My guy, nobody thinks the Netherlands is a perfect beacon of transit, but you just can't understand what it's like living in the US. Even if you live in a large metro, unless it's NYC or you live and work in the right parts of Chicago, public transit just isn't even an option--unless an hour and a half commute on a bus is worth it to you.
Let's compare your commute to work to a commute in the US:
>I have to get up early and be there some 10 mins before departure to secure somewhat of a reasonable spot.
In the US, you have to be there at least 30 minutes early, because the parking lot will be absolutely packed, and the busses don't run on time, so it might get there too soon.
>Next, I'm on route to the first big city station.
We don't even have this in the US. You would have had to already be in the city to get on the bus.
>This route is slow, it stops 5 times along the way as everybody needs to connect to a big hub to get where they need to be.
In the US, this route stops the same five times, but also gets stuck in rush hour traffic, because we rarely have dedicated transit lanes.
I arrive at the hub, where there's a 20 minute connection wait to take the train to the big city destination.
The connection in the US would be at least 30 minutes, if you're lucky it will be scheduled at 20 during rush hour, but the bus is probably late. Also, again, it's not going into the city, you were already there, you just need to get on a different route.
>I get out and have a 10 minute connection wait for the bus to take me to the place closest to work, after which there's a 5-10 minute work.
If you have to make another connection outside the hub, you're probably waiting at least 45 minutes, in addition to the bus being late. The closest bus stop to where you work is another 30 minute walk away, along a 45 mph highway with no bike lanes and a sidewalk that just randomly ends occasionally.
>Total commute time: 2.5 hours single way. To move 60km. And that's living behind a train station and working at one of the countries' largest employers.
In the US, this was actually entire hypothetical. The route just doesn't actually exist.
Hope this helps you see why we place NL on a pedestal. We know it's not perfect, but it's so much better than what we have. Unless you live in an incredibly small portion of the country, it's just not an option.
>In the US, this was actually entire hypothetical. The route just doesn't actually exist.
Drag your butt over to Google maps and punch in a route from Lowell, Leominster, Worcester or Taunton Massachusetts (outlying cities in the Boston area people many commute in from) to any portion of the Boston area just inside I95 but not downtown and eyeball the times.
The route exists in the US and the times are in line with his estimates.
I live about a 7 minute drive from the North Leominster commuter rail. I'm about 90 minutes door to door to Boston/Cambridge depending upon where I'm going--which is better than driving at rush hour.
That said, it's only useful for commuting. There are far too few trains after evening rush hour to use it if attending an evening event.
My guy, dude...I didn't contradict the idea that the Netherlands has superior transit options compared to the US. I was giving push-back against the idea that the Dutch situation is utopian as if some kind of paradise. It isn't.
Let's compare your commute to work to a commute in the US:
>I have to get up early and be there some 10 mins before departure to secure somewhat of a reasonable spot. In the US, you have to be there at least 30 minutes early, because the parking lot will be absolutely packed, and the busses don't run on time, so it might get there too soon.
>Next, I'm on route to the first big city station. We don't even have this in the US. You would have had to already be in the city to get on the bus.
>This route is slow, it stops 5 times along the way as everybody needs to connect to a big hub to get where they need to be. In the US, this route stops the same five times, but also gets stuck in rush hour traffic, because we rarely have dedicated transit lanes.
I arrive at the hub, where there's a 20 minute connection wait to take the train to the big city destination. The connection in the US would be at least 30 minutes, if you're lucky it will be scheduled at 20 during rush hour, but the bus is probably late. Also, again, it's not going into the city, you were already there, you just need to get on a different route.
>I get out and have a 10 minute connection wait for the bus to take me to the place closest to work, after which there's a 5-10 minute work.
If you have to make another connection outside the hub, you're probably waiting at least 45 minutes, in addition to the bus being late. The closest bus stop to where you work is another 30 minute walk away, along a 45 mph highway with no bike lanes and a sidewalk that just randomly ends occasionally.
>Total commute time: 2.5 hours single way. To move 60km. And that's living behind a train station and working at one of the countries' largest employers.
In the US, this was actually entire hypothetical. The route just doesn't actually exist.
Hope this helps you see why we place NL on a pedestal. We know it's not perfect, but it's so much better than what we have. Unless you live in an incredibly small portion of the country, it's just not an option.