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I like cars. It’s comfy and it’s freedom. I don’t care if you have the fastest, cleanest, cheapest public transport in the world. I don’t want to ride with othe

I like cars. It’s comfy and it’s freedom. I don’t care if you have the fastest, cleanest, cheapest public transport in the world. I don’t want to ride with other people.

bobthepanda 4y ago
The existence of a bus doesn‘t force you to ride it. But if others do, that‘s less congestion for you. There are still plenty of drivers in NYC; one of the big plusses of the subway system is that it makes room for other people who want or need to drive more. Every single time the subway is out of service the roads totally lock up because the subways divert a lot of people.
- thematrixturtle 4y ago
  As usual, the Onion nailed it years ago: https://www.theonion.com/report-98-percent-of-u-s-commuters-favor-public-trans-1819565837 https://www.theonion.com/report-98-percent-of-u-s-commuters-...
  - stetrain 4y ago
    Except the real issue is those who don’t want to spend or approve anything on public transit, even for others to use. “We should build transit infrastructure so everyone else can use it and I can keep driving” would be an improvement in mindset many parts of the country.
akozak 4y ago
No one is arguing for that. Supporting public transportation for others will help you maintain your luxury driving experience.
stetrain 4y ago
Then you should be in favor of more high-density public transport to get the ever-increasing traffic off of the roads so you can still enjoy your car.
corrral 4y ago
Having a car when other methods are available is freedom. Needing to own a car because there is no way to get by without one, isn't freedom.
- bergenty 4y ago
  In a sufficiently car centric society, owning a car is akin to owning a home but at 1/50th of the cost. You can lease a cheap car for about as much as you would pay for a monthly pass on public transport.
  - corrral 4y ago
    Sure, but nothing's freer than being able to handle a great deal of the travel you need on your own two legs, or maybe with a $20 bike you got at a garage sale. Engineering society such that even city-dwellers need a car in order not to be hugely inconvenienced or badly disadvantaged isn't a pro-freedom move.
  - stetrain 4y ago
    Don’t forget insurance and gas.
acuozzo 4y ago
> it’s freedom Freedom from…?
- kfarr 4y ago
  Freedom from the emotional challenge of interacting with other human beings you have not met before.
  - bergenty 4y ago
    Not even interact, just being really close to.
    - Dudeman112 4y ago
      To be fair, some people stink and the concept of "personal space" might as well be some Outer God madness And I say that as someone who's all for making public transportation better and reducing reliability on cars
unethical_ban 4y ago
Disclosure: I love driving, even across the country. That said, the freedom to drive is a publicly subsidized freedom, paid for at the expense of the taxpayer and enjoyed unevenly by the population. Society made a choice to build many roads. We could make the decision, too, to make rail and other public transit so ubiquitous, clean and affordable that the need to have a massive, costly and pollution-generating asset just to get to work and get groceries could be a thing of the past for more people.
- bergenty 4y ago
  It’s not uneven. 92% of US households own a car.
  - 13113 4y ago
- dilap 4y ago
  the cars vs public transit thing is a distraction though; the existence (& public costs) of cars is not what makes our public transit bad.
diordiderot 4y ago
thats cool but you should pay the costs of the externalities
Akronymus 4y ago
Probably not viable where you are, but being able to take a bike seems like it'd fit your mindset. (Sadly, most of the US doesn't know what bikeable areas are like.) I can highly recommend the youtube channel "not just bikes" https://www.youtube.com/c/NotJustBikes/ https://www.youtube.com/c/NotJustBikes/

I like cars. It’s comfy and it’s freedom. I don’t care if you have the fastest, cleanest, cheapest public transport in the world. I don’t want to ride with other people.

bobthepanda 4y ago

The existence of a bus doesn‘t force you to ride it. But if others do, that‘s less congestion for you. There are still plenty of drivers in NYC; one of the big plusses of the subway system is that it makes room for other people who want or need to drive more. Every single time the subway is out of service the roads totally lock up because the subways divert a lot of people.

thematrixturtle 4y ago
As usual, the Onion nailed it years ago: https://www.theonion.com/report-98-percent-of-u-s-commuters-favor-public-trans-1819565837 https://www.theonion.com/report-98-percent-of-u-s-commuters-...
- stetrain 4y ago
  Except the real issue is those who don’t want to spend or approve anything on public transit, even for others to use. “We should build transit infrastructure so everyone else can use it and I can keep driving” would be an improvement in mindset many parts of the country.

akozak 4y ago

No one is arguing for that. Supporting public transportation for others will help you maintain your luxury driving experience.

stetrain 4y ago

Then you should be in favor of more high-density public transport to get the ever-increasing traffic off of the roads so you can still enjoy your car.

corrral 4y ago

Having a car when other methods are available is freedom. Needing to own a car because there is no way to get by without one, isn't freedom.

bergenty 4y ago
In a sufficiently car centric society, owning a car is akin to owning a home but at 1/50th of the cost. You can lease a cheap car for about as much as you would pay for a monthly pass on public transport.
- corrral 4y ago
  Sure, but nothing's freer than being able to handle a great deal of the travel you need on your own two legs, or maybe with a $20 bike you got at a garage sale. Engineering society such that even city-dwellers need a car in order not to be hugely inconvenienced or badly disadvantaged isn't a pro-freedom move.
- stetrain 4y ago
  Don’t forget insurance and gas.

acuozzo 4y ago

> it’s freedom Freedom from…?

kfarr 4y ago
Freedom from the emotional challenge of interacting with other human beings you have not met before.
- bergenty 4y ago
  Not even interact, just being really close to.
  - Dudeman112 4y ago
    To be fair, some people stink and the concept of "personal space" might as well be some Outer God madness And I say that as someone who's all for making public transportation better and reducing reliability on cars

unethical_ban 4y ago

Disclosure: I love driving, even across the country. That said, the freedom to drive is a publicly subsidized freedom, paid for at the expense of the taxpayer and enjoyed unevenly by the population. Society made a choice to build many roads. We could make the decision, too, to make rail and other public transit so ubiquitous, clean and affordable that the need to have a massive, costly and pollution-generating asset just to get to work and get groceries could be a thing of the past for more people.

bergenty 4y ago
It’s not uneven. 92% of US households own a car.
- 13113 4y ago
dilap 4y ago
the cars vs public transit thing is a distraction though; the existence (& public costs) of cars is not what makes our public transit bad.

diordiderot 4y ago

thats cool but you should pay the costs of the externalities

Akronymus 4y ago

Probably not viable where you are, but being able to take a bike seems like it'd fit your mindset. (Sadly, most of the US doesn't know what bikeable areas are like.) I can highly recommend the youtube channel "not just bikes" https://www.youtube.com/c/NotJustBikes/ https://www.youtube.com/c/NotJustBikes/