Just got pulled over.America's transportation system is severely lacking efficiency!

Preface: Since somehow I have conveyed the message, "I do not think of the safety of others while driving", then let me say.....

I am indeed concerned for the safety of others! We can have both efficiency and safety.

Also, Sorry. I was a little stressed out while writing this so bear with me on this thread....


I am currently debating on whether or not life is worth all the trouble we go through. The bad days are always the worst right? For instance, you find out you just failed an exam, then you miss the bus back to home or to your car, and its raining outside. It just compounds making one very depressed and questioning life itself. "What is our reason for this pleasure and pain during life?"

On topic....

Getting pulled over today by my Universities police is not the most enjoyable experience a citizen can have, especially after compounded "bad luck". I pay my taxes, even though I should not since some of it is used for war and deceit. I do not make much money either (being in college and all) and my parents don't exactly have a money tree in their backyard. Why do I have to pay for a damn ticket for running a stop sign that I did not even know existed. I consider myself the "best" driver on earth, and seldom do I brag about anything. Furthermore, I consider myself very compassionate, empathetic and thoughtful to others. And yet I am "punished" (my money stolen), by the city of Newark, DE and reprimanded for nothing. I am pretty sure there is a common saying that goes,

"An unjust law is no law at all", said St Augustine. (or something like that)

Traffic Laws at that point just steal our money (within reason obviously). Speed cameras, red light cameras, speeding tickets themselves, and stop signs are absurd. The reason I say absurd is because our transportation system is severely lacking in the U.S. For every intersection, why not an underpass and an overpass? This could potentially eliminate intersection accidents and "running through red lights". We could save gas by almost constantly going highway speeds. Acceleration uses more gas than constant velocity. There are other implications I am sure, but let me not name all of them here.

Oh wait but no! Minimize cost and maximize profit is our country's motto. This sacrifices efficiency, and oh boy do the elite not want that. "Oh no, not efficiency!" Instead of thinking 3 Dimensionally, we end up thinking 2 Dimensionally.

The elite control everything. We are in an oligarchy at this juncture, probably on the verge of a imminent revolution, if the bad omens about our new president elect come true. Think about it. We can only drive cars because THEY allow us to. And is it a privilege or a right? Lets get it straight. They can impede our ability to access of the latest greatest technology, if it does not make them profit. Is that efficiency?

Overall, what I stated above is just the tip of the iceberg as many of you know (I know most if not all of you here on ATS are very smart people, else you would not have made it to this site in the first place). This is exactly why I like the Venus Project. A reality where technology itself seems to eliminate laws and the monetary system. Hence, no corruption and maximum efficiency. I am not deemed a religious person anymore but there is a reason why the seven deadly sins are what they are. Money allows the seven deadly sins more easily to be realized in an individual. Comment. Critique. Say what you want. This is the end of my story/rant/point of conspiracy.

Good Day.








[edit on 7-11-2008 by Unlimitedpossibilities]

stop signs are absurd.

I agree. I think we should have children crossing a street where everyone is going 100mph. If they get run over by a car...screw 'em, they should've walked faster. It'll be just like Frogger.

Dude, just pay the fine. It'll be easier. Trust me.

Um, what exactly is this thread about? I don't really see the purpose behind it. Just a bunch of rambling that I assume, since you took to time to type it and post it, must have a reason for its being. I thought you were going to talk about traffic or something and walked into a "life sucks" thread. Did I miss something?

reply to post by Unlimitedpossibilities


You say you were pulled over by university cops, so I'll assume you were on a college campus.

That is private property then. They can enforce whatever laws they want there.

Both of the colleges in my town have speed limits of 20 miles and hour and very strict parking laws which are stenuously enforced. It's not because the college cops are draconian arses, it's because they have to enforce those laws to ensure safety and smooth function.

We have thousands of people walking in the streets there. A speeder or a erson running a stopsign is a lot more deadly in that situation, for instance.

As for why not overpasses, that is a good question... I don't know but I don't think it would save any fuel, because the engine would have to work harder to get up the hillds.

Roundabouts might be a better idea.

[edit on 7-11-2008 by asmeone2]

I have to pay for a damn ticket for running a stop sign that I did not even know existed. I consider myself the "best" driver on earth

stop signs are absurd.

Is this thread a joke?

It is your fault you ran a stop sign and got a ticket.

I certainly dont know where every single stop sign is located, however, when im driving, I am alert and see stops signs and stop.


Now if you said: "Stop sign was hidden and I have proof that said sign can NOT be seen by drivers", then you would have a leg to stand on.

And if you cant understand the purpose of stop signs and refuse to obey them....maybe you should not be driving. You are a danger to others on the road.

Originally posted by Pfeil
Um, what exactly is this thread about? I don't really see the purpose behind it. Just a bunch of rambling that I assume, since you took to time to type it and post it, must have a reason for its being. I thought you were going to talk about traffic or something and walked into a "life sucks" thread. Did I miss something?

I was trying to convey the message of efficiency, maybe get some people who are engineers on here to divulge some information about why we do not have the underpass-overpass system at every intersection. Cities would be a little difficult I must say.

Can you summarize your OP in one short sentence?

Originally posted by DarthChrisious

stop signs are absurd.

I agree. I think we should have children crossing a street where everyone is going 100mph. If they get run over by a car...screw 'em, they should've walked faster. It'll be just like Frogger.

Dude, just pay the fine. It'll be easier. Trust me.

Yes it is easier. That is the problem. Convenience. Why not just fix the system? Of course children are important. Lets think about crosswalk overpasses. Right? Think 3 dimensional.

reply to post by asmeone2


Yes. I figured as much about the private thing. Thanks.

Well. Hills are no problem since momentum will help. Going down a hil is the reward for the uphill.

Roundabouts? I do not quite understand.

reply to post by Frankidealist35


Hmmmm. That's hard.

I had a bad day and want to fix the system fo transportation. Good?

[edit on 7-11-2008 by Unlimitedpossibilities]

Originally posted by Unlimitedpossibilities

Originally posted by Pfeil
Um, what exactly is this thread about? I don't really see the purpose behind it. Just a bunch of rambling that I assume, since you took to time to type it and post it, must have a reason for its being. I thought you were going to talk about traffic or something and walked into a "life sucks" thread. Did I miss something?

I was trying to convey the message of efficiency, maybe get some people who are engineers on here to divulge some information about why we do not have the underpass-overpass system at every intersection. Cities would be a little difficult I must say.

Money, money, money. Why build overpasses and underpasses for millions of dollars when you can accomplish basically the same thing with a $100 stop sign (or however much a stop sign costs, which I know to be significantly cheaper than an over/under-passes). Plus, even if money wasn't an issue, it simply isn't feasible or practical.

[edit on 11/7/2008 by DarthChrisious]

reply to post by DarthChrisious


It is practical because it can saves lives and create more efficiency. Yes it would come out of taxes perhaps but if it meant a safer driving experience and a faster one, then why not? Plus, maybe if we were not spending money on wars, we could focus on domestic issues, giving our money to education, transportation, etc.

We had a pedestrian overpass near the high school I attended. It cost nearly 17 million dollars and paying for it canceled several other road expansion projects in the city including one that was to pave a sand road that many people used to go to a recycling center. It was definetly needed because the road it crossed was a four lane highway that middle-high schoolers had to run across every day. (with school crossing help.)

The bridge maintenance put a tight strain on the county and it took nearly 12 years to pave that sand road.


The reason that those bridges are not everyhere is that money is very tight as it is and you have to think about the maintenance for each one, which is not cheap at all. Our infrastructure system is in bad condition as it is and their is no way we can afford drastically updating it with pedestrian bridges and underpassed.


Like previously posted, a stop sign completely wins against a bridge or underpass except extreme situations.

reply to post by Unlimitedpossibilities


The reason why we do not have underpass/overpass at every intersection is because it now costs about 300,000 a ft to build. Thats not a joke its about the correct figure from many of the projects I worked on. Enviormental studies and traffic studdies as well as the permit process is 60% of the costs. If you want to pay that bill..be my guest. If not..stop at the damned stop signs and if you can't see it. take pictures and then make a stink. Or you can go and cut down any vegitation in the way.

PAY THE DAMNED TICKET AND GROWUP,lol J/K


Zindo

Originally posted by Unlimitedpossibilities


I pay my taxes, even though I should not since it is used for war and deceit.

Good for you, those taxes also pay for the road you were driving on and the school you go to. They pay for the fireman that save your house and the police that save your life (or the life of the person that will be in that crosswalk next time you go through there, now that you know that stop sign's there).
Those taxes are the reason you tuition is not 10 times what it is.

I do not make much money either (being in college and all) and my parents don't exactly have a money tree in their backyard. Why do I have to pay for a damn ticket for running a stop sign that I did not even know existed.

Why should you pay the damn ticket? Because you didn't stop at the damn sign, that's why. Whether or not you knew it was there is irrelevant. If you hit and killed a child on a bike, the "I didn't know a stop sign was there" argument wouldn't protect you from a manslaughter charge , so why do you think it is a good argument here?

I consider myself the "best" driver on earth, and seldom do I brag about anything.

Bull. The "best driver on earth" apparently can't even be bothered to pay attention to a common stop sign. I find it funny that you admit to incredible negligence while driving then say" I am the best driver on Earth". I find it waaaay funnier that you followed the phrase "I consider myself the best driver on Earth" with the phrase "I seldom brag".

Furthermore, I consider myself very compassionate, empathetic and thoughtful to others.(Remember that "seldom brag" thing?) And yet I am "punished" (my money stolen), by the city of Newark, DE and reprimanded for nothing. I am pretty sure there is a common saying that goes,

Why is the word "punished" in quotes? Thats what it is , a punishment. YOU BROKE THE LAW AND THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES FOR THAT. Your money isn't being stolen, you decided to donate it by ignoring basic common sense rules of the road.

"An unjust law is no law at all", said St Augustine. (or something like that)

So, when I run a stop sign and kill your child, all I have to say is "I didn't see the stop sign" and you'll agree that I was arrested unjustly, right?

Laws at that point just steal our money (within reason obviously). Speed cameras, red light cameras, speeding tickets themselves, and stop signs are absurd.

No, they aren't they ensure that everyone is following the rules THAT THEY AGREED TO FOLLOW WHEN THEY GOT THEIR LICENSE. Why would anyone want to make sure those rules (the ones you already agreed to follow) are followed? Because when those rules are not followed, people DIE. I don't know about you, but I would much, much rather get a $10,000 ticket from a camera than a guilty manslaughter verdict from a judge to remind me I may be going to fast or need to pay more attention to the road signs.

The reason I say absurd is because our transportation system is severely lacking in the U.S. For every intersection, why not an underpass and an overpass? This could potentially eliminate intersection accidents and "running through red lights". We could save gas by almost constantly going highway speeds. Acceleration uses more gas than constant velocity. There are other implications I am sure, but let me not name all of them here.

Weren't you just whining about how much taxes you already pay? Do you have any idea how astronomical the cost of doing that would be? No joke, you might as well be asking for a bridge to the moon.

Oh wait but no! Minimize cost and maximize profit is our country's motto. This sacrifices efficiency, and oh boy do the elite not want that. "Oh no, not efficiency!" Instead of thinking 3 Dimensionally, we end up thinking 2 Dimensionally.

Sorry, trying to ratify your "theories" by using an obscure star trek quote isn't gonna work. I like how at the end of your rant you tried to blame the fact that your a poor driver by blaming on the "elite". I actually laughed out loud. I'm not going to bother with the rest of your post as it's just an angry rant about how the ruling elite are blah blah blah.


[edit on 7-11-2008 by Tiloke]

reply to post by Tiloke

Good for you, those taxes also pay for the road you were driving on and the school you go to. They pay for the fireman that save your house and the police that save your life.
Those taxes are the reason you tuition is not 10 times what it is.

Sorry. What I meant to say was, I want to direct all my tax money to everything that is of a benevolent cause.

The policemen and firemen jobs I already know about.

Why should you pay the ticket? because you didn't stop at the sign, whether or not you knew it was there is irrelevent. If you hit and killed a child on a bike, the "I didnt know a stop sign was there" argument wouldn't protect you from a manslaughter charge , so why do you think it is a good argument here?

If the system was geared towards complete efficiency and safety, the child would have never died in the first place.

However, if I really did not know there was a stop sign at a particular intersection, and I accidentally killed someone's child, is justice shown by putting me up for manslaughter? More philosophical question I guess but that's another subject.

Bull. The "best driver on earth" apparently can't even be bothered to pay attention to a common stop sign. I find it funny that you admit to incredible negligence while driving then say" I am the bes driver on Earth". I find it waaaay funnier that you followed the phrase "I consider myself the best driver on Earth" with the phrase "I seldom brag".

You could say whenever you see me put a word(s) in quotes, I am denoting relativeness. I guess that was contradictory in the absolute sense but not relatively. Whats wrong with saying seldom?

Why is the word "punished" in quotes? Thats what it is , a punishment. YOU BROKE THE LAW AND THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES FOR THAT. Your money isn't being stolen, you decided to donate it by ignoring basic common sense rules of the road.

Ignoring can be intentional or unintentional. I broke the law unintentionally because the system is defective.

So, when I run a stop sign and kill your child, all I have to say is "I didn't see the stop sign" and you'll agree that I was arrested unjustly, right?

Well can you tell me what justice is? I doubt it. If some scenario occurred like the one above and it was a complete accident, I do not know what I would do. I know I want to end the circle of hate and if suing someone for all they got or putting them in jail just creates more hate then how is that productive? Whether or not I would actually adhere to that philosophy is up in the air.

No, they aren't they ensure that everyone is following the rules THAT THEY AGREED TO FOLLOW WHEN THEY GOT THEIR LICENSE.

Taking the route of Socrates, I know what justice is not, and punishing people via money is unjust, especially when money is equated to survival.

Weren't you just whining about how much taxes you already pay? Do you have any idea how astronomical the cost of doing that would be?

Look. Overall I think you missed the point of my thread and I do not blame you for that. I wrote it when high on emotions, which makes for a poor presentation. Of course I see the significance of taxes. I just want my money going towards benevolent causes. Efficiency in the transportation system is key to promptness, being relaxed, and saving money and lives in the long run. Now, if it meant raising taxes and spending our money to provide a better future for our children then we should welcome that. I am just trying to think of solutions but got attacks about safety.

I stated....

Furthermore, I consider myself very compassionate, empathetic and thoughtful to others.

If you cannot realize that that means I put safety higher than anything else, then I have lost the battle.

Again I blame myself for my lack of presentation.



If moderators read this they can just close my thread.

[edit on 7-11-2008 by Unlimitedpossibilities]

I mean no disrespect, but thank you very much for the laugh. Had a rough day and reading this certainly brightened my spirits.
Reminds me of the old joke where the guy driving down the street blows through a bunch of red lights and stops at the green one. When asked why, he says "my brother might be coming the other way".

Errr..yeah.


[edit on 7-11-2008 by md11forever]

reply to post by md11forever


I am new at thread writing so where did I go wrong?

Thanks though. I must admit, after reading it was a little funny since it was all over the place, scatterbrained if you will.

I was trying to convey the message of efficiency is what we should strive for and utmost safety shall ensue.

Originally posted by Unlimitedpossibilities




Sorry. What I meant to say was, I want to direct all my tax money to everything that is of a benevolent cause.

The policemen and firemen jobs I already know about.

We don't have the luxury of choosing what percentage of our taxes go where, sorry. If it worked like that then I choose to have all my tax money go to only my street repair.

If the system was geared towards complete efficiency and safety, the child would have never died in the first place.

There you go again, blaming the system for your own driving incompetence.

However, if I really did not know there was a stop sign at a particular intersection, and I accidentally killed someone's child, is justice shown by putting me up for manslaughter? More philosophical question I guess but that's another subject.

YES, It is the definition of justice. In the the above hypothetical situation, you broker the law resulting in the death of a child. The fact that you didn't see the sign is IRRELEVANT TO THE SITUATION ( I had to capitalize that because last time I said that you blamed "the system"). It's called negligent homicide.

Ignoring can be intentional or unintentional. I broke the law unintentionally because the system is defective.

Holy freaking hell man, If I hear you blame the system for you own negligence I'm gonna have a heart attack. Tens of millions of other people in this country can follow road signs just fine with the current system so that's NOT the problem here. The problem here is negligence.

So, I can shoot with my eyes closed wherever I want and not be held accountable for anybody I kill because I didn't see them? Of course I can't because that would be NEGLIGENT and I would be held ACCOUNTABLE.

Well can you tell me what justice is? I doubt it. If some scenario occurred like the one above and it was a complete accident, I do not know what I would do. I know I want to end the circle of hate and if suing someone for all they got or putting them in jail just creates more hate then how is that productive? Whether or not I would actually adhere to that philosophy is up in the air.

If I came out of my house and someone was standing over my little girls dead body, even if he was balling his eyes out and screaming" I didn't see the sign", I know exactly what I would do. It would be his own negligence that killed my daughter. If it wasn't for his stupidity, my daughter would still be alive. If he was saying things like "I shouldn't be responsible because I was changing stations on the radio\answering the phone\simply not paying attention to the road and didn't see the sign". I would probably kill him.

Taking the route of Socrates, I know what justice is not, and punishing people via money is unjust, especially when money is equated to survival.

Are you saying you'd rather have jail time? If you go to court and explain your situation, I'm sure the judge would be more than happy to accommodate you.

If you cannot realize that that means I put safety higher than anything else,

You admit you ran a sign because you weren't paying attention to the road then say you shouldn't be held accountable because it's really "the systems" fault. Safety my butt.

then I have lost the battle.

At least you concede...

Again I blame myself for my lack of presentation.

At least you didn't blame the system.

If moderators read this they can just close my thread.

Agreed, I think enough has been said.


[edit on 7-11-2008 by Tiloke]

reply to post by Unlimitedpossibilities

However, if I really did not know there was a stop sign at a particular intersection, and I accidentally killed someone's child, is justice shown by putting me up for manslaughter? More philosophical question I guess but that's another subject.

Seriously. Either you are trying to fool everyone or you REALLY should not be allowed to drive!!!

OPEN your eyes when you drive. Be aware of your surroundings.
If you are a careless driver and kill an innocent person, YES, you should be charged accordingly.

You are a careless driver and are blaiming everyone else but yourself. Please, do not get behind the wheel of a car.





[edit on 11/7/2008 by greeneyedleo]

Please everyone, just come here so we can discuss solutions rather than bicker over justice and philosophy. I apologize for even writing this thread because the internet sucks for conveying a particular message or point, especially since my oratory skills are lacking. Here is a new one....


www.abovetopsecret.com...

[edit on 7-11-2008 by Unlimitedpossibilities]