There is a means by which you can get to work without driving, almost free, would you consider this option?
By Allen - Wed, 02/20/2008 - 9:40pm.
yes, I would pay a one time membership to own part of this system
19% (23 votes)
YES, SHOW ME
66% (78 votes)
Yes, those damn bureaucrats, corporations, unions really need to be taught a lesson
8% (9 votes)
no, When I wake up in the morning I really do have a choice whether I go to work or not
3% (3 votes)
No, "It's not just a Car, It's Your Freedom" GM Chevy
5% (6 votes)
Total votes: 119
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Needs a new option
Yes - and I've already got it figured out
Club Car, Van, Gym-Semi Trailer
I appreciate the vibrannt comments regarding this poll. Yes, Yes, Yes, I do have this figured out
Request For Information from MBTA
If you would like to submit your presentation for a more universal transportation systems package I have gone through the gauntlet on 5 levels; The mailing address is;
General Manager
Daniel Grabauskas
10 Park Plaza
8 th Floor
Boston, Ma 02116
Please send it in a manila envelope for review. Oh and please make sure it will fit into a standard waste basket.
?
is this a loaded question? or are hover bikes involved.
The Real Deal Vehicle Does Exist
Hover Craft is a possible option for the long haul picture. You'll have to wait a while for a major breakthrough in technology. 42,000 volts will create a form of anti gravity though
My hovercraft is full of
My hovercraft is full of eels.
Ya! Ya! Ya! Ya! Do you waaaaant ... do you waaaaaant ... to come back to my place, bouncy-bouncy?
Drop your panties, Sir William; I cannot wait 'til lunchtime.
You've Got Seven Years
Either we have flying cars and hoverboards within seven years, or else "Back to the Future II" was lying to me, and I'll never get back the $20 I put on the 2015 Cubs.
Vehicle Capabilities Close To Hovercraft
Imagine a vehicle that will pick you up without stopping. Certainly it would be ADA compliant and Elroy from the jetson's mother would be able to send her son onboard this vehicle with complete confidence that he is being treated and conveyed better than a UPS or FedEx package. The mechanical engineering for achieving that feat is rudimentary combined with our electronics control capabilities.
This particular solution is a long term objective. First we need to get a reasonable solution in place that would get people to and from work inexpensively without relying on the government for funding. From speaking with Michael Dukakis, remember him one of the best governors of Massachusetts he remembers when the MBTA was privately operated. He is a great train enthusiast. We need to truly have a solution that certainly feeds the fixed route train systems because the demographics of people is so dispersed both urbanly and suburbanly from the drift demographically that happened from the 1940' to the 1980's. Today we have a serious mess because the choices of where you live are based on affordability pushing low wage earners further away from the urban job centers. The price of operating a sole driver car is extremely stressing to our economy in so many ways that a commuter pays out of pocket $9-15,000 per year after tax income to get to and from work. But get this the government is actually spending around $4-8,000 per car on the road. At an MPO meeting I asked what they would provide me if I took 10,000 drivers off the road and they were dumbfounded.
You do realize that even hovercraft require energy, right?
Do you have a Web page somewhere to detail this transportation revolution, or are you just going to slowly peel off layers until we're all salivating to invest?
On the [Q "T"]
Certainly a web site did exist at one time but the only respondents I received were from personalities of Mideastern decent. Undeniably they would never want a real solution to exist. Who are our real adversaries The RTA's Regional Transit Authorities or those that would prefer that we be so disorganized to be ready to crumble.
I need advice from you how to bring this to the forefront with such a movement that the inertia would be unstoppable. The reality is that the RTA's are here to stay we need the kernel of my solution to co-exist and help them prosper as hard as that is to accept. Our strength is the ability to organize in a free society. We should be looking at creating a union of commuters demanding that businesses participate in the IRS statute 132F for providing pre tax funds for getting us to and from work and also contributing to our parking overhead requirement.
The problem is ...
Right now we're all sort of like people at a carnival listening to a barker extolling the exotic mysteries right inside this tent for just a small fee.
Building a movement with unstoppable inertia to destroy the tyranny of the MBTA will take a bit more than references to hovercraft.
"I need advice from you how
"I need advice from you how to bring this to the forefront with such a movement that the inertia would be unstoppable."
Paging the zak...the zak, you're needed in this thread
And here I thought this WAS
And here I thought this WAS the zak, only with fewer links.
Really, though, I'm not interested in pretty words; if there's a non-MBTA, non-car solution, I'd love to hear specifics. Until then, it's my T pass, Zipcar and shanks mare for me.
Meet George Jetson!
his boy Elroy! Daughter Judy! Jane his wife!
Is this called a 'bicycle' ?
I've got one, and I use it regularly, though generally not in cold weather.
A 4 Season Solution is our Constraint
There are over 100 non-profit organizations established accross the country that think biking to and from really is a solution. 45 miles each way could be difficult, I would rather sit back and enjoy the ride.
Cheers
Solution
Not a solution for everyone but a solution for many, certainly.
It's frustrating to see people dismiss a valid option because it's not the single solution to solve every single situation. By that logic, there should be no MBTA either since not everyone can use it. But for every person the does ride a bike (or ride the T), it means one less car on the road for all those who exercise their god given right to clog the roads.
And..
..what valid option has been dismissed? I've only seen snake oil so far.
There is a means by which you can advertise a for-profit company
Yes, I would pay a one-time fee to Web site owners to promote my company
YES SHOW ME
Yes, those damn freeloading companies really need to be taught a lesson
No, When I wake up in the morning I really do have a choice whether to recognize the capitalist system at work
No, "Information wants to be free, leave me alone you annoying person" Get Rich Quick
Seems more like informal
Seems more like informal market research than advertising.
Additionally, despite the hassle that car ownership comes with I think Atmosphere (a rap group) sums it up best:
My car is like my own personal universe \
She's my drug and it only takes 12 bucks (pre 9/11) to fill her up \
But in my galaxy there ain't room for earth \
So I'm leaving it cause I can feel the oil pressure building up \
Turning over the ignition of my solar system \
Check the gauges, push in the tape, put my foot on the brake \
Shift existence, light my cigarette, and take it state to state until I crash into my fate.
Congratulations
Finally some honesty. If we could have a multiple answer poll I would definetly say that a solution would require;
1. Security
2. Safety
3. Convenience
4. Utility
5. Environmental Equity
6. Personal and Community Accumulation of Wealth
7. Energy Independance
We have yet to see Government, Corporations and Unions do something for everyone [workers, children and elders]
Peace
this is the only post
that has made sense to me in this whole thread. biking, yes, but telling that polling robot (I think he is a real, metal robot) about it? why?
WELL PLAYED, Adam. (sigh...)
WELL PLAYED, Adam. (sigh...)
Bicycle
Yes, it's called a bicycle. I use it year-round to commute to work. It costs me very little, gets me a little exercise, and make my commute an absolute joy!
The Golden Gate Solution
I actually exchanged pleasantries with a guy who was sitting in the street-level garage of his SFO townhouse, pedalling a stationary recumbent bike to charge his plug-in hybrid.
I knew for sure that I was, like, so totally in California.
What a waste
Hey, I love my Prius as much as the next guy (I was in heaven driving around Brookline yesterday - it's like the Prius Capital of the World), but the dark secret of hybrids is that most of the power actually still comes from a gas engine.
Granted, it's a gas engine that can be way smaller than usual because you've got this electric motor to provide some acceleration, but all that regenerative braking they tell you about, which this guy was basically recreating? It provides only a small fraction of the oomph the car needs.
If you really want to get off the gas, get a Xebra.
finally....
the LOCALS-ONLY MONORAIL!!!!
Fantastic. Been waiting years for this. When is is going to be built? Will it run parallel to the green lines? And how will we ensure that no students infest it?
(or maybe a heated gondola that swoops you up off the ground?)
We Need To Own Our Transportation Solutions
The entire state is paying for the T dilemma through sales tax. When a new car is purchase for $30,000 20% of the sales tax goes to the T. That is $600. This type of diversion of tax revenue is not fair to the rest of the population that also need a better transportation system.
For $300 per owner of this proposed transportation solution that is decentralized by private service and run off a single network. The productivity of such a system would enable custom scheduling of population clusters traveling to employment centers. Also as the Mass of users increase there would be more opportunities for semi-demand responsive service to cultural events, shopping etc. The big question is how would this system work? Interesting question with hundreds of pages written, presentations, proposed marketing campaign and the flexibility to conform to variable owner demand criteria are all part of this solution. When I presented a simple 2 page summary to my local city councilor he looked at it and said that was too much for him to read. He suggested that I narrow it down to 1 paragraph so that he could circulate it among his nearest and dearest cronies.
Certainly I would be pleased to make a presentation at a place and time of a groups choosing. Since the 1978 second gas crises this has interested me tremendously and have not given up except for the fact that I chose to work at home for 12 years while my children were in the pre-school phase of their development.
The media resources are available, a printer has donated some resources as well as sign making could be achieved with simple screen printing. The polished marketing program complete with all media promotions I can get for $2800. Suggestions on how to organize and communicate to the working class is very much needed. Enough of the stakeholders saying they don't have any funds available to pursue this project.
I don't understand. Please summarize
Or put up a web page explaining what you are proposing.
Is it ...
bigger than a bread box?
C'mon, I need a Baysian prior for my 20Q!
You're not gonna understand
This guy has a screw loose.
Numerous Requests For a Web Page
Here is a link to Google Base which has a fairly sanitized presentation. I very much want to work on this project and the keys to building "Community Transportation Systems Packages" are available to qualified users and buyers anywhere.
google.com/base/...D9480313639460142179
OK, that makes a bit more sense
Basically, a van-based carpooling system, only the vehicles are owned by a group of users.
Community-owned Zipcar?
A vehicle pool that can be used by anyone to do anything they need for a small fee (per use in the case of ZipCar).
If ZipCar offered a "commuting" option, where the hours that I *know* I'll be at work and not in the car are usable by someone else by taking it from my work parking space as long as it's required to be back in time for me to go home and put the ZipCar back in its original location (thus avoiding the Traveling Salesman problem associated with getting them to do "one way driving"), then I'd sign up in a heartbeat.
Oh! Oh! Oh! I know!
A paternoster!
Wait...
this isn't the same guy who tried to sell us those damn scooters, is it?