• HakFoo@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    1·
    3 years ago

    Cars fulfill a very self-indulgent narrative. ‘I get to decide where and when I travel’, makes people feel “free” snd “important” even when millions of them are silently coming to the same decisions-- like going downtown at 09:00 on weekdsys-- that allow huge efficiency plays.

    Notice how many ads feature fantasies of open roads and trips to faraway attractions, not the real world of “I need to sit in rush hour traffic from 6:30 on to get to the Work Factory”

    Maybe public transit needs to focus its message on the freedom from drudgery it offers-- you don’t have to be staring at the driver in front of you, scanning the traffic reports

    • Fried_out_Kombi@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      1·
      3 years ago

      Exactly! This is why I love micromobility and quality public transit so much. With micromobility like electric scooters or bikes, I can zip past traffic in the protected cycle lanes in my city. With the frequent metro service in my city, I know I can show up to the metro station at basically any time and know it’ll be a max 5-minute wait for the next train. And when I’m on the train, I can just chill and scroll on my phone or read a book instead of stressing about traffic. The freedom to think about something that isn’t traffic.

  • ansiz@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    3 years ago

    I would just settle for sidewalks, where I live in the USA it’s just streets with no sidewalks everywhere. I used to live one mile from where I worked and I could barely even bike there because of crazy car drivers and nowhere to go if someone wasn’t paying attention. Rural America is going to be car dependent for a long, long time.

  • throwsbooks@lemmy.caEnglish
    1·
    3 years ago

    Because as much as trains and buses are great for everyday commuter movement (and having amenities within walking distance is key as well), there’s two issues:

    • Changing the infrastructure and zoning of an existing city is much easier said than done. Ripping up concrete, tearing down existing business and homes to increase densification, that’s a huge undertaking.
    • Trains never replaced the horse drawn carriage. You can never fully eliminate the need for cars because sometimes you need to move something big like a couch. Even if there’s less cars on the road, it’ll never be 0, as this also includes things like ambulances, and fire trucks that can’t rely on schedules.
    • CannaVet@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      3 years ago

      Changing the infrastructure and zoning of an existing city is much easier said than done.

      Fun how we had zero fucking problem doing it to every city in the country for cars. 🤷

  • harveydop@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    7 days ago

    I agree that cars still have their place for trips where transit isn’t practical. I’ve used Economy Rent A Car phone number for that kind of flexibility, and their page is useful for checking rental details, reservations, cancellations, payments, returns, and insurance info in one place.

  • BodePlotHole@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    3 years ago

    I dunno what country you are from, but here in the US of A, the monopolies that own all the train infrastructure make sure to keep trains as public transportation as cost prohibitive as possible.