🚀 go-pugleaf

ill wrote:

> Transit works. Highways may allow you to drive directly to a location 
> but is by far the least efficient way to move people around.

Only during the rush hours. Trains and buses running on a schedule with 
few or no passengers significantly reduce the overall efficiency. It 
would be great to get everyone onto mass transit but it rarely goes when 
and where you need to. In reality it's pretty marginal these days 
between mass transit systems like rail and good cars. The best cars 
(small cars, Diesels and hybrids) are more efficient than rail which is 
why car pooling is quite important.

 From this
http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/2003/

Efficiency of cars per passenger mile:
http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/2003/html/table_04_22.html

Buses
http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/2003/html/table_04_24.html

Amtrak (intercity rail)
http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/2003/html/table_04_26.html

The site doesn't seem to include stats for urban light and heavy rail 
however this one does:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/efficiency/ee_ch5.htm

And this chart puts it at around 3,000 btu/passenger mile, not far off 
the 3,600 for an average car. The car assumes the national average 
ridership of 1.2 passengers/car.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/efficiency/eefig_ch5.htm#Figure%205.15


Overall... All of the existing transport methods suck in different 
circumstances, mass transit and private cars. The best I've come across 
is this:

http://www.atsltd.co.uk/fact.html

-- 
Colin Smith:  Colin.Smith at archeus.plus.com