# Defense Against Bombings



## PhotonGuy (Sep 16, 2017)

There has just been another bombing as I saw on the news in London in the subway somebody set off a bucket bomb and there were multiple injuries but fortunately nobody was killed. Bombers can be hard to detect as they will hide the bomb in a bag or under their clothes. The best thing I can think of to do is to be alert, especially in areas where there's lots of people. I was in Manhattan last month and I applied that same principle.


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## jobo (Sep 16, 2017)

PhotonGuy said:


> There has just been another bombing as I saw on the news in London in the subway somebody set off a bucket bomb and there were multiple injuries but fortunately nobody was killed. Bombers can be hard to detect as they will hide the bomb in a bag or under their clothes. The best thing I can think of to do is to be alert, especially in areas where there's lots of people. I was in Manhattan last month and I applied that same principle.


alert doesn't help when your on a,crowded subway train and someone,sets a bomb off


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## jobo (Sep 16, 2017)

the best thing you can learn is not to get caught in the crush of people running away, and that a lot easier said than done


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## marques (Sep 16, 2017)

Martial arts may help being more relaxed in a dangerous, risky, or chaotic scenario. I don't think we can do much more. The safety 'rules' (distance to unknown people, bla bla...) are useless in the tube. And not many suitable alternatives to tube/metro in big cities. One does the little possible and that's all.


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## oftheherd1 (Sep 18, 2017)

PhotonGuy said:


> There has just been another bombing as I saw on the news in London in the subway somebody set off a bucket bomb and there were multiple injuries but fortunately nobody was killed. Bombers can be hard to detect as they will hide the bomb* in a bag* or *under their clothes.* The best thing I can think of to do *is to be alert*, especially in areas where there's lots of people. I was in Manhattan last month and I applied that same principle.



In fact that is about the best defense.  Look for bags that seem out of place in any way.  See if clothing is too large for the rest of the body, or inappropriate for the time of year.  See if any wires are showing.  See if the person appears to be clasping anything in a pocket or under a fold in clothing.  See if a bag or container seems out of place, such as a cleaning bucket without a person, or anything that appears to have been left behind/abandoned.  Does a person who appears to be associated with a suspicious object appear nervous or fearful?  Does a person seem to be associated with a possible dangerous object, and does the person appear Arabic?  I know that is profiling and by itself, is probably the least effective method of determining a person is a bomber.  But along with other factors it may increase probabilities.  And how many Eskimos have been bombers?

Other than under the most unusual circumstances, do not try to interact with a suspected bomber or bomb.  Contact the authorities and tell them of your suspicions and why you suspect something is amiss.  Let them handle it.  Move out of the area yourself if you think there is sufficient likelihood, or ask the authorities if you should warn others to evacuate the area.

Good luck.  No easy solutions..


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## Runs With Fire (Sep 19, 2017)

oftheherd1 said:


> Other than under the most unusual circumstances, do not try to interact with a suspected bomber or bomb.  Contact the authorities and tell them of your suspicions and why you suspect something is amiss.
> 
> Good luck.  No easy solutions..


In security training,  they teach you when you sense something off or see red flags with a  person, talk to them.  If they  appear suspicious or out of the ordinary, introduce yourself , be friendly, )and ask basic tourist type  questions :ie where you from?, what brings you here?, got family?  It's usually an instant confirmation of what's up, whether it's something or just an akward guy who doesn't know where to be.


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## Runs With Fire (Sep 19, 2017)

I attended a mega church with a fairly strong security presence.   Have for eighteen years.  But seems as though whenever they bring in a group of new guys, I am highly monitored.  I must look the example in the training videos.   One Sunday , I was feeling a bit of indigestion and obviously slightly uncomfortable. I scanning the auditorium and seats near me as I habitually do simply to be aware.  I also was constantly checking my watch and the clock on the wall as I had a staff meeting halfway through the service.  As soon as the music got loud, a man came and stood next to me. Then one behind me, and in front.  There were six guys around me standing, "watching the service".  Finally an older usher came up and introduced himself asked me questions and welcomed me.  All the while six guys with ear buds were ready to tackle me at the slightest misreading.   Actually had the "swarm of ushers" ,as we call it, three times.


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## oftheherd1 (Sep 19, 2017)

Runs With Fire said:


> In security training,  they teach you when you sense something off or see red flags with a  person, talk to them.  If they  appear suspicious or out of the ordinary, introduce yourself , be friendly, )and ask basic tourist type  questions :ie where you from?, what brings you here?, got family?  It's usually an instant confirmation of what's up, whether it's something or just an akward guy who doesn't know where to be.



That is the decision of a security person.  The average citizen should probably not undertake that unless directed to by the security (police) person they contact.


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## Runs With Fire (Sep 19, 2017)

oftheherd1 said:


> That is the decision of a security person.  The average citizen should probably not undertake that unless directed to by the security (police) person they contact.


Unless say, your stuck on a railcar with the  guy.


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## Runs With Fire (Sep 19, 2017)

oftheherd1 said:


> That is the decision of a security person.  The average citizen should probably not undertake that unless directed to by the security (police) person they contact.


And why not, it's not like you are doing anything out of the ordinary by talking to someone.   Five seconds of conversation would likely tell you if it was worth reporting, plus, you have stronger reason and more info if you do report it.


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## oftheherd1 (Sep 19, 2017)

Runs With Fire said:


> Unless say, your stuck on a railcar with the  guy.



And you spook him because you don't what kind of questions to ask and more importantly, not to ask.



Runs With Fire said:


> And why not, it's not like you are doing anything out of the ordinary by talking to someone.   Five seconds of conversation would likely tell you if it was worth reporting, plus, you have stronger reason and more info if you do report it.



Five seconds?  Wow, your are good!

And we can play the what if game all day.  But maybe you have heard the old saying, "If a bullfrog had wings, he wouldn't bump butt on the ground." 

Terrorist acts, especially suicide bombings, aren't carried out by the elite and most educated steady thinking terrorists.  They get more gullible and uneducated people to do those things and die.  Point being, they are more likely to be nervous and/or scared, so easily spooked into taking action before it was planned to be taken.


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## Runs With Fire (Sep 19, 2017)

oftheherd1 said:


> And you spook him because you don't what kind of questions to ask and more importantly, not to ask.
> 
> Point is, you can't tell what's up from  distance.  Could be a bomber, could be a pickpocket,  could be a guy who has memory problems,  or a guy who just sharted. Most of the times it's nothing.
> 
> ...


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Sep 19, 2017)

PhotonGuy said:


> There has just been another bombing as I saw on the news in London in the subway somebody set off a bucket bomb and there were multiple injuries but fortunately nobody was killed. Bombers can be hard to detect as they will hide the bomb in a bag or under their clothes. The best thing I can think of to do is to be alert, especially in areas where there's lots of people. I was in Manhattan last month and I applied that same principle.





oftheherd1 said:


> In fact that is about the best defense.  Look for bags that seem out of place in any way.  See if clothing is too large for the rest of the body, or inappropriate for the time of year.  See if any wires are showing.  See if the person appears to be clasping anything in a pocket or under a fold in clothing.  See if a bag or container seems out of place, such as a cleaning bucket without a person, or anything that appears to have been left behind/abandoned.  Does a person who appears to be associated with a suspicious object appear nervous or fearful?  Does a person seem to be associated with a possible dangerous object, and does the person appear Arabic?  I know that is profiling and by itself, is probably the least effective method of determining a person is a bomber.  But along with other factors it may increase probabilities.  And how many Eskimos have been bombers?
> 
> Other than under the most unusual circumstances, do not try to interact with a suspected bomber or bomb.  Contact the authorities and tell them of your suspicions and why you suspect something is amiss.  Let them handle it.  Move out of the area yourself if you think there is sufficient likelihood, or ask the authorities if you should warn others to evacuate the area.
> 
> Good luck.  No easy solutions..



Depending on where you live, this isn't always possible. When I'm on a subway and I'm within a centimeter of or getting pushed by 5 different people at once, I don't have the opportunity to examine each person, or to move away if I notice the person pushing against me has a large coat. In general my response is to go to a less crowded area, if possible (take subway during off times, walk when I can), and just avoid everyone, since anyone could do something suspicious. Or just accept that I haven't seen anyone mugged or stabbed on a subway yet, so the odds are probably in my favor.


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## oftheherd1 (Sep 19, 2017)

kempodisciple said:


> Depending on where you live, this isn't always possible. When I'm on a subway and I'm within a centimeter of or getting pushed by 5 different people at once, I don't have the opportunity to examine each person, or to move away if I notice the person pushing against me has a large coat. In general my response is to go to a less crowded area, if possible (take subway during off times, walk when I can), and just avoid everyone, since anyone could do something suspicious. Or just accept that I haven't seen anyone mugged or stabbed on a subway yet, so the odds are probably in my favor.



Sounds like no reason be suspicious then.


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## oftheherd1 (Sep 19, 2017)

Runs With Fire said:


> Point is, you can't tell what's up from distance. Could be a bomber, could be a pickpocket, could be a guy who has memory problems, or a guy who just sharted. Most of the times it's nothing.




Well, if you find yourself in such a situation, it will be your choice what to do.  Depending on the outcome, you can come back here and crow, or otherwise.


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## Tez3 (Sep 20, 2017)

Thwarting Terrorist Bombings Through Awareness | Iain Abernethy


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## jobo (Sep 20, 2017)

Runs With Fire said:


> And why not, it's not like you are doing anything out of the ordinary by talking to someone.   it.



i take it you have never been on the London tube,making eye contact will get you in a fight


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## Tez3 (Sep 21, 2017)

jobo said:


> i take it you have never been on the London tube,making eye contact will get you in a fight



I've used the Underground for decades, there's never been a problem with 'eye contact'. Perhaps it's the way you look at people?


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## Runs With Fire (Sep 21, 2017)

I have never been on public transportation.


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## Tez3 (Sep 21, 2017)

Runs With Fire said:


> I have never been on public transportation.



Too posh to use buses and trains eh?


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## Gerry Seymour (Sep 21, 2017)

Tez3 said:


> Too posh to use buses and trains eh?


Probably lives where those aren't viable means of transport. Same would apply everywhere I've ever lived.


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## Tez3 (Sep 21, 2017)

gpseymour said:


> Probably lives where those aren't viable means of transport. Same would apply everywhere I've ever lived.



The point of public transport though is to have it in just such places! We even have postbuses which as the post gets delivered everywhere means you can always catch the post bus.


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## Gerry Seymour (Sep 21, 2017)

Tez3 said:


> The point of public transport though is to have it in just such places! We even have postbuses which as the post gets delivered everywhere means you can always catch the post bus.


We don't have anything similar. It would be unreasonable in some areas of the US - some are too sparsely populated. Where I am now, the idea of a post bus might work - we'd just have to overcome our habit of depending upon our instant access to cars. It's one of those problems with such a geographically large country, with low-density areas. In most of the US, public transit is pretty good around the largest metropolitan areas, but gets flaky even around some of the big-ish cities (like Charlotte, NC). Those areas get buses, but only for the immediate surrounding areas. Drive more than 10 miles away, and in a lot of areas the public transit stops (unless there's a very big population, like around New York, NY and Newark, NJ or around Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD).


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## JR 137 (Sep 21, 2017)

oftheherd1 said:


> ...and does the person appear Arabic?


Arabic is a LANGUAGE spoken by Arabs and other peoples.  

This makes me laugh just as much as when people call themselves or others "Spanish" when they are in fact Hispanic and not from Spain.  i.e. people from Mexico are Mexican, not Spanish.  Somehow, people don't call Americans (or how about Jamaicans?) English.  But we speak English.  Odd, isn't it?

I'll climb off my soapbox now


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## JR 137 (Sep 21, 2017)

Defense against bombings?  Very, very easy... stay completely out of the blast zone.  Do that, and you have nothing to worry about.  

Talk about overthinking it


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## jobo (Sep 21, 2017)

Tez3 said:


> I've used the Underground for decades, there's never been a problem with 'eye contact'. Perhaps it's the way you look at people?


possibly, but your a lady, so maybe its different, people on the tube get very uncumfortable if i make eye contact let alone speak to them,its just not the done thing down there like it is in Manchester if I'm bored i do it for fun, then you get loads of room on a packed tube


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## jobo (Sep 21, 2017)

JR 137 said:


> Arabic is a LANGUAGE spoken by Arabs and other peoples.
> 
> This makes me laugh just as much as when people call themselves or others "Spanish" when they are in fact Hispanic and not from Spain.  i.e. people from Mexico are Mexican, not Spanish.  Somehow, people don't call Americans (or how about Jamaicans?) English.  But we speak English.  Odd, isn't it?
> 
> I'll climb off my soapbox now


your on dodgy ground there, lots of jamaicans consider themself British and have a passport to prove it, England doesnt exist by any measure of what a country should have to be recognised as a county, in fact the individual states of America are closer to being countries than England is


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## oftheherd1 (Sep 21, 2017)

JR 137 said:


> Arabic is a LANGUAGE spoken by Arabs and other peoples.
> 
> This makes me laugh just as much as when people call themselves or others "Spanish" when they are in fact Hispanic and not from Spain.  i.e. people from Mexico are Mexican, not Spanish.  Somehow, people don't call Americans (or how about Jamaicans?) English.  But we speak English.  Odd, isn't it?
> 
> I'll climb off my soapbox now



Simple.  We speak American.  

But I'll give you my use of that word was not correct.



JR 137 said:


> Defense against bombings?  Very, very easy... stay completely out of the blast zone.  Do that, and you have nothing to worry about.
> 
> Talk about overthinking it



Tongue in cheek?  But maybe it's true, I am still alive and unaffected.


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## JR 137 (Sep 21, 2017)

jobo said:


> your on dodgy ground there, lots of jamaicans consider themself British and have a passport to prove it, England doesnt exist by any measure of what a country should have to be recognised as a county, in fact the individual states of America are closer to being countries than England is


Dodgy ground?

Jamaica has been an independent country since 1962.  Sure, there are many people living in Jamaica carrying English passports; there's plenty of people living in the US carrying English passports too.  So what?


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## JR 137 (Sep 21, 2017)

oftheherd1 said:


> Tongue in cheek?  But maybe it's true, I am still alive and unaffected.



Me "tongue in cheek?"  Never!!!


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## jobo (Sep 22, 2017)

JR 137 said:


> Dodgy ground?
> 
> Jamaica has been an independent country since 1962.  Sure, there are many people living in Jamaica carrying English passports; there's plenty of people living in the US carrying English passports too.  So what?


no one is carrying an English pass port, there is no such thing
so what, well the colour of your passport determine your nationality


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## jobo (Sep 22, 2017)

JR 137 said:


> Dodgy ground?
> 
> Jamaica has been an independent country since 1962.  Sure, there are many people living in Jamaica carrying English passports; there's plenty of people living in the US carrying English passports too.  So what?


no one is carrying an English pass port, there is no such thing. Saying someone has an english
so what, well the colour of your passport determine your nationality


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## Runs With Fire (Sep 22, 2017)

Tez3 said:


> Too posh to use buses and trains eh?


The only passenger train I know of is the amtrak. Which no one likes because they can't operate without government grants. They only have a couple depots in the state in downtown areas.   there are a few freight trains, but they're  mostly up across the bridge in the UP.  As for busses, never seen one outside of the city or metropolitan areas.  There are school busses, but I didn't go to school.  My town has around 2500 people and that's average for the area.  I think the other issue with public transit is no one around here would pay another penny in taxes. No private buss company would consider service here.


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## Runs With Fire (Sep 22, 2017)

Tez3 said:


> Too posh to use buses and trains eh?


The only passenger train I know of is the amtrak. Which no one likes because they can't operate without government grants. They only have a couple depots in the state in downtown areas.   there are a few freight trains, but they're  mostly up across the bridge in the UP.  As for busses, never seen one outside of the city or metropolitan areas.  There are school busses, but I didn't go to school.  My town has around 2500 people and that's average for the area.  I think the other issue with public transit is no one around here would pay another penny in taxes. No private buss company would consider service here.


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## Tez3 (Sep 25, 2017)




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## Tez3 (Sep 25, 2017)

Runs With Fire said:


> The only passenger train I know of is the amtrak. Which no one likes because they can't operate without government grants



Most of Europe's train services run with government help or are government run which is why they are affordable, reliable and on time. Ours used to be but were privatised and it's been a disaster ever since.


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## jobo (Sep 25, 2017)

Tez3 said:


> Most of Europe's train services run with government help or are government run which is why they are affordable, reliable and on time. Ours used to be but were privatised and it's been a disaster ever since.


I'm not debating that, but why have you answered my post about passports with one about train reliability ?

that said i have no memory of,a,time when BR could have been described as reliable and on time, cheap possibly


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## Tez3 (Sep 25, 2017)

jobo said:


> I'm not debating that, but why have you answered my post about passports with one about train reliability ?
> 
> that said i have no memory of,a,time when BR could have been described as reliable and on time, cheap possibly


Posting system screwed up! I'm much older than you and I remember British Rail working very well in comparison to todays 'service'.


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## jobo (Sep 25, 2017)

Tez3 said:


> Posting system screwed up! I'm much older than you and I remember British Rail working very well in comparison to todays 'service'.


yes possibly in the 1940s when it was on a war footing shipping troops and arms ,about,. But once they got rid of the,steam trains, which i just about remember, it was terrible


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## PhotonGuy (Sep 25, 2017)

JR 137 said:


> Defense against bombings?  Very, very easy... stay completely out of the blast zone.  Do that, and you have nothing to worry about.
> 
> Talk about overthinking it



That's a great idea, provided you know where the blast zone is.


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## Tez3 (Sep 25, 2017)

jobo said:


> yes possibly in the 1940s when it was on a war footing shipping troops and arms ,about,. But once they got rid of the,steam trains, which i just about remember, it was terrible



It wasn't that bad in the 50s, 60s and 70s, it's an urban myth now that BR was so bad, compared to the fares charges now, the lack of trains, trains cancelled, the over crowding, BR was never that bad. Plus until the then government had Beeching cut the railways up you could get a train to most towns and even villages.


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## Martial D (Sep 25, 2017)

PhotonGuy said:


> There has just been another bombing as I saw on the news in London in the subway somebody set off a bucket bomb and there were multiple injuries but fortunately nobody was killed. Bombers can be hard to detect as they will hide the bomb in a bag or under their clothes. The best thing I can think of to do is to be alert, especially in areas where there's lots of people. I was in Manhattan last month and I applied that same principle.



Defense against bombing? Pak Sau, or maybe Tan Sau


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## jobo (Sep 25, 2017)

Tez3 said:


> It wasn't that bad in the 50s, 60s and 70s, it's an urban myth now that BR was so bad, compared to the fares charges now, the lack of trains, trains cancelled, the over crowding, BR was never that bad. Plus until the then government had Beeching cut the railways up you could get a train to most towns and even villages.


br was quite literally a joke in the,1970s, they were either on strike or the train had broken or quite possibly both


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## Runs With Fire (Sep 25, 2017)

This whole train thing is funny.  Around here trains are dinosaurs.  They pretty much ceased with paved roads and modern  highways.  The old train depot towns, alot of them are too small to list on a map  now.


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## Tez3 (Sep 25, 2017)

jobo said:


> br was quite literally a joke in the,1970s, they were either on strike or the train had broken or quite possibly both



and you think what we have now is better? Now that's funny!


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## jobo (Sep 25, 2017)

Tez3 said:


> and you think what we have now is better? Now that's funny!


i didn't say now was better, i suppose it depends on what you want, if its 2am on a freezing cold,station then better is if the train turns up, if you are on your way to London for an interview, then not breaking down is better, 

but pn the other hand they are a bit pricey, if it's peak time to London, you can fly to new York for much the same price


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## Runs With Fire (Sep 26, 2017)

I almost forgot,  duck and cover.


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## oftheherd1 (Sep 26, 2017)

Runs With Fire said:


> The only passenger train I know of is the amtrak. Which no one likes because they can't operate without government grants. They only have a couple depots in the state in downtown areas.   there are a few freight trains, but they're  mostly up across the bridge in the UP.  As for busses, never seen one outside of the city or metropolitan areas.  There are school busses, but I didn't go to school.  My town has around 2500 people and that's average for the area.  I think the other issue with public transit is no one around here would pay another penny in taxes. No private buss company would consider service here.



That must be regional.  In the northern Virginia area there are quite a few bus routes, as part of the Metro system which also runs the subway trains.  In many areas there are Connecter bus routes that connect other routes, or go where they don't.  Also several companies run commuter buses to and from the suburbs to different areas, such as Washington, DC, or other job heave areas.  Washington, DC, even had a short trolley system, with the possibility of expanding it.  As I understand it, Woodbridge, VA, has a bus system that will take you wherever in its covered area you want to go.  It will also pick you up.  They have bus stops, but then take you other places.  There is a Virginia Railway Express, from Richmond, VA to Washington, DC, with a spur to/from Manassas.  It's mostly a commuter system, but as I understand, it does make runs throughout the day.  AMTRAK is like all railway lines.  Not meant to service the public reliably or inexpensively.  I once wanted to take a trip to near Louisville, KY.  By train it would have taken about 2 1/2 days, being routed through Chicago and down to Arkansas then back to Louisville.  The bus was not as comfortable, but OK.  It also took less than 24 hours.

EDIT:  We also have an unusual system called slugging.  People queue up at different places and wait for cars to stop by and pick them up.  Many are set up by counties, and provide lots of free parking for slugs.  So, from where I live, I can pick up two slugs and therefore have three people in my car.  That allows me to travel in an HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane, which is a special lane reserved for vehicles of three or more people.  In my case, I take them to the Pentagon and drop them off.  Some may work there, the rest take the subway or a bus to downtown DC to wherever, or close to, their work location.  The unwashed masses must travel in the 'mainline' lanes which are mostly pretty crowded and therefore slower, and more difficult to navigate/maneuver in.  There are locations in DC where people queue up, and I pick them up there and take them to one of the county slug lots.

A recent innovation is a company in Australia that tracks vehicles by a module that mounts on the inside of the windshield.  It is switched to say I have three people, or that I do not.  If I have three, I travel for free.  If I don't, I must pay into an account that accepts the fees for the company.  Also, the fees are variable, depending on the amount of traffic in the mainline lanes.  The company is supposed to maintain the billing towers, signage, and highway.  I am sure they will do a fine job for the next 50 years.  They have already been caught with some questionable billing practices, that I think they have been forced to discontinue.  If you were caught traveling without the module, you would be fined.  If you didn't pay it immediately, and especially if you ignored it, they would wait for a while and the suddenly send a bill for thousands of dollars in interest.  I don't understand everything I know about all that.  My taxes don't seem to have gone down either.


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## Runs With Fire (Sep 26, 2017)

oftheherd1 said:


> That must be regional.  In the northern Virginia area there are quite a few bus routes, as part of the Metro system which also runs the subway trains.  In many areas there are Connecter bus routes that connect other routes, or go where they don't.  Also several companies run commuter buses to and from the suburbs to different areas, such as Washington, DC, or other job heave areas.  Washington, DC, even had a short trolley system, with the possibility of expanding it.  As I understand it, Woodbridge, VA, has a bus system that will take you wherever in its covered area you want to go.  It will also pick you up.  They have bus stops, but then take you other places.  There is a Virginia Railway Express, from Richmond, VA to Washington, DC, with a spur to/from Manassas.  It's mostly a commuter system, but as I understand, it does make runs throughout the day.  AMTRAK is like all railway lines.  Not meant to service the public reliably or inexpensively.  I once wanted to take a trip to near Louisville, KY.  By train it would have taken about 2 1/2 days, being routed through Chicago and down to Arkansas then back to Louisville.  The bus was not as comfortable, but OK.  It also took less than 24 hours.
> 
> EDIT:  We also have an unusual system called slugging.  People queue up at different places and wait for cars to stop by and pick them up.  Many are set up by counties, and provide lots of free parking for slugs.  So, from where I live, I can pick up two slugs and therefore have three people in my car.  That allows me to travel in an HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane, which is a special lane reserved for vehicles of three or more people.  In my case, I take them to the Pentagon and drop them off.  Some may work there, the rest take the subway or a bus to downtown DC to wherever, or close to, their work location.  The unwashed masses must travel in the 'mainline' lanes which are mostly pretty crowded and therefore slower, and more difficult to navigate/maneuver in.  There are locations in DC where people queue up, and I pick them up there and take them to one of the county slug lots.
> 
> A recent innovation is a company in Australia that tracks vehicles by a module that mounts on the inside of the windshield.  It is switched to say I have three people, or that I do not.  If I have three, I travel for free.  If I don't, I must pay into an account that accepts the fees for the company.  Also, the fees are variable, depending on the amount of traffic in the mainline lanes.  The company is supposed to maintain the billing towers, signage, and highway.  I am sure they will do a fine job for the next 50 years.  They have already been caught with some questionable billing practices, that I think they have been forced to discontinue.  If you were caught traveling without the module, you would be fined.  If you didn't pay it immediately, and especially if you ignored it, they would wait for a while and the suddenly send a bill for thousands of dollars in interest.  I don't understand everything I know about all that.  My taxes don't seem to have gone down either.


Never saw a carpool or hov lane.  It sounds a little silly.  There's busses around most bigger cities, but I stay out of those areas. I much prefer the open road.


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## oftheherd1 (Sep 26, 2017)

Runs With Fire said:


> Never saw a carpool or hov lane.  It sounds a little silly.  There's busses around most bigger cities, but I stay out of those areas. I much prefer the open road.



If you have that option, lucky for you.  In this area, you would be competing with several thousands other people trying to get to their work on time, certain they need to do so more than you.  And several hundred busses also use the highway, full of people trying to get to work.  I guess you would have to live here and compete for space and time to get to work, to understand.  It actually works surprisingly well.  Unless you have a major wreck on a highway.


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## Runs With Fire (Sep 26, 2017)

oftheherd1 said:


> If you have that option, lucky for you.  In this area, you would be competing with several thousands other people trying to get to their work on time, certain they need to do so more than you.  And several hundred busses also use the highway, full of people trying to get to work.  I guess you would have to live here and compete for space and time to get to work, to understand.  It actually works surprisingly well.  Unless you have a major wreck on a highway.


I honestly don't think I could handle that crowd every day.  I have ten neighbors within a mile of my house and I feel crowded.


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## JR 137 (Sep 26, 2017)

I'm waiting for the day when I can get into my car, tell it where to go, optionally tell it which way I'd like to go, and it takes me there while I take a nap or do something else.

That would be great for family vacations where we leave late at night. I'd tell it where to go, and it would wake us up when we get there.

I thought we were supposed to have that by the year 2000, along with flying cars, jet packs, and holographic TVs.  I guess they were off by several decades.


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## PhotonGuy (Sep 26, 2017)

JR 137 said:


> I thought we were supposed to have that by the year 2000, along with flying cars, jet packs, and holographic TVs.  I guess they were off by several decades.


We have all of those thing right now, although flying cars and holographic TVs are still in the prototype stages and generally not yet available to the standard consumer. As for jet packs, I believe they were first invented in the 60s or maybe a little later.


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## oftheherd1 (Sep 26, 2017)

Runs With Fire said:


> I honestly don't think I could handle that crowd every day.  I have ten neighbors within a mile of my house and I feel crowded.



It was severe culture shock for me when I first got here.


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