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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: 3, Funny) by aristarchus on Wednesday February 14 2018, @05:33AM (3 children)
And, nothing. Experiment concluded. Runaway1956 loses, fails the test, and now we will have to just fund public transportation, and public medical care, and public mental health care, and not allow crazy persons and Republicans to carry weapons concealed upon their bodies as if they were assassins, or murderers, or otherwise very bad persons that no sane society, not even Dodge City, Kansas, at its peak, would allow. You are not allowed to defend yourself, your craven coward and piece of Arkansawian shit, to defend yourself against any human being that has an equal right to defend themselves against you, and I imagine, but maybe it is just me, that most of them have, given your fucking hillbilly racist position on most everything, a presumptive right to fuching nail you, before you even have a chance to stroke your piece, you goddamned ammosexual. We surround you, Runaway. We are the majority. You are a looser.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 14 2018, @02:23PM (2 children)
Sounds like someone can't handle not having the last say.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday February 14 2018, @02:41PM (1 child)
You nailed that one!
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Wednesday February 14 2018, @04:17PM
Aw! Runaway! You were doing so well!
(To those looking on: the infinite energy project is back on! A solution to all our public transportation issues is at hand! Rejoice!)