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I'm guilty of that, no not the giving up the car part, but driving part.
I am a car fanatic, but I like to drive when I can enjoy doing so, not having to deal with driving, as in daily commutes or even weekend stints or to sporting/arena events. People have been giving up driving a lot more over last 3-4 years than I'd seen before. And packed trains are a guarantee during sporting events, or even to things like State Fair. DART did a fantastic job taking advantage of having the AAC on train line and running special trains, a great way to sell the idea to the people.
Well that is good to know, but I cannot see it ever becoming part of the lifestyle there.
I moved to Dallas from New York City (why I had never had a car). I found a place that was a 20 minute bus ride. A pass was then $15 per month and there was always a seat all to myself. The buses were modern and the AC always worked. Nirvana.
And my coworkers thought I had arrived from Mars. It became the running joke around the office that Moth used the bus. My boss did not believe me and actually came outside with me to see the bus stop where I disembarked.
Dallas is the most superficial place in the universe. I did like the Park Cities and Lower Greenville. The rest of it looks like the same sterile block over and over and over and over and over....
It's called the illusion of freedom in this case. Stop fooling yourself.
Really?
I'm free to drive my vehicle to my actual destination.
That's freedom!
Not this...."okay, take the 16 bus to main street, walk 3 blocks and catch the 56, which runs every 30 minutes, take it through the badlands, hold you wallet tight, take it to 94th street. Then get a cab."
Not to mention the losers that you're riding with.
I took my last bus the last day of HS. It's been 30 years. I don't miss it.
Oh, except while in Disney World. But there's really no alternative there.
Why do most people insist on owning cars when they have access or could have access to mass transit? Cars are expensive and oil is increasingly volatile.
Cars are not a necessity if you live in an urban area, as does 80% of the north american population.
People who could use mass transit but decide to drive cars contribute to put a strain on oil prices, which in turn affect everybody because as you said, oil is the lifeblood of our economy. People who actually need oil in rural areas would benefit from less stress on oil prices.
Less cars does not only reduce carbon emission. Whether you agree with global warming or not, cars contribute to bad air quality in urban areas and nose pollution. Not to mention all the much needed space paved roads take up.
Mass transit also encourages walking (or bike riding) which you'll agree, a lot of people could use. Obesity related diseases have an economical cost.
The benefits of mass transit are obvious and if people used it more, the quality of the service would increase dramatically with added revenues. Still, many people insist on owning a car. It's their choice, but not exactly a smart one. Cars are an expensive luxury and depreciate fast. That's a lot of misallocated capital that could go into something more productive. I like this man take on it: DovBear: The greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world
Since people obviously aren't smart with their money, they shouldn't complain when the government has to step up for them and build future infrastructure.
I have plenty of money to buy a bunch of brand new cars in cash. My GF and I both have a business of our own and we have children and we do very well without cars. When I hear people complaining about traffic or oil prices or like yourself, complain about a tiny tax on oil to support mass transit, I can't help but shake my head in disgust.
If you can spend 20-30k on an average car, then fill it with black gold, pay for insurance, maintenance/repairs, license, parking, younameit...why are a few extra cents on the gallon to support mass transit such a big deal?
If you can't afford a slight increase in gas price, you shouldn't be owning a car because your budget is obviously too tight. And what do you want? You want all mass transit users on the road? That would surely add a lot of traffic and increase oil prices with added demand. You'd be the first to complain.
Truth is, most car owners, regardless of their political leanings, cry more than infants because they think cars and low gas prices and perfect roads are entitled to them. Learn to deal with your choices and shut your giant collective trap already.
You know where this is going, once we go into the hole building useless mass transit the next liberal move would be to get free rides for certain people and expect those of us who do not need mass transit to pay for their ride.
Always a gimmick with liberals. Do not take your eye off of them.
Yea.
I'm waiting for a law that forces me to drive a homeless person around with me.
The problem isn't mass transit. The "problem" is that poor people are the ones that use mass transit the most and poor people AS A GENERAL RULE don't take care of anything. Trash everywhere. Graffiti. And they're rude, they yell, shove and act intimidating towards others. This is at the least.
At the most, mass transit isn't always safe. There are criminals, poor, desperate criminals that ride mass transit always looking to take advantage of someone who's unsuspecting. There are also poor, disadvantaged teenagers who love to beat up others for fun. It's all over youtube.
So there you have it. Mass transit in and of itself is not the issue. It's the people who USE mass transit that are the problem.
So when you get too old to drive to the store, who will drive you?
Medicaid has cabs set up for people to go to doctor's appointments and a bus that comes and picks you up for other things. The bus isn't always reliable, often late, but at least it's something.
Also, if you're too old to go to the store, you might be in nursing home by then anyway...
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