3 ms·

Where is the fiscal reality in grinding a city's economic activity to a halt because people can't get anywhere?

ethanbond 10y ago
Cities can, have, and do function with fewer cars than most American cities. Reducing parking is the fairest way to reduce the usage and eventually necessity of cars. And again, it's far more realistic than hoping that a transit authority is going to find a buried treasure chest to invest in infrastructure while the public is investing more and more into cars.
- briandear 10y ago
  Let's eliminate cars. How does one transport a week's worth of groceries for a family of 5 on public transport? Transportation is more than moving a person from A to B. If you want a real solution, provide tax incentives for companies to work remotely. If you eliminate commuters in those types of jobs that can work remotely, you solve almost all traffic problems. Does an insurance salesman really need to travel to an office? 90% of that work is on the phone already and the other 10% could be replaced with video conferencing. I don't need to touch my salesman, I just need to hear what he's saying and read contracts. Unless your job involves handling physical objects, there is zero reason for a commute.
  - majewsky 10y ago
    > How does one transport a week's worth of groceries for a family of 5 on public transport? Carsharing. Or a delivery service, which some supermarkets now offer already.
  - vasilipupkin 10y ago
    A family of 5 could have one car for that, instead of two like most American 5 person families
  - jdavis703 10y ago
    Strap backpacks onto the kids and spouse?
  - ethanbond 10y ago
    How wacky that so many other countries have already figured this out. And that humans somehow fed themselves for literally thousands of years before cars but suddenly we won't figure out how to purchase food.
  - PeterisP 10y ago
    Why would you transport a week's worth of groceries in the first place? In cities designed not for cars, most people generally don't "transport" groceries at all, since everybody generally buys groceries very close to home (often on the same block), and the natural time to do it is on the way back from work/studies/whatever, so instead of having an explicit weekly trip, you just buy whatever you need now or for tomorrow, not a week's supply - and that is easily carried (not transported) for that short distance even for a family of 6+. If you buy something that can't be carried, like a refrigerator, well, then you get it delivered.

Cities can, have, and do function with fewer cars than most American cities. Reducing parking is the fairest way to reduce the usage and eventually necessity of cars. And again, it's far more realistic than hoping that a transit authority is going to find a buried treasure chest to invest in infrastructure while the public is investing more and more into cars.

briandear 10y ago
Let's eliminate cars. How does one transport a week's worth of groceries for a family of 5 on public transport? Transportation is more than moving a person from A to B. If you want a real solution, provide tax incentives for companies to work remotely. If you eliminate commuters in those types of jobs that can work remotely, you solve almost all traffic problems. Does an insurance salesman really need to travel to an office? 90% of that work is on the phone already and the other 10% could be replaced with video conferencing. I don't need to touch my salesman, I just need to hear what he's saying and read contracts. Unless your job involves handling physical objects, there is zero reason for a commute.
- majewsky 10y ago
  > How does one transport a week's worth of groceries for a family of 5 on public transport? Carsharing. Or a delivery service, which some supermarkets now offer already.
- vasilipupkin 10y ago
  A family of 5 could have one car for that, instead of two like most American 5 person families
- jdavis703 10y ago
  Strap backpacks onto the kids and spouse?
- ethanbond 10y ago
  How wacky that so many other countries have already figured this out. And that humans somehow fed themselves for literally thousands of years before cars but suddenly we won't figure out how to purchase food.
- PeterisP 10y ago
  Why would you transport a week's worth of groceries in the first place? In cities designed not for cars, most people generally don't "transport" groceries at all, since everybody generally buys groceries very close to home (often on the same block), and the natural time to do it is on the way back from work/studies/whatever, so instead of having an explicit weekly trip, you just buy whatever you need now or for tomorrow, not a week's supply - and that is easily carried (not transported) for that short distance even for a family of 6+. If you buy something that can't be carried, like a refrigerator, well, then you get it delivered.