9 ms·

They're not wrong. Buses, trains and cycling don't have the appeal of a sporty private car, but in a dense city they're much much more efficient.

by pornel 7y ago

SlowRobotAhead 7y ago
They are not wrong at all. It’s a little funny coming from the Air Conditioned City though. Singapore uses an amazing amount of power. If you ever have the chance to their their two giant botanical gardens, I highly recommend it. Just one tiny example of their commitment to use as much energy as possible for their size.
- refurb 7y ago
  Not sure how critical I’d be of the air conditioning. It’s like Las Vegas during the summer, but year around - without AC it’s bordering uninhabitable.
- rootusrootus 7y ago
  It could be worse. They could be cold and using heat instead.
einpoklum 7y ago
About the appeal - it depends on your cultural background. Here are some other ways people from different backgrounds think about this (not necessarily consistent with each other): * A private car is bulky and noisy, bicycles and pedestrians aren't. * Lazy people drive in cars, healthy people walk or cycle. * A private car removes you from society, while using public transport/walking puts you with a group of peers, and cycling is a bit more singular but you're still surrounded by your peers with no physical barrier. So using a private car is somewhat disdainful towards the rest of society. * A car is either a truck for people who need it to move things around, or if its a private car - it's probably some young man wasting his money to feel macho.
- dsfyu404ed 7y ago
  The cultural background you're describing isn't a "background", it's an attitude/viewpoint (I'm not sure what to call it) that is only popular among people mostly of/above a certain wealth threshold (poor people wish they could have cars) living in certain urban areas (the ones that have a high cost of car ownership and good alternative options) mostly located in the US and Europe. For everyone else in the world driving around in a luxury car in the city is a symbol of wealth. There is also no "back" to it. If you traveled back in time to the 90s with that opinion you'd be lucky to encounter anyone other than the most die hard public transit proponents sharing it even in the aforementioned urban areas. Just because you and the people around you hold an opinion today does not make it a cultural background. Edit: Is my opinion wrong or have I just struck a nerve?
- tenpies 7y ago
  “A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It's where the rich use public transportation.” - Gustavo Petro Although I much prefer the adaption: "A prosperous country is not a place where everyone has a car, but one where everyone meets in public transit". After all, prosperity is more than development, and there is something very accurate about meeting in public transit. When your richest person and poorest person are both around each other, it is a huge empathogenic.
  - myvoiceismypass 7y ago
    How realistic is that for a big country (USA) that is really big & sparsely populated in lots of spots outside of major metro areas? (Disclaimer: I’ve drive only 5k miles a year, and actually just sold my car, since I prefer walking & PT... but I live in a giant city where that’s a legit option)
    - baby 7y ago
      It's not ultra realistic for less populated areas. But large cities have no excuses.
      - 7y ago
TazeTSchnitzel 7y ago
While the planet benefits from electric cars, it can't be saved without a massive reduction in car use, regardless of type.
- tecleandor 7y ago
  Bu tin the context of Singapore it makes sense. It's a small country, a city-state. The whole country is just a bit bigger than the city of Madrid and it has a nice (AFAIK) public transport network. Also, cars are extremely expensive there, over 100K USD for a small car. So, in the context of Singapore, a Tesla is just about status and luxury.
Reason077 7y ago
Nobody is suggesting that electric vehicles should replace buses, trains, and cycling. But electric vehicles should certainly replace petrol and diesel vehicles. Singapore's policy, at present, seems to make that difficult.

They're not wrong. Buses, trains and cycling don't have the appeal of a sporty private car, but in a dense city they're much much more efficient.

by pornel 7y ago

They're not wrong. Buses, trains and cycling don't have the appeal of a sporty private car, but in a dense city they're much much more efficient.

SlowRobotAhead 7y ago

They are not wrong at all. It’s a little funny coming from the Air Conditioned City though. Singapore uses an amazing amount of power. If you ever have the chance to their their two giant botanical gardens, I highly recommend it. Just one tiny example of their commitment to use as much energy as possible for their size.

refurb 7y ago
Not sure how critical I’d be of the air conditioning. It’s like Las Vegas during the summer, but year around - without AC it’s bordering uninhabitable.
rootusrootus 7y ago
It could be worse. They could be cold and using heat instead.

einpoklum 7y ago

About the appeal - it depends on your cultural background. Here are some other ways people from different backgrounds think about this (not necessarily consistent with each other): * A private car is bulky and noisy, bicycles and pedestrians aren't. * Lazy people drive in cars, healthy people walk or cycle. * A private car removes you from society, while using public transport/walking puts you with a group of peers, and cycling is a bit more singular but you're still surrounded by your peers with no physical barrier. So using a private car is somewhat disdainful towards the rest of society. * A car is either a truck for people who need it to move things around, or if its a private car - it's probably some young man wasting his money to feel macho.

dsfyu404ed 7y ago
The cultural background you're describing isn't a "background", it's an attitude/viewpoint (I'm not sure what to call it) that is only popular among people mostly of/above a certain wealth threshold (poor people wish they could have cars) living in certain urban areas (the ones that have a high cost of car ownership and good alternative options) mostly located in the US and Europe. For everyone else in the world driving around in a luxury car in the city is a symbol of wealth. There is also no "back" to it. If you traveled back in time to the 90s with that opinion you'd be lucky to encounter anyone other than the most die hard public transit proponents sharing it even in the aforementioned urban areas. Just because you and the people around you hold an opinion today does not make it a cultural background. Edit: Is my opinion wrong or have I just struck a nerve?
tenpies 7y ago
“A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It's where the rich use public transportation.” - Gustavo Petro Although I much prefer the adaption: "A prosperous country is not a place where everyone has a car, but one where everyone meets in public transit". After all, prosperity is more than development, and there is something very accurate about meeting in public transit. When your richest person and poorest person are both around each other, it is a huge empathogenic.
- myvoiceismypass 7y ago
  How realistic is that for a big country (USA) that is really big & sparsely populated in lots of spots outside of major metro areas? (Disclaimer: I’ve drive only 5k miles a year, and actually just sold my car, since I prefer walking & PT... but I live in a giant city where that’s a legit option)
  - baby 7y ago
    It's not ultra realistic for less populated areas. But large cities have no excuses.
    - 7y ago

TazeTSchnitzel 7y ago

While the planet benefits from electric cars, it can't be saved without a massive reduction in car use, regardless of type.

tecleandor 7y ago
Bu tin the context of Singapore it makes sense. It's a small country, a city-state. The whole country is just a bit bigger than the city of Madrid and it has a nice (AFAIK) public transport network. Also, cars are extremely expensive there, over 100K USD for a small car. So, in the context of Singapore, a Tesla is just about status and luxury.

Reason077 7y ago

Nobody is suggesting that electric vehicles should replace buses, trains, and cycling. But electric vehicles should certainly replace petrol and diesel vehicles. Singapore's policy, at present, seems to make that difficult.