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["Lynda" <lurine AT com-pair.net>]

That would be me, Bob.  You can't get any more rural than I am. We don't 
even have mail delivery!  In order to get mail you have to have a post 
office box in town.  No newspapers unless you drive into town.  No UPS, no 
FedEx.  No cable.  No DSL.  No television with an antenae.

My little "town," counting the whole valley and, I think most of the deer, 
has a population of 1800 people.  We are an hour away from any type of 
"city" and it is only 3500 people.  The big city (80,000) is two hours away. 
That is IF you can get there as we are frequently, in the winter, well, 
except this one, snowed in.

And, ya know, even in the boonies, the type rural you're talking about, 
folks
*could* carpool and they don't.  It's all about "my" car, blah, blah, blah.
And, even in the beyond freaking sticks where I live, there IS public
transportation!  Folks don't use it.  Period and they could to get to and
from work.  They'd have to run it more frequently than they do now for some 
jobs but it is a real possibility.  Right now you can catch the thing at 6 
a.m. which is plenty of time to get to where most of the jobs are but the 
last run might have to run later as it leaves over the other side of the 
Summit at 5 which would be too early for most jobs.

One of the things folks need to look at is a different type of public
transit.  People seem to think BIG Gilligs and what they need to think is
little jitneys AND both the transit system and the employers need to rethink
time tables.  Companies could do more flex time and thus allow for the
contingency of the busses running late, etc.  And the transit system could
realign their schedules to fit more around the operating hours of the local
businesses.

Bart and Golden Gate transit in CA both run WAY outside the city so that
people *could* use them IF they choose to even if they live a good ways out
in the sticks.  They even built carparks all along the lines just for that
purpose, so folks can drive to the access point and park their cars.

IMNSHO, more companies AND the government need to look at 4/10s with
alternating weekends off.  That would also cut down on the amount of
miles/hours/$$ folks have to spend getting to and from work.

It is VERY doable, folks just need to get out of the comfort zone and think
outside the box!

Plus, ya do know that the trucking industry is behind a lot of the lack of 
funding for upkeep and building of new rail lines???  We have a whole rail 
line running up and down the state but the feds won't cut loose with any of 
the tax money to help repair it or replace it in parts because of the 
lobbying by the trucking folks.  The trucking folks like the rail being out 
of commission because that means more business for them!  AND, it means a 
whole lot more cost for the consumer!

Lynda

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "bobf" <bobford79 AT yahoo.com>


> Okay, now I am not against public transit, I think -- done right-- it 
> could be smart.  But again, what about people who are more rural than you 
> or I ; like where roxanne or sage or gene or my parents , live.  There is 
> very little chance of building public transit to all of the rural hamlets 
> throughout a country this large.  My question might have been better put 
> by asking how do we make up for those people who must continue to drive 
> above average distances, from need, not want?
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> --- On Sun, 1/11/09, Marie McHarry <mmcharry AT gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > From: Marie McHarry <mmcharry AT gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [Homestead] Fear & Loathing , new Peter Schiff interview, 
> > immeninent demi
> > To: bobford79 AT yahoo.com, homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > Date: Sunday, January 11, 2009, 7:58 AM
> > Bob wonders how the raising o gas prices elps rural people
> > (of which I
> > am one). It's pretty straightfoward. Back before we had
> > two cars in
> > every garage we had light rail. It will never come back
> > unless it's
> > cheaper than driving. Right now we have private buses from
> > a couple of
> > small towns to Springfield. The same is true for
> > Peoria's Caterpillat
> > north of me. Without incentive people don't change, but
> > ewxpensive gas
> > will bring change.
>
>
>
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