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An article over at Motherboard covers the growing inequities in the US resulting from the cultivation of individualized transport options.
Carsharing, ridesharing, ride-hailing, public transit, and cycling—"all of those things are needed to replace personal cars," said [Robin Chase, co-founder of Zipcar].
It's a nice idea, but to actually kill car ownership, we're first going to need to have some very uncomfortable conversations about class and equity in the United States. Public transit used to be the great equalizer, but affordable private rides have become the new favorite of the middle class. When richer people give their money to private ride-hailing or carsharing companies, public transit loses money—and that's not good for cities, societies, or the environment.
[...] This dependence on ride-hailing is having the adverse effect of increasing traffic congestion, which in turn makes bus service slower and more frustrating. Besides, until cities change dramatically—i.e. more parks, fewer parking lots, less sprawl, better accommodations for active and public transit—decreased rates of car ownership likely won't benefit the environment if we're still travelling the same distances in cars.
Those living in countries that still have good or remnants of good mass transit will have different insights. It is unlikely that without good, reliable, vast public transit networks, there will be social and economic equity, assuming that is a goal. While public transit can suck, especially in the US, it is sometimes necessary to take one for the team and vote with your wallet. Unfortunately the situation is often framed as a false dilemma, that there can only be private cars or only mass transit, but not both coexisting and used for different ends at different times by the same people.
(Score: 0, Troll) by frojack on Wednesday February 14 2018, @02:41AM (2 children)
There it is. Gimmie free. Gimmie gimmie.
And of course these free health care nations riding around on germ breeding mass transit never get sick, right?
Groped by aribic speaking smelly men, but never sick.
https://gatesofvienna.net/2018/01/groping-in-berlin/ [gatesofvienna.net]
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201712301060427682-german-new-year-party-safe-zone-appraisal/ [sputniknews.com]
Such a wonderful place.
No sickness either!!! https://www.thelocal.de/20170210/this-is-where-the-flu-has-been-hitting-germany-hardest [thelocal.de]
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 14 2018, @06:38AM
This is why I never let frojack on my bus. He keeps thinking like this, and he is a source of public dis-utility. Get off my bus, frojack!
(Score: 3, Informative) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday February 14 2018, @07:33PM
Free? Who said anything about free?
It is certainly cheaper to do healthcare the civilised way however, as the World Bank shows here. [worldbank.org]
Scroll down to the US, it's just below UK and it shows you spend 17.1% of your GDP on healthcare, as opposed to the UK's 9.1%.
If you would like to talk about outcomes, this report on a study shows the US has the worst outcomes too. [abc.net.au]
Nobody thinks healthcare is free, we just prefer not to be bankrupted if we get sick.