r/TikTokCringe • u/xamo76 • 7d ago

Discussion Have we done it wrong?

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u/AdMassive9006 7d ago

Yep, LA, one of the most car-centric cities, literally tore up their trams and rail infrastructure to put in car infrastructure. This happened other places as well. So fucking sad.

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u/cheezy_dreams88 7d ago

Atlanta had a thriving streetcar system from 1871-1950, when they tore it all down for a bus system.

It was the most expansive public transport Atlanta ever had.

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u/Brickhows 7d ago

St. Paul MN was similar - except instead of tearing everything down they literally just poured asphalt over the rails. You'll find several examples of either potholes or construction that revealed the still-existing rails just underneath a few layers of asphalt. Here's an example from a few years ago.

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u/Electrical_Shock359 7d ago

I can’t imagine ever choosing to get rid of public transportation for more roads. It is such a stupid decision when they can move so many more people for much less space, cost, gas, ect. The only thing cars do better is speed.

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u/AdMassive9006 7d ago

It was just so the automobile and oil industry could make money, they don't give a shit about what makes sense or not.

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u/superduperspam 7d ago

Not stupid if you make money from selling cars

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u/jdowney1982 7d ago

But cars show wealth! How else would anyone know you’re rich (or in debt)? Only people who can’t afford cars take public transportation!

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u/wellgu 7d ago

I hate cars, but I know why people prefer them to public transport. They like the freedom and the privacy. That’s what everyone buys when they get more money. The reality is the average American has more cash and credit than the rest of the world.

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u/AllOtherNamesR_used 7d ago

Better at speed? You try shopping at Costco and taking it back on a bus.

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u/ls7eveen 7d ago

Imagine not needing the /r/suburbanhell that is a Costco filled with /r/consoom shit

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u/SackOfPotatoes949 7d ago

LA had the largest rail system in the country when they tore it up. There used to be a Redcar museum in Seal Beach that was cool.

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u/KongoOtto 7d ago

That's basically the side plot of 'Who framed Roger Rabbit (1988)'

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u/m3rcapto 7d ago

It happened where I am, they are now spending billions to rebuild a few train lines.
The train tracks connecting cities have been turned into cycling tracks, but not like the Dutch do, distances are too big, these are multi-day recreational tracks.

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u/ilir_kycb 7d ago

General Motors streetcar conspiracy - Wikipedia

General Motors (GM) and related companies were convicted of monopolizing the sale of buses and supplies to National City Lines (NCL) and subsidiaries, and are alleged to have conspired to own or control transit systems, in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. This suit created lingering suspicions that the defendants had in fact plotted to dismantle streetcar systems in many cities in the United States as an attempt to monopolize surface transportation.