Maggie's Farm

I lived in a large city during a long bus strike once and traffic moved much better without the buses and the streets were nicer without the diesel fumes too. It made me wonder if subsidizing low income and disabled people with vouchers for taxis, that would actually pick them (and their stuff) up where they live and drop them off where they need to go, could be cheaper and cleaner for some municipalities than running a city bus system. Then the city might make the highways and the bridges and the tunnels the priorities they should be. Okay..... I know I am dreaming. Promoting people in private cars on good highways is not a priority in today's 'climate' even if it is how most of us get around. Cities are going the opposite way and not improving access and/or roads because that would 'encourage' people to drive and some are 'investing' heavily in pubic transport..
Also about the railroads. There is something romantic about them. People are attached. We like the idea of trains, but high speed trains are insanely expensive and they are not adaptable to many North American routes. Also to
ship materials by railroad car is a fairly large undertaking. The goods have to be trucked to and from the rail yards and loaded and then unloaded there.Trucks can pick the goods up and drop the goods off at exact locations.