American society wasn't always so car-centric. Our future doesn't have to be
American society wasn't always so car-centric. Our future doesn't have to be
The surprising history of cars in the U.S. offers hope for a shift toward more climate-friendly transportation options.
cross-posted from: https://derp.foo/post/635208
There is a discussion on Hacker News, but feel free to comment here as well.
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To quote one of the commenters in the HN discussion:
You will have to solve the epidemic of homelessness and crime in high-density areas of the United States before people will accept using mass transit. I fully support doing so - I would for example support a national project to build cheap concrete housing for all who need it - but that's the barrier.
I've straight up had people tell me that even if Public Transportation were convenient and consistent, they still wouldn't take it because Public Transportation is famous for being pretty dirty and having large potential for crime.
I'd like to have some sort of quick, easy solution, but I think changing that perception is going to take time, and the time the US is taking to revitalize Public Transportation isn't making that happen any faster.
So New York doesn’t have homeless people, drugs, and crime? Or is NYC not a high-density area? Or why are there 8 million trips daily?
but that's the barrier
No, it is not the barrier. It is one possible barrier, and if you want to remove all possible barriers before you start, guess what, you’ll never start.
“We need to have higher density! But we can’t have that because of parking minimums! But we can’t get rid of parking minimums because we have no public transport! But we can’t have public transport without higher density!” 🥳
they still wouldn't take it because
Those people will always find a reason. Now it’s to dirty and unsafe. Now it’s too expensive. Now I relocated and the train doesn’t stop here.
Have you ever tried to drive around NYC? You can't. Too much traffic. Why do you think taxi cabs are so popular there if everyone wants to take the subway or a bus.
Passenger safety is a real barrier.
In my experience, people use taxis in NYC mostly because they are overwhelmed by transit. They find it easier to get a personal ride directly to their destination. I can read a sign and a map, and usually find it faster and more freeing to walk or take a train (then again, I have limited familiarity outside Manhattan and was disappointed by options in Staten Island and Long Island)
Taxis are popular because there’s too much traffic. Yeah, okay…
I'll just repeat myself, Why do you think NY taxi cabs are so popular there if everyone wants to take the subway or a bus?
Familiarity is the only solution. People who don’t use transit only know what they see in the news, or video entertainment.
The key is to start with commuter transit. I have been on sketchy bus and subway rides but know that’s just like anything else in life. However commuting transit tends to be more “people like me”, going to “good places”, better maintained, not “those places” or “those people” or the graffiti covered dark and sketchy cattle car they see on TV. Once someone becomes familiar with it and sees that they haven’t been killed yet, hopefully they’ll realize their fears were manipulated and misplaced.
This is related to one of my concerns over work from home. While I do prefer it ….. it seems like this is the first point in my life where both transit and intercity rail are getting some love, but it’s a tougher sell if everyone is working from home and no longer goes to downtown areas. We have a generation that seems more open to non-car transportation but need to ensure better options. Cities are too vital to lose, transit/walkability is key to their success and we can’t afford to stop investing