• zephyreks@lemmy.mlOPM
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    1 year ago

    Because America is fucked and moves about as fast as a snail in molasses?

    Seriously, I’m not sure what you want to hear in this regard. I’m Canadian and I fucking love the transit systems we have in Vancouver and Montreal, but the US is way too dysfunctional to get anywhere close. Look at the state of the MBTA in Boston.

    • SkepticalButOpenMinded
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      1 year ago

      The top three public transit systems in North America are in the US, not Canada. (NY, SF, and Chicago.) Vancouver’s is great for its size, but Toronto is ranked similarly to Los Angeles, and it shows with its car centric suburban sprawl and public resistance to density or expanding transit. The 401 is one of the worst highways on the continent.

      I don’t know what you’re talking about. Canada is moving WAY slower than the US on density and public transportation. Many US cities are imposing supply minimums and eliminating exclusive SFH zoning, like in Minneapolis, Boston, and Portland. California, Oregon, and Maine have supply targets, while only BC has done the same. This is why the housing crisis and car dependence is much worse in Canada. We’re in total denial up here.

      • JJROKCZ@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Tbf canadas spending power is nowhere near America. They have 10% of the population and a little under 10% of the gdp of the us. Canada is doing as well as they can but don’t expect miracles.

        • SkepticalButOpenMinded
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          1 year ago

          Canada is wealthier than most European and Asian countries with far better public transportation. The excuses are endless, but this is honestly just a problem of lack of will and imagination.

          • JJROKCZ@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            That’s true, I was just offering reasons on why a few American cities have better transport than Canadian, even with equal willpower, the Americans have more money to throw at the problem

      • zephyreks@lemmy.mlOPM
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        1 year ago

        Anyone who’s actually ridden SF or Chicago subways would struggle to make that claim.

        Moreover, anyone who’s actually lived in Boston would know that 1. The transit system is literally falling to pieces and 2. Development in any of the multitude of richer municipalities is blocked by NIMBYs like it’s nobody’s business.

        Getting from Harvard to Logan still takes two fucking swipes for fucks sake.