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> Andrea wrote
> 
> One of the issues that Nader used to talk about was that of  
> "facilities."  Without a decent and affordable transportation system,
>  
> IMHO, we haven't the "facilities" to allow very many people to go car
>  
> free.
> Andrea
> 
> My response is
> granted, we do not have the "facilities."
> So, how do we get them?  What do we do?
> 
> earlier email was
> 
> On Mar 13, 2007, at 9:54 PM, Jim Doyle wrote:
> 
> Tian wrote
> As I type this, I've been car free for more than four months.
> 
> Tian has the luxury of not having to go to work each weekday.
> 
> His statement implies that others should also go car free.
> 
> That means an effort should be made to provide others with this  
> opportunity.
> 
> This then is a chance for the Green Party to take action on several
> transportation issues and issues related to transportation.
> 
> Please add this to the list for the retreat in Morgan Hill.


___________________

JamBoi
Jammy The Sacred Cow Slayer

"Live humbly, laugh often and love unconditionally" (anon)
http://dailyJam.blogspot.com


 
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