No sh*t... everytime I step foot on a Tube, I feel like it's the Grim Reaper himself at the controls....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3216531.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3216531.stm
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Tube 'failing safety standards'
- Thread starter iGav
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from a purely american, uninformed point of view, the tube seems like a tragedy waiting to happen. personally i would not ride in it because of the air quality alone (and i am a smoker 
)... i just don't think they realized the logistics of the thing before they built it... it was kind of more 'can we make this' rather than 'can we support/clean/run this'...
pnw
)... i just don't think they realized the logistics of the thing before they built it... it was kind of more 'can we make this' rather than 'can we support/clean/run this'...pnw
I think the dangers are vastly overstated. The Air Quality is pretty bad, but not all that awful. The chances of dying, or even being seriously injured, in a tube accident is so low that you would have to say it's a risk worth taking. Whilst there has been an increase in derailments in the last few months these have been due to different circumstances at each time and no-one has been killed. Probably a better record than road transport which is my only alternative to get to work.
To be honest I don't even think about it when I step on every morning.
To be honest I don't even think about it when I step on every morning.
Oh nos!
Its like any other high speed mode of Transport!
Seriously Folks, the slower you go, the less chance of injury.
Fall down while walking -- Nothing major
Fall off a Bike -- A few cuts of Bruises
Car Crash -- Possible Major injury
Plane Crash -- Almost everyone severely injured
If you expected it to be perfect, it isn't sorry.
Its like any other high speed mode of Transport!
Seriously Folks, the slower you go, the less chance of injury.
Fall down while walking -- Nothing major
Fall off a Bike -- A few cuts of Bruises
Car Crash -- Possible Major injury
Plane Crash -- Almost everyone severely injured
If you expected it to be perfect, it isn't sorry.
And some of those circumstances are controllable through track inspections which are lacking in frequency due to staffing shortages.
Those things that resemble trains that move people around in cities. Examples: the MBTA in Boston, the el (official name?) in Chicago, BART in San Fran, the Metro in Washington D.C. and Montreal... Buses too. You do know what cities are, right?
Phil, your from Washington. You've heard of the gawdawful plan to put light rail through Seattle. While at the same time a new monorail is being built, Sound Transit is stealing taxpayer's money, and more outragous plans are being made.
I only know of two modern cities who were able to sucessfully integrate mass transit into their existing infrastructure. Portland, OR... The MAX (Metropolitan Area Express) and Portland Street Car are the best thing to happen to Portland since the coin toss that caused it to be named Portland instead of Boston.
The other is San Francisco, the BART and the Muni. Just look at the abortion that the LA subway is turning into.
At least London has a Subway. I'd kill to have a way to get around in Seattle with out Driving. Or even here in Flint, but then again, there are only 100,000 people, lots of crime and no jobs.
TEG
I only know of two modern cities who were able to sucessfully integrate mass transit into their existing infrastructure. Portland, OR... The MAX (Metropolitan Area Express) and Portland Street Car are the best thing to happen to Portland since the coin toss that caused it to be named Portland instead of Boston.
The other is San Francisco, the BART and the Muni. Just look at the abortion that the LA subway is turning into.
At least London has a Subway. I'd kill to have a way to get around in Seattle with out Driving. Or even here in Flint, but then again, there are only 100,000 people, lots of crime and no jobs.
TEG
Washington has horrendous local politics. We had a referendum last year to fund road projects that we need, but the referendum didn't even fully fund the damn projects. And one of the projects was to fix the highway between Pullman, WA and Moscow, ID. Sure, there's a lot of accidents, but that's not because it's a bad road, it's because Pullman and Moscow are both college towns filled with college students who drink heavily.
Is the whole country this bad?
Is the whole country this bad?
I know someone that works at the U of ID... Anyhoo, There's been the idea tossed around for a while, not necessarily seriously, of a state-wide subway for Rhode Island. Not impossible, but with RIPTA buses and a state population of a little over a million, the question is why.
Yes, if not worse.
Here in granite falls 50% of the roads are dirt, NOT gravel, but dirt.
The largest intersection in town is where two three lane dirt roads meet, One road leads to the trailor park we call a high school, and the other leads to the only bar in town, with the police station being around back of the bar. Our four police officers also serve as taxi drivers, that for five dollars will take you anywhere you want to go. Now thats what we call "public transportation".
I think you live in what would be called, "The sticks" or "the boonies" or "middle of nowhere". But three lane dirt roads? Sounds like a highway from the middle ages
The Underground was built by an American and his Millions
Does it surprise you? It is the oldest subway in the world.
I've lived in London and aside for the Central lione being down a couple of months this year, nothing in the US is its equal in reliability, age, and size. By the way, my fav Underground stop is the one two blocks from Abbey Road, where the Beatles shop is.
Does it surprise you? It is the oldest subway in the world.
I've lived in London and aside for the Central lione being down a couple of months this year, nothing in the US is its equal in reliability, age, and size. By the way, my fav Underground stop is the one two blocks from Abbey Road, where the Beatles shop is.
Originally posted by MrMacman
Oh nos!
Its like any other high speed mode of Transport!
Seriously Folks, the slower you go, the less chance of injury.
Fall down while walking -- Nothing major
Fall off a Bike -- A few cuts of Bruises
Car Crash -- Possible Major injury
Plane Crash -- Almost everyone severely injured
If you expected it to be perfect, it isn't sorry.
I know this is obvious when you think about it but walking is the most dangerous form of transportation. Walking you have more accidents per mile than any other form of transportation.
You're analysis is still correct but it is stating the severity of the accident where as mine is stating the number of accidents. One thing you didn't take into account is the elderly for whom falling while walking can be fatal. Also falling while walking up and down stairs can be fatal for anyone.
PPP Swindle
The short cynical answer to this this is what do you expect when the politicians who made the decision to part-privatise (read privatise) the tube don't actually use the tube.
The only 'innovation' the private sector has brought to the privatised national railway is the 'chance of death' whenever you travel. These same maintenance companies behind the derailments and cracked rails on the national railway are now part of the two consortias who already carry out track maintenance for the tube, even before the PPP deal becomes official.
Still, someone's making money out of this mess and that ain't gonna change for the next THIRTY years. Yay!
The short cynical answer to this this is what do you expect when the politicians who made the decision to part-privatise (read privatise) the tube don't actually use the tube.
The only 'innovation' the private sector has brought to the privatised national railway is the 'chance of death' whenever you travel. These same maintenance companies behind the derailments and cracked rails on the national railway are now part of the two consortias who already carry out track maintenance for the tube, even before the PPP deal becomes official.
Still, someone's making money out of this mess and that ain't gonna change for the next THIRTY years. Yay!
I don't know how dangerous it is, but the T (MBTA) in Boston SUCKS. It really, trully s-u-c-k-s. I've never ridden on public transportation so bad.
It's the oldest in the nation, and quite possibly the worst.
I heard that Washington's subway system is real stupid, the fare is based on how much time you spend on the train, so just going across the city can cost a lot.
LA's system is pretty dumb too, I heard. The stations are all in places where no one goes and it's like 1 mile long.
It's the oldest in the nation, and quite possibly the worst.
I heard that Washington's subway system is real stupid, the fare is based on how much time you spend on the train, so just going across the city can cost a lot.
LA's system is pretty dumb too, I heard. The stations are all in places where no one goes and it's like 1 mile long.