Victor Davis Hanson - Works and Days » The Fragility of Complex Societies

Works and Days » The Fragility of Complex Societies

I love this sentence:

"So it is not mindless to resist high speed rail (here in California it would be far wiser and cheaper first to ensure a three-lane, safe north-south freeway 99 or I-5)"

For those who don't know I5 and I99 are two North South freeways, mostly two lanes wide, which go through very rural parts of California and have two speed limits for Automobiles (65 - 75) and Semi trucks (55). All who have driven I5 going 75 MPH when a Semi Truck going 60 MPH decides to pass another Semi Truck going 55 MPH say, "This freeway needs three lanes!

Here is a more interesting idea: Create an Autobahn running in the middle of the North South lanes of I5. It would be a private toll road created with private investment on state leased land - 99-year lease. It would require owning an approved automobile, a yearly safety inspection, a special license requiring a high speed driving course and a yearly subscription to drive the toll road. How fast you ask, oh I don't know 130 MPH to 175 MPH?