Amazing that this half-wit is Vice President. Another foot-in-the-mouth moment for Biden. I would like to see him and Bush square off against each other in a debate-this is the detritus that leads this country (scary).

This from the guy who supposedly rode the train to work in DC everyday for 30 years.

Are you all for real? The man’s discussing common sense reasoning to a public health crisis, not “whack”ing public transportation in general. Rail zealots probably don’t want some infected rider sitting beside them on train, too.

Oh, yes… I forgot to mention that I understand what he says. Sure, during these times, with swine flu on the rise, it makes sense to avoid crowded areas, but not just the subway. There are a lot of places to avoid, but his comments didn’t come out right, IMO.

Nick, I would not judge these fools by the first 100 days, as much as I dislike them – they still think they are in the pre-election era. I will agree with you, though. They are an embarrassment and nothing less. We’ll have to sink even lower before we finally clean up and rid this country of idiots, no matter where they place themselves in the political spectrum.

Regarding the transportation issues – so I can stay on the topic – there are a few things the government should do, but every city/region interested in light rail must do a little “soul searching”, prior to asking for funds. Each metro area has different needs. I am a big supporter of light rail in Raleigh and the greater Triangle area, but not without preparing the ground first. Where are the dense and urban communities along the envisioned lines? We had so many years to prepare ourselves and we are still waiting. With, or without the federal government, Raleigh has to plan for the future and do it carefully, in a fiscally responsible way. Also, a strong cooperation between the public and private sectors is necessary, particularly the developers.

I think the point may have gotten lost somewhere, so sorry if I wasn’t clear. As far as barriers for acceptance go for public transportation (rail, bus, ferry, etc), there are a few parameters that loom large.

The top item is unquestionably convenience. Probably 98% of people would feel an inconvenience if they converted their lives such that they had to rely on routes and fixed transportation schedules.

One of the other major barriers, though, is privacy. I know that after relying heavily on public transportation for five years, I thought I would scream if just one more person sneezed on me or made me smell their B.O. in the summer. While Biden is referring to a special potential epidemic situation, the concept of health risk looms large for more minor sicknesses. Airborne transmission of particles is one of the key routes through which viruses get transmitted.

Biden is simply underscoring this major barrier to American acceptance for high-capacity transit situations.