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I have used mass transit in San Francisco, Tokyo, Osaka, many other places, I know how to do it, but it's always a huge indirect waste of time I wouldn't want t

by donatj 9y ago

I have used mass transit in San Francisco, Tokyo, Osaka, many other places, I know how to do it, but it's always a huge indirect waste of time I wouldn't want to do in my everyday life. If I'm meeting a friend for drinks after work I wouldn't want to spend an hour on a bus to get there when I can just drive directly to the brewery in town in a matter of minutes, or hell a suburb on the other side of the metro in 15 minutes. I can assure you almost all suburbanites feel the same way.

chiefofgxbxl 9y ago
I agree with you that no one wants to spend an hour on a bus just to go grab a drink with a friend. But why do you think the bus takes an hour in the first place? It's probably because we've dumped so much of society's time and money into making our car-system as efficient as possible. Therefore, the public transit is terrible in comparison. Cars have encouraged so much sprawl in our suburbs. It allows buildings to be further away, because now you can travel greater distances. Massive parking lots then need to be constructed to facilitate the placing of our cars, which again, wastes huge swaths of land, further distancing buildings from one another. In my mind, we can't make public transportation viable while continuing to massively subsidize private car use. The latter causes sprawl, drawing us into a feedback loop of even more private ownership, which then in turn causes even more sprawl, and so on. It's a strong reinforcement cycle. We need to break free of this cycle, and I'm afraid the short-term efforts aren't going to be enjoyable, but it's all for what's best in the long run.
- donatj 9y ago
  I disagree about mass transit being the way of the future. It's an outdated relic of the 1800s. It's a highly impersonal dehumanizing system that boxes everyone's lives into predefined routes. I see automated electronic vehicles as the very near future solution.
  - chiefofgxbxl 9y ago
    My previous comment was heavily focused on public transit, but I don't mean to imply that the future should solely be based around public transit. Like many things, the solution is a balance of various things: private cars, public transit, and as you mention, automated EVs. It's just that I think our current system is far too skewed toward private car usage, when a healthier balance exists. Compromise is key.

by donatj 9y ago

chiefofgxbxl 9y ago

I agree with you that no one wants to spend an hour on a bus just to go grab a drink with a friend. But why do you think the bus takes an hour in the first place? It's probably because we've dumped so much of society's time and money into making our car-system as efficient as possible. Therefore, the public transit is terrible in comparison. Cars have encouraged so much sprawl in our suburbs. It allows buildings to be further away, because now you can travel greater distances. Massive parking lots then need to be constructed to facilitate the placing of our cars, which again, wastes huge swaths of land, further distancing buildings from one another. In my mind, we can't make public transportation viable while continuing to massively subsidize private car use. The latter causes sprawl, drawing us into a feedback loop of even more private ownership, which then in turn causes even more sprawl, and so on. It's a strong reinforcement cycle. We need to break free of this cycle, and I'm afraid the short-term efforts aren't going to be enjoyable, but it's all for what's best in the long run.

donatj 9y ago
I disagree about mass transit being the way of the future. It's an outdated relic of the 1800s. It's a highly impersonal dehumanizing system that boxes everyone's lives into predefined routes. I see automated electronic vehicles as the very near future solution.
- chiefofgxbxl 9y ago
  My previous comment was heavily focused on public transit, but I don't mean to imply that the future should solely be based around public transit. Like many things, the solution is a balance of various things: private cars, public transit, and as you mention, automated EVs. It's just that I think our current system is far too skewed toward private car usage, when a healthier balance exists. Compromise is key.