You don't get it. This isn't just about connecting urban centers (which we could, in fact, do a much better job of), it's about getting real, meaningful transit even in places like Los Angeles. Some of these cities rival many countries in population, and have density levels reaching toward Gibraltar.
New York is by far the "shining" beacon of mass transit in the US, but even its infrastructure is deteriorating.
We don't build transit here not because it wouldn't work, but because of purely political factors. It's a punching bag for the anti-tax brigade and the NIMBYs (most also in the anti-tax brigade) go apeshit if they think public transit might bring a brown person to their neighborhood. The horror!
New York is by far the "shining" beacon of mass transit in the US, but even its infrastructure is deteriorating.
We don't build transit here not because it wouldn't work, but because of purely political factors. It's a punching bag for the anti-tax brigade and the NIMBYs (most also in the anti-tax brigade) go apeshit if they think public transit might bring a brown person to their neighborhood. The horror!