> Less obvious is the damage to social fabric. It's not just a distance thing: it's an estrangement thing. Anecdotal data point: pre-pandemic I was insisting o

> Less obvious is the damage to social fabric. It's not just a distance thing: it's an estrangement thing. Anecdotal data point: pre-pandemic I was insisting on going to work by subway instead of cycling despite the bike being almost twice as fast. Because on the subway, I see people, whereas on the bike I only see cars. The people on the subway I'd only ignore, hard, (being a somewhat unsociable person in a somewhat unsociable region of a somewhat unsociable country), but that's still a far more human interaction than coexisting with cars. There are people inside, but the only time you notice is when they are at being a particularly bad driver. All other times it feels more like being in a herd of large, sluggish steel beasts.