07 March 2007

Public Transportation, Detroit Style



This is the entire circuit of light rail public transport in Detroit. It is sped up, I estimate at 10 times, but it still takes only 1:20.

By comparison, here is a link to the Paris Métro system (PDF).

Draw your own conclusions from here...

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:19 PM

    Who needs public transportation when everyone can drive a Hummer? Before you know it, they'll be making their way across the Atlantic in volume. (Warning: An H2 is condiderably heavier than a Peugeot 307, so additional people and accelerants will be required for the protests). In fact, here's a little irony right from their website...........


    “Pour moi la vie va commencer” (My life begins) sang French rock star Johnny Hallyday. The movie clip was situated in the Camargue where wild horses ran around in freedom. That was 1963. The rock star became a rock icon - at least in France.

    And remember “Terminator” Arnold Schwarzenegger, the actor who became an icon too and then got himself elected governor of the state of California?

    What have these men in common? A certain machismo, no doubt. They definitely achieved something in life. But above all they are free spirits. Independent men who go about their life as they see fit. Men who feel free to speak up, to express an opinion. Could that be the reason why they were among HUMMER's first clients both sides of the Atlantic?

    The success of HUMMER in the USA is not only caused by off road appearances. The urban jungle is equally tough - for any car, just think of lower Manhattan. And in Europe? Just the same, on and off road.

    Ever since the early HUMMER H2's were spotted, they created instant recognition, instant discussion, instant awareness. And instant success in the market: in the Benelux, in Germany, in France.

    And now there is a new and official import company for the whole of Europe, which will be to the benefit to HUMMER clients and prospects all over Europe.

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  2. Where does he come up with this stuff?

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  3. Johnny Hallyday is an interesting character. He's quite popular here but he is not really well respected. He became popular as a Elvis/James Dean knock-off in the early 60's and has attemted to maintain his popularity since then. From what I can tell he is pretty much a total hack. Furthermore, the French (at least the Parisians) don't think particularly highly of him because his French is very bad.

    So is he a good spokesman for Hummer? Given that the people who complain about the French of others are probably not in the Hummer market, I would imagine that he is perfect. It will reinforce the image of him and the product in peoples' minds. Positive for some, negative for others.

    (Also, I find the translation a bit odd, I would translate it as, "For me, life will begin." That is the literal translation which could be affected by the context.)

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