4 ms·

> "Americans love their cars" isn't so much about the cars as it is about the lack of good alternatives. I love to drive therefor I buy a car I love to drive.

by p_ing 1y ago

> "Americans love their cars" isn't so much about the cars as it is about the lack of good alternatives. I love to drive therefor I buy a car I love to drive. America is largely rural. Comparisons to Europe aren't appropriate outside of the proper metros.

zdragnar 1y ago
Where I live the temperature swings from -40 to over 100F with very high humidity every year. Bicycling with little kids is just not practical for a lot of it, and the nearest bus stop is a four hour walk (12 miles). Do large cities and suburban neighborhoods deserve public transportation? Sure. Is that a universal answer? No. Not even close. There are farm fields out here larger than many towns. Roads, vehicles, and fast on demand transportation are a necessity for the geographic super majority of the US.
- throwaway2037 1y ago
  > Where I live the temperature swings from -40 to over 100F with very high humidity every year. Some of these HN comments are wild. Where do you live? I struggle to think of a place with a temperature range like that.
  - bombcar 1y ago
    Minneapolis does it. As does much of the colder Midwest.
cjcenizal 1y ago
America as a physical space is largely rural, but 80% of Americans live in cities according to the census.
- p_ing 1y ago
  You're misreading those stats. The Census doesn't define "city", it defines "urban" vs. "rural". My "city" of 5K is considered "urban" according to the 2020 census. There are nearly zero services in this "city", only a couple of restaurants, the largest employer is the school district, and it's surrounded by farms and mountain forests. It takes 15 minutes by car to get to the next town over on a two lane highway. If you want to get to any real city, you're looking at a 30-45 minute drive at highway/freeway speeds. So yes, there may be more individuals in "urban" areas, but not all "urban" areas are functionally urban. My "urban city" per the 2020 census is no LA, Austin, or Portland.
  - khamidou 1y ago
    I mean 200 million people in the US live in the top 50 metro areas. Sure there's a lot of small cities out there but they don't account for much population.
    - p_ing 1y ago
      Where do the other 140 million live?
mitthrowaway2 1y ago
Rural areas can still have very good bike paths; it's actually even easier to secure the right of way.

by p_ing 1y ago

zdragnar 1y ago

Where I live the temperature swings from -40 to over 100F with very high humidity every year. Bicycling with little kids is just not practical for a lot of it, and the nearest bus stop is a four hour walk (12 miles). Do large cities and suburban neighborhoods deserve public transportation? Sure. Is that a universal answer? No. Not even close. There are farm fields out here larger than many towns. Roads, vehicles, and fast on demand transportation are a necessity for the geographic super majority of the US.

throwaway2037 1y ago
> Where I live the temperature swings from -40 to over 100F with very high humidity every year. Some of these HN comments are wild. Where do you live? I struggle to think of a place with a temperature range like that.
- bombcar 1y ago
  Minneapolis does it. As does much of the colder Midwest.

cjcenizal 1y ago

America as a physical space is largely rural, but 80% of Americans live in cities according to the census.

p_ing 1y ago
You're misreading those stats. The Census doesn't define "city", it defines "urban" vs. "rural". My "city" of 5K is considered "urban" according to the 2020 census. There are nearly zero services in this "city", only a couple of restaurants, the largest employer is the school district, and it's surrounded by farms and mountain forests. It takes 15 minutes by car to get to the next town over on a two lane highway. If you want to get to any real city, you're looking at a 30-45 minute drive at highway/freeway speeds. So yes, there may be more individuals in "urban" areas, but not all "urban" areas are functionally urban. My "urban city" per the 2020 census is no LA, Austin, or Portland.
- khamidou 1y ago
  I mean 200 million people in the US live in the top 50 metro areas. Sure there's a lot of small cities out there but they don't account for much population.
  - p_ing 1y ago
    Where do the other 140 million live?

mitthrowaway2 1y ago

Rural areas can still have very good bike paths; it's actually even easier to secure the right of way.