Originally Posted by
crewdawg
Not to mention cheaper cost to build, largely due to labor costs in China. CXT hit on some great points, but the last mile (or 10), is what makes it tough. A vast majority of America isn't walkable. Also, the bulk of their rail network encompasses an area that mostly fits east of the Mississippi. I'd love to see an amazing rail network in the states, but we should have hitched our horse to that wagon a long time ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JDoll8OEFE
There are certainly challenges, but the whole definition of insanity and all.
The Dutch, at first, actually rejected the move toward cycling infrastructure and better walk-ability in the 70s. Now obviously they've been quite successful and estimated healthcare savings are in the billions annually. Something like 3% of their GDP. Not to mention the intangibles of better QOL and lifestyle. Plus of course a great rail network and the last mile is often not an issue. Not too late for us to achieve a bit of that, but not going to be easy or cheap.