This Little Pipeline Protest

[Cowboysrock55]

I can't imagine how shitty it must be to be someone one who can't drive in the south.

I have a cousin who had a seizure and can't get a license. She pretty much lost her adulthood.

As a lawyer who deals with clients who get DWI's, it's impossible to survive without driving here. You can't get to work without a license. You can't pay for the things to get your license back without money. So then they drive without a license for work and get pulled over leading to more tickets, more costs and their license gone for longer. It just continues to pile up.

 

[dallen]

I love Houston, but it is zoned like one of my Sim Cities from when I was 12.

Do we actually have any zoning laws? Everything seems to just pop up where ever there is a bit of free space

 

[Cotton]

Do we actually have any zoning laws? Everything seems to just pop up where ever there is a bit of free space

Poor land use planning makes it damn near impossible to install light rail.

 

[Kbrown]

Do we actually have any zoning laws? Everything seems to just pop up where ever there is a bit of free space

I don't think so. If so, they are minimum.

A friend of mine lives in a nice condo. About a block one way is a mansion with peacocks in the backyard, and about a block the other way is Westheimer with a Payday Loans store on the corner.

 

[Cotton]

Good to hear. I'm pro-Jane Jacobs.

See, here is the other side of my struggles. Idealistic advocates can be just as much of a hindrance as staunch opposition. They want it all their way or nothing. Well, in life, you rarely get it that way. Idealistic bike advocates are the worst. They want streets all to themselves. That is neither practical nor (in most cases) economically feasible. All modes of transportation have a place. The trick is making them all work together safely. That is the purest definition of what I do. It's a very delicate balance and leaning too far one direction or the other can be detrimental to a transportation network.

 

[Cotton]

Regarding 'idealistic advocates', who are you referring to?

The ones that are over the top. As an example, I had a bicycle advocate on campus that really really wanted bike lanes on a certain stretch of road on campus. We actually did a cost analysis and it would have taken $1.2 million to widen a 3 block portion of this road to make it happen. He, and others, insisted it just had to happen. Uhh, no. Who is paying for that shit? I had just worked for 2 years doing deep research to make it legal for them to ride on a sidewalk right off that same street. But, this select group of people want full street access, regardless of cost. No regard for actual allocated money for this kind of thing. I have $125k a year set aside for bike improvements. $1.2 million ain't happening for this kind of improvement.

 

[Cotton]

what do you think of Jane Jacobs then? You mention idealistic advocates when I said Jacobs' name, but she's not comparable to your bike lane hero.

Any specific names, movements you like/don't like, such as Duany, Kuntsler, Le Corbusier, Howard, etc?

Any particular project, growth plan, mass transit system you're a big fan of?

Man, we would have to be in person to truly discuss this. It's too deep for me to discuss on my phone. This is some in depth shit. PM me your number and we can absolutely go at it. I'm serious. I am realistically stoked about this kind of thing.

Things I'm stoked about: (not even close to a complete list)

DC's Capital Bike Share program

Houston's new rail

The discussion about the new I-27 highway extension

Portland's new bike bridge

Seattle's self sustaining (not really) building

Etc.

 

[fortsbest]

It would help in these discussions if you stop with "all of the Left".

Its that type of talk that causes the divisiveness you have such an issue with, you seem very quick to lump people together to make a point, that is not conducive to having a productive discussion.

Would it help your sensibilities if I used a word like "alt left"? Because it seems anytime someone of a fringe racial type group pipes up that he or she likes and idea that any regular conservative would, they automatically get lumped in as the descriptor for the entire conservative movement. Even though the vast majority of conservative despise those groups as much as any normal person should.
While on the other hand, environmentalists and anti energy folk are 98% left wing minded. These are also one of the many groups the Democratic party strives hard to cater to. Anti-nuclear, Anti coal, anti petroleum anti anything that has helped build this country. Tell me how I am wrong in this please.

 

[fortsbest]

Behavioral patterns aside, the difficulty of planning & executing good mass transit is f'n difficult. So much easier to pave an 8-lane asphalt road and call it a day.

People spend good money traveling to Paris, London and all these beautiful cities. There's no geographic reason why we couldn't build them here. But it's easier to keep a litter of kittens in a box than coordinate zoning, private builders, NIMBYs & mass transit agencies.

Getting people to move into new densely apartments/condos/townhomes is actually the easiest part. Snatch that up like pussy fiends.

The biggest thing about rail in Europe is much of that was built before Europeans could afford to start buying cars enmass and so they were used to that travel. Had they had cars first it would never have developed as it did.

 

[Cotton]

The biggest thing about rail in Europe is much of that was built before Europeans could afford to start buying cars enmass and so they were used to that travel. Had they had cars first it would never have developed as it did.

This is absolutely not true.

 

[dallen]

See, here is the other side of my struggles. Idealistic advocates can be just as much of a hindrance as staunch opposition. They want it all their way or nothing. Well, in life, you rarely get it that way. Idealistic bike advocates are the worst. They want streets all to themselves. That is neither practical nor (in most cases) economically feasible. All modes of transportation have a place. The trick is making them all work together safely. That is the purest definition of what I do. It's a very delicate balance and leaning too far one direction or the other can be detrimental to a transportation network.

People let their ideals stand in the way of real progress too often. People forget this country was built on compromises.

 

[Cotton]

People let their ideals stand in the way of real progress too often. People forget this country was built on compromises.

They drive me crazy. Don't get me wrong, I use them for their sheer numbers alone. I just will never again stand next to one when trying to get something done. They sit behind me as support and support alone. I have been burned too many times, and wasted too much time to ever let them have a voice again. And, by voice, I mean them physically speaking during big meetings such as city council meetings, TIF board meetings, etc.

 

[L.T. Fan]

Parties who have an extreme position on anything will never see anything but their point of view. Nothing else is valid and if you disagree with them the will immediately label you and address you with disrespectful attitudes. This is true for any situation. They are pretty easy to identify because of the manner they view everyone else.

 

[Jiggyfly]

Would it help your sensibilities if I used a word like "alt left"? Because it seems anytime someone of a fringe racial type group pipes up that he or she likes and idea that any regular conservative would, they automatically get lumped in as the descriptor for the entire conservative movement. Even though the vast majority of conservative despise those groups as much as any normal person should.
While on the other hand, environmentalists and anti energy folk are 98% left wing minded. These are also one of the many groups the Democratic party strives hard to cater to. Anti-nuclear, Anti coal, anti petroleum anti anything that has helped build this country. Tell me how I am wrong in this please.

Sensibilities.

I said what I had to say but if you cannot have a conversation without shading an entire group based on the specific part you don't like, then so be it.

And it seems you want to make this convo political when nobody else has, what's your deal?

Yes the Dems cater to specific groups, just like Republicans do and Trump did this election, I don't understand what that has to do with this discussion or why you need to bring it up?

 

[Jiggyfly]

The biggest thing about rail in Europe is much of that was built before Europeans could afford to start buying cars enmass and so they were used to that travel. Had they had cars first it would never have developed as it did.

Actually the infrastructure for that rail was built before cars were mass produced.

London start mass transit in the 1860's

France in the 1880's

Cars did not become popular until the 1920's and Americans could not afford cars the same way the Europeans could could not.

 

[jeebs]

2 thoughts on rail

1 passenger rail is only viable in the United States in 2-4 places.

2. The U.S. uses far more trains than Europe. We just tend to use them for shipping materials.

 

[jeebs]

Actually the infrastructure for that rail was built before cars were mass produced.

London start mass transit in the 1860's

France in the 1880's

Cars did not become popular until the 1920's and Americans could not afford cars the same way the Europeans could could not.

also, car companies and their affiliated business made a concerted effort in the 20's and 30's to buy and destroy pre existing mass transit, in order to drive the need for the car and to spur car related infrastructure.

 

[fortsbest]

Actually the infrastructure for that rail was built before cars were mass produced.

London start mass transit in the 1860's

France in the 1880's

Cars did not become popular until the 1920's and Americans could not afford cars the same way the Europeans could could not.

Yes, I'm glad you are agreeing with me.

 

[fortsbest]

Sensibilities.

I said what I had to say but if you cannot have a conversation without shading an entire group based on the specific part you don't like, then so be it.

And it seems you want to make this convo political when nobody else has, what's your deal?

Yes the Dems cater to specific groups, just like Republicans do and Trump did this election, I don't understand what that has to do with this discussion or why you need to bring it up?

It was a rightful response to your comment. Envro anti energy radicals are always on the left side of politics and the democrats cater to them unwaveringly. anti government, and even radical white supremacist groups nearly always are lumped in with the right for some reason. Difference is conservatives and that vast majority of Republicans don't cater to them and will condemn them and their actions.

 

[fortsbest]

2 thoughts on rail

1 passenger rail is only viable in the United States in 2-4 places.

2. The U.S. uses far more trains than Europe. We just tend to use them for shipping materials.

I have traveled by train many years ago in Europe, but don't really remember the experience. If I had a vacation where I had time, I would love to go somewhere by train.