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I think the main problem is that cars can be a great last mile transport but a horribly scaling transport for common long distance travel (commuting to city cor

• bluGill 7y ago
  Cars are great for long distance travel. They do well for medium distances in some situations and are terrible for last mile. When my family wants to go to grandma's (or any other vacation destination) our car is the best way to do it. The key here is a family - we fill our car so per passenger we use less fuel (carbon), the train or bus could do better but because the route isn't direct it isn't that great of a win - and they need to be full to compete which they might not be. For medium distances (less than 50 miles) they do great if and only if there are few other people going the same way. Which is to say rural and non-dense areas. However because they are such low occupancy in denser areas the congestion and storage needs when you get there get you. For last mile the storage needs at both ends means that even though they seem great they just spread the places you want to get to farther than if you didn't have a car and just walked. In suburban areas we ignore this because there is no place within walking distance you would want to get to anyway. Note that the key to long distances is far enough that you wouldn't do this normally. If everybody's grandma (or vacation spot...) lived in the same neighborhood as mine this would fail - but then the bus/train would be a direct route and so it would be practical.