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robco wrote:

I'd love to see high-speed rail here.

Wow! We agree on something!
I want a high speed train from Seattle to LA.

Seattle to Portland to Redding to Sac to SFBA to LA

Don't need any other stops.

With decent connections from the stops it does make to other areas (IE the SFBA stop should have a connection to BART)

robco wrote:

I'd love to see high-speed rail here. No need for long security lines or other nonsense.

Whatever gave you that idea, if we had popular HST it too would be a target and you would have the same TSA checks.

Tallgeese wrote:

Well, I'd like to hear how someone can hijack a train and drive it into a building or how TSA checks would stop anyone from placing explosives on the line if they wanted to just destroy it.

You couldn't but they would still have the check points and you know they would.

Farmerkev wrote:

robco wrote:

I'd love to see high-speed rail here. No need for long security lines or other nonsense.

Whatever gave you that idea, if we had popular HST it too would be a target and you would have the same TSA checks.

I should also mention that despite its shortcomings, the Acela express is very popular for business travelers along the northeast corridor. No TSA checks there.

resedit wrote:

Sac is close enough to SFBA they could cut out Sac on the west coast express and have a non express to ferry passengers from SFBA to Sac.

Yeah, they'd need to do what they do now with the Capitol Corridor and other Amtrak routes - have the train dump them off in Emeryville and then use the buses to shuttle them across the bay to the city. Or you can egress at Richmond and walk over to BART.

Another plus could be using electricity to power said trains, pumping out much less carbon and pollutants than conventional locomotives or aircraft. We'd need to find clean sources of energy of course.

Last edited by robco (2008-08-02 11:42 am)

resedit wrote:

jkahless wrote:

Weird.  I've never had any problems with greyhounds, and they seemed really unsketchy.  Especially compared with city buses and light rail.

Try riding with a layover in Sacramento or Oakland or LA.

A few rides ago, a 17 year old girl who's dress and mannerisms screamed naive was riding alone. The ticket agent looked at her schedule and re-routed her a different way, which took longer to get to where she was going. When she asked why, he told her "because if you have this particular layover (I forget which city), there's a good chance I'll read about you in the morning paper"

Oakland is OK if you stay inside the building, the private security is pretty good at figuring out the nut cases fairly quickly. Sacramento though absolutely sucks, it's a bigger station and it's not advisable to even step outside unless the sun is shining.

I remember once going to sit down in a chair. There was a plastic bag on it. The plastic bag contained fecal matter. It was neatly tied at the top, but still quite gross. I've seen several fights there - including one knife fight where the idiot drew upon the security guard.

The police didn't even come - police are so busy in Sacramento that they generally only respond if there is an actual injury. Yesm security notified them, they had to, but the police didn't come since the incident was "resolved without injury". Security disarmed the guy and threw him out - and that was the end of it. He hung around outside the building for a little while though, continually muttering about how he was gonna teach them respect (I know because I smoke, and the smoking area is obviously outside).

Redding - fairly safe station, but there's only one agent at night - so if something happens at the station, it's easy for it to go un-noticed. Unfortunately Redding is a long stop for the I5 runs - so the scum going to portland or LA get off the bus there, and there sometimes are fights. Also - the alcoholics sometimes get off there, buy a bunch of liquor, and then are not allowed back on the bus because they are drunk - so they have to wait around until the next bus in their direction. They sometimes are on the receiving end of trouble (often robbed). Redding Police are fairly quick to respond though - the police station is just a couple blocks away.

Anyway - the safety of the stations vary largely by time of day and where the station is.
Chico station is a nice one - pretty much just college kids.

So basically the bus stations are too bad if they aren't in smurf.

I think the question is "what is wrong with canadians?"

Chickenhawk wrote:

I think the question is "what is wrong with canadians?"

Nothing.
In America, this is so common place it isn't newsworthy.

This is why I own a car.

radarman wrote:

I haven't ridden a bus regularly since high-school. I rode the bus a couple of times in Baltimore when the light rail broke down on the tracks, and they had to forward us to the next station/train. The only saving grace was that all of the passengers were from the light rail.

A better class of passenger?

7CoolMike1 wrote:

Yet another reason to bring back gladiator games to the 21st century, since justice is hardly
ever served on all these quacks with a mission of madness.

Oh yes, they could be closed games to the public too, just let the family members of
the lost one see the footage of the fight when the perpetrator finally looses!

Therapy would do you wonders with your apparent flimsy grasp on reality.

7CoolMike1 wrote:

iBubba wrote:

Therapy would do you wonders with your apparent flimsy grasp on reality.

Not! True genius is most often despised.

This murderer will never be "ok" for a civilized society ever again .  Throw O.J. in with him and give them swords!!! No body armor either!
I'll play the Caesar for this one! Let the fights begin! (My thumb will be down either way on this one!)

I don't recall saying I despised you. Your delusions of grandeur are also not so subtle.

On not riding buses...

At least 20 people were hurt, four of them critically, when a bus crashed Sunday night about 5 miles south of Las Vegas, Nevada, a state trooper said.

...

The Nevada wreck was the third serious bus wreck in the United States in as many days.

On Sunday morning, four people were killed when a bus carrying more than 40 passengers overturned near Tunica, Mississippi. That bus was carrying passengers to a casino.

Early Friday, a bus crashed in Sherman, Texas, carrying 55 mostly elderly Vietnamese passengers on a church trip. Seventeen people were killed.

Link.