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I prefer it, and cost isn’t a factor. I like having a large yard where I can garden and do other things. I can walk out onto my back patio butt naked and dip into my hot tub without anybody seeing me.
I also own three trucks, one car, and two bikes. In a city I’d have nowhere to put them. I like my cars.
Maybe it's a generation thing?
I'm a middle aged millennial and most people in my social circle don't really hate driving, but not many like the financial burden.
Exactly. Mass transit makes me feel like I’m stuck in one of those Ant Farms in a glass bowl; no thanks.
Personally, I would keep my own ride because I have a disabled child & my experience with trying to utilize public transit in the past has been nothing short of exhausting & terrifying.
Regardless, though; I just have to be the “master of my own disaster”. If I want to leave at 9:02 to arrive at 9:30? I’m going to leave at 9:02.
I’m not going to leave at 8:55, to walk to a stop by 9:02 & then wait to get picked up at 9:15 ... to arrive at 10:00. Oops; I forgot to get my transfer pass ...
I can understand your frustration. Unless you live in NYC, you can't rely on mass transit in the U.S.
Personally, I find mass transit in Asia cities to be the best and safest. In fact, car ownership is rather rare in Tokyo.
I'm a middle aged millennial and most people in my social circle don't really hate driving, but not many like the financial burden.
I think it’s more what you’re used to. Most people who get their license and their own car at 16 years old get used to the freedom and will not want to use public transportation. My niece is about to turn 16 and she can’t wait until she can drive herself to school.
It would have to be more convenient to take public transit than to own a vehicle.
if I lived where there was no parking within a reasonable distance, or the cost of parking my vehicle was so high it wasn't worth it, then I might consider giving up my vehicle.
But, I've never lived anywhere where it wasn't faster, more convenient or cheaper to drive my own vehicle pretty much anywhere.
The only exception for me, is when I want to visit San Francisco, which is just a couple hours away. I hate driving or trying to find or pay for parking in SF. So, whenever I go to SF, it's with an organized bus tour.
Otherwise, the reality is that within the time it would take me to take a bus to go shopping at some store, I could have driven to several stores, and had time to eat in-between.
And I only buy used old dependable Japanese vehicles, so the cost of my ride isn't very expensive. And, I'm in control and feel safe.
Until it's cheaper, safer, more convenient, etc., for me to take public transport, I will keep my own vehicle.
I owned a car even when I lived in an area with good public transportation (metro Boston). I commuted to college, to work, to some play using trains and buses. It beat dealing with traffic, parking scarcity, and other hassles.
BUT I also enjoyed getting to the countryside on weekends, and that meant driving unless it was cycling distance, which it sometimes was. I never even considered giving up my own car, and I still would not. You don’t have to drive it every day.
These days, I feel ever more disgusted with how people behave. Public transit is going to have to clamp down on the nasties who ride their “people movers”. Being abusive to other passengers, reeking of **** or crack or booze or long-unwashed body, stealing...these things turn off fans of public transit, never mind those who already are biased against it.
I do live in a big city like NYC. We eventually decided to do without a car. High registration and insurance fees, alternate side of the street parking. Even let my over-priced driver's license go. Aside from not being able to just jump in the car for weekend excursions out of the city, and not being able to fill a van with mass quantities of stuff bought at Costco, we really didn't miss it.
As I edge toward retirement, I'm just starting to think about getting my driver's license again.
I used to live in a big city with great transportation (Berlin) and I owned a car, just didn't used it as much as I use it here in Houston. It was needed for bulk shopping, and for trips. For commute I used public transportation and a bike.
It would depend on the city. Living in the French Quarter in New Orleans, I'd often go a month or more without ever venturing beyond where I could easily walk (including to work) and at least once, I forgot where my car was parked. In Montreal, I often rode the bus to work, but for shopping, it would have been difficult without my car. I was lucky enough to live on a street where I didn't have to move alternate days for snow clearing.
Suppose you lived in a big city like NYC, London, Paris, Tokyo, Barcelona where the publication transportation is pretty reliable, would you still choose to be a car owner?
I think I wouldn't. Actually I hardly needed to drive when I lived in Shanghai.
In other words, I am a car owner because the lack of public transportation where I live forces me to.
Yes, I probably would, even if I didn't drive it often. I dislike driving in the city, but I dislike dragging groceries home on a bus or subway even less. I would consider it in a city with plentiful taxis that could actually be hailed on the street - no waiting.
Yes, of course. Where I go, my car goes.
I wouldn't live in a place where I couldn't easily drive my car for shopping, errands, to work, and amenities.
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