5 ms·

> Driving everywhere in Houston results in a hell of a lot higher quality of life than riding public transit everywhere in Boston. Having lived in both places,

> Driving everywhere in Houston results in a hell of a lot higher quality of life than riding public transit everywhere in Boston. Having lived in both places, and currently living in metro Boston without a car, I'm of the opposite opinion. To each their own.

davidw 7y ago
> To each their own. ... as long as they help pay for the externalities all that driving is responsible for.
- komali2 7y ago
  I don't think anybody in the world is doing this, right? The environmental impact of all these cars? A great bit of activity San Francisco saw recently was someone renting out parking spaces as "office spaces" for like 2.50$ an hour. It pointed out that a similar space in a building would probably go for more like 10$/hour or more, highlighting how little we're valuing our street-side real estate.
  - andys627 7y ago
    In Denmark cars are taxed 100% and they still prob aren't paying their fair share. They do have lots of people walking, biking, and taking tansit.
    - davidw 7y ago
      Yes, gas is way more expensive in Europe, in general.
    - arminiusreturns 7y ago
      One thing my European friends tend to not understand is just how big the US is. For a huge portion of none-coastline America, driving is the only mode of transport. "Denmark is approximately 43,094 sq km, while United States is approximately 9,833,517 sq km. Meanwhile, the population of Denmark is ~5.6 million people (321.0 million more people live in United States)" From a quick search.
      - adrianN 7y ago
        Typical Americans don't commute across state lines. The size of the US is just a stupid argument. The typical US commute is not that much longer than the typical European commute. 80% of the trips are below 10 miles.
        arminiusreturns 7y ago
        I disagree. It's not just about the commute, it's about the fact that there is almost zero public transpo infrastructure in the US. For example, I had a near 40 mile drive just to get to my highschool, and a 75 mile drive to the closest Walmart. Also, given the numbers I just posted, even if your 80 percent number is right, that's still a portion of the population doing long commutes, and that number of people is more than the entire population of Denmark! Look, I've traveled in places with great public infrastructure and I really want the US to work very hard towards it, but I get tired of all the Europeans who always in any thread of this subject start ridiculing us without even fully comprehending how large the US is. Do we need to put major money and work into it? Yes. Does that mean it's actually feasible for people to get rid of their vehicles? Not yet for anyone except those in the best public transpo cities. "Your argument is stupid" ... great one...
        adrianN 7y ago
        The lack of public transport is not due to the distance between New York and San Francisco. It's decades of car-centric city planning that is responsible. Russia is a big country too and public transport in Moscow was pretty good when I visited. There are people with very long commutes in Europe too. I personally know people who commute 100km+ one way. If you had to drive 75 miles to get to the next Walmart you probably didn't live in an urban area so any arguments against cars in urban areas don't apply to your lifestyle. You won't find public transport in the countryside in Europe either.
- village-idiot 7y ago
  Forget externalities, car owners aren't even actually paying for the roads they use. Gas tax pays for significantly less than half of the road budget in the US, although the exact percentage varies on a state by state basis. The rest comes out of general tax receipts.
  - davidw 7y ago
    Hah, quite correct. I have a link to that in my 'urbanism' bookmarks: https://taxfoundation.org/state-road-funding-2017/ https://taxfoundation.org/state-road-funding-2017/
dsfyu404ed 7y ago
I did DC in a black truck with no A/C for awhile. Still better than the MBTA.

davidw 7y ago

> To each their own. ... as long as they help pay for the externalities all that driving is responsible for.

komali2 7y ago
I don't think anybody in the world is doing this, right? The environmental impact of all these cars? A great bit of activity San Francisco saw recently was someone renting out parking spaces as "office spaces" for like 2.50$ an hour. It pointed out that a similar space in a building would probably go for more like 10$/hour or more, highlighting how little we're valuing our street-side real estate.
- andys627 7y ago
  In Denmark cars are taxed 100% and they still prob aren't paying their fair share. They do have lots of people walking, biking, and taking tansit.
  - davidw 7y ago
    Yes, gas is way more expensive in Europe, in general.
  - arminiusreturns 7y ago
    One thing my European friends tend to not understand is just how big the US is. For a huge portion of none-coastline America, driving is the only mode of transport. "Denmark is approximately 43,094 sq km, while United States is approximately 9,833,517 sq km. Meanwhile, the population of Denmark is ~5.6 million people (321.0 million more people live in United States)" From a quick search.
    - adrianN 7y ago
      Typical Americans don't commute across state lines. The size of the US is just a stupid argument. The typical US commute is not that much longer than the typical European commute. 80% of the trips are below 10 miles.
      - arminiusreturns 7y ago
        I disagree. It's not just about the commute, it's about the fact that there is almost zero public transpo infrastructure in the US. For example, I had a near 40 mile drive just to get to my highschool, and a 75 mile drive to the closest Walmart. Also, given the numbers I just posted, even if your 80 percent number is right, that's still a portion of the population doing long commutes, and that number of people is more than the entire population of Denmark! Look, I've traveled in places with great public infrastructure and I really want the US to work very hard towards it, but I get tired of all the Europeans who always in any thread of this subject start ridiculing us without even fully comprehending how large the US is. Do we need to put major money and work into it? Yes. Does that mean it's actually feasible for people to get rid of their vehicles? Not yet for anyone except those in the best public transpo cities. "Your argument is stupid" ... great one...
        adrianN 7y ago
        The lack of public transport is not due to the distance between New York and San Francisco. It's decades of car-centric city planning that is responsible. Russia is a big country too and public transport in Moscow was pretty good when I visited. There are people with very long commutes in Europe too. I personally know people who commute 100km+ one way. If you had to drive 75 miles to get to the next Walmart you probably didn't live in an urban area so any arguments against cars in urban areas don't apply to your lifestyle. You won't find public transport in the countryside in Europe either.
village-idiot 7y ago
Forget externalities, car owners aren't even actually paying for the roads they use. Gas tax pays for significantly less than half of the road budget in the US, although the exact percentage varies on a state by state basis. The rest comes out of general tax receipts.
- davidw 7y ago
  Hah, quite correct. I have a link to that in my 'urbanism' bookmarks: https://taxfoundation.org/state-road-funding-2017/ https://taxfoundation.org/state-road-funding-2017/

dsfyu404ed 7y ago

I did DC in a black truck with no A/C for awhile. Still better than the MBTA.