Chengdu is not just a big city, it's the 4th largest city in China (according to Wikipedia) and has a population of 20 million. Which is like 7 times Toronto and 2.5 times the GTA. It's the provincial capital of Sichuan (Szechuan).
I was there in 2006 can confirm there was no subway/rapid transit :)
To a certain extent, comparing an MTR station to any station in North America seems a bit apples to oranges. Look at the TST station. It’s gigantic. TTC or El stations, not so much.
"Bigger = Better" is even more ingrained in the US than in Canada.
This mentality is a huge mistake. A 2024 San Diego ballot measure, "Measure G," called for a half-cent sales tax, but failed by only one percent. There's multiple reasons why it failed. But a big reason was because it allocated 50% of revenues to transit capital and only 12% towards transit operations.
Measure G's selling line was, "build tons of new heavy rail!" Never mind that transit operation funds are evaporating and San Diego struggles just to maintain, much less increase, crappy frequencies on existing lines. To win, Measure G should've focused on maximizing existing frequencies. But Measure G was sponsored by construction unions who failed to understand that voters want to double existing frequencies now rather than building decades-long rail project that might open after they no longer live in San Diego.
Thus, it's likely no coincidence that San Diego's densest, most transit-supportive neighborhoods also had the lowest voter turnout.
One point re: number of Metro stations in Hong Kong
The geographic footprint of the city, combined with its extremely concentrated population, make comparing the total number of stations a bit misleading.
The population catchment for any particular station is likely much higher than most you’d find elsewhere.
But, where the MTR doesn’t go, the buses most certainly do … including to some of the smaller, more remote villages like Tai O on Lantau Island
Chengdu is not just a big city, it's the 4th largest city in China (according to Wikipedia) and has a population of 20 million. Which is like 7 times Toronto and 2.5 times the GTA. It's the provincial capital of Sichuan (Szechuan).
I was there in 2006 can confirm there was no subway/rapid transit :)
Good to know they fixed that.
To a certain extent, comparing an MTR station to any station in North America seems a bit apples to oranges. Look at the TST station. It’s gigantic. TTC or El stations, not so much.
"Bigger = Better" is even more ingrained in the US than in Canada.
This mentality is a huge mistake. A 2024 San Diego ballot measure, "Measure G," called for a half-cent sales tax, but failed by only one percent. There's multiple reasons why it failed. But a big reason was because it allocated 50% of revenues to transit capital and only 12% towards transit operations.
Measure G's selling line was, "build tons of new heavy rail!" Never mind that transit operation funds are evaporating and San Diego struggles just to maintain, much less increase, crappy frequencies on existing lines. To win, Measure G should've focused on maximizing existing frequencies. But Measure G was sponsored by construction unions who failed to understand that voters want to double existing frequencies now rather than building decades-long rail project that might open after they no longer live in San Diego.
Thus, it's likely no coincidence that San Diego's densest, most transit-supportive neighborhoods also had the lowest voter turnout.
One point re: number of Metro stations in Hong Kong
The geographic footprint of the city, combined with its extremely concentrated population, make comparing the total number of stations a bit misleading.
The population catchment for any particular station is likely much higher than most you’d find elsewhere.
But, where the MTR doesn’t go, the buses most certainly do … including to some of the smaller, more remote villages like Tai O on Lantau Island