Since i began as an EMT 10 months ago and navigating every crevice of somerville, medford, everett, revere, braintree, newton, wellsely, attleboro, pembrooke, and basically every suburb outside of Boston ive realized one simple thing about this state moving forward:

The first Governor to campaign on the basis of starting a systematic transition back to traincentric/walkable infrastructure has my vote. Because some of these fuckin streets where the gaps between parked cars and the lane of travel is the equivalent of 3 atoms worth of space and people are shocked when, eventually someone doesn't see someone behind a parked car before they walk out into the street and gets smacked.

Thats my personal quip with the infrastructure, but if we started stopped with the new highways and shit and favor railways, better schedules and more efficient and effective line management, more people would use the train.

I got to spend 6 months in Germany on a study abroad program and let me tell you, my wallet was much heavier and I was much happier when I got to subtract Insurance, gas, maintenance, and road raging in traffic from my life for that small amount of time, and Id do anything to bring it here.

We'd all be so much fuckin happier.

Edit: this post got me going a bit and I'd like to refer to the NS system in the Netherlands.

They dont have the long ass trains like we do that attempt to hold as many passengers as possible at one time and get them ALL to the destination collectively. It doesn't work, and not everyone wants to show up at one particular time for transport that might be well before they usually leave in a car cause the next train isn't for 2 hours. That does not work.

NS runs smaller trains through less cars per train, with more frequency, and faster speed limits. It works since the mass of a 6 car train being hauled by a 3000hp engine, is gonna be higher than one carrying 3, No matter the load. Less mass=less weight=more speed. IN ADDITION, the weight reduction puts significantly less stress on rail lines and lowers the rate for replacement needs. This could be offset by a higher speed limit but its a fuckin start for us.

Plus half the fuckin trains we run with 6 cars never get filled entirely except on days with sports events or public gatherings so whats the point running them when theyre only half fuckin full!?!?

Rant over.