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Almost 25% of Americans are rural as well… bikes and public transportation are never going to work for them. In fact, cars don’t always work for rural folks - a
by crims0n 10mo ago
Almost 25% of Americans are rural as well… bikes and public transportation are never going to work for them. In fact, cars don’t always work for rural folks - a lot of them benefit from (if not outright need) trucks.
- JKCalhoun 10mo agoIf we could solve transportation for 75% of the U.S., I would be pleased.
- encrypted_bird 10mo agoI always get confused by people saying public transportation makes no sense for rural people. I think it makes more sense, provided you use the right kind of public transportation for the right kind of rural community. A large, spread-out community? Perhaps not so much. But a small town where 80% of the people commute to surrounding cities? That'd be a great case for 1 or more commuter train, depending on direction and demand.
- nrhrjrjrjtntbt 10mo agoThat is the UK basicially. You need some connecting dots probably to make it worthwhile. But even then if the train is hourly you need to be organized. No going out ona whim.
- Doctor_Fegg 10mo agoIt’s second nature very quickly. Our train into Oxford leaves at ten past the hour. You find yourself thinking “oh, I’ll aim for the ten past eleven” an hour or two beforehand and organise your morning accordingly. It’s absolutely no hardship.
- woodruffw 10mo agoA century ago, it was somewhat normal for any American town over 10,000 people to have at least one streetcar. Most towns also had an interurban connection to the next (larger) town, which would then have more streetcars, long-distance train connections, etc. This is despite urbanization being lower then than it is now[1]. Some of that is because Americans became wealthier and demanded private alternatives to mass transit, but a lot of it is because we chose, as policy, to deprioritize effective mass transit. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbanization_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbanization_in_the_United_Sta...
- bakies 10mo agoTruck are popular because of culture, not a necessity. Unless you're working a farm or something like regularly hauling dirt, than they are less practical than a sedan even.
- crims0n 10mo agoI disagree, something I learned pretty quick when we moved out of the city. How do you haul your trash to the dump when there is no pickup service in your area? How do you acquire a replacement dishwasher, oven, refrigerator, or big screen TV when you are outside the delivery area of the appliance store? Need a cord of firewood? A bed of mulch? Topsoil for the garden? 2x4s for a deck or workbench? Etc. Etc. Trucks become more practical in rural areas because of the lack of amenities that exist around cities and towns.
- bakies 10mo agoThey're popular in cities and suburbs where they are useless. I said they were useful out in farmlands. Half of what you said can fit in an SUV anyway. There is not place like that anywhere near where I live and trucks are still extremely common, most of my friends have one. They're all white collar. Most have bed covers or a trunk installed in the bed. I find it's really funny when people buy trucks and put a ton of effort into making the bed almost as useful as a trunk.