You’re aware that disability-friendly methods of transport without private cars exist?
Wheelchairs, wheelchair-bikes, hell, even quadriplegic bicycles exist.
And the issue of “not living close enough” can be resolved with public transport being widespread and widely available.
What we should do, is stimulate park & rides with those for disabilities and for bicycle users. Have a few centres where people with disabilities can live, and a bus stop outside of those centres (or close enough for such a park & ride to be feasible) with buses for everyone driving regularly and often for free, and boom, done.
If Switzerland and China can do it, in rural landscapes and on a large scale, then so can the US, self-proclaimed “best country” of the world.
I think frankly that that is much more useful and efficient. It also keeps the people more independent, as they no longer are dependent on expensive and energy-inefficient methods of transport to travel around.
That’s also for public transit. They also can plenty be done in rural communities.
There’s this myth that if it’s not profitable or whatever, it shouldn’t have service - but that is bullshit excuses spread by billionnaires so they can cut down on essential services and evade taxes like the leeches they are! People go before profit.
What I want, is that all cities are connected by train, for free; and that all towns are connected to those cities by bus. By far most Americans live within an hour from their commute, but this commute would be much more quickier and much more efficient, if public transit were available for all at a low cost.
I never said anything about profit. I’m just pointing out that you can’t have good public transit everywhere. It’s impossible.
This is an instance about electric cars. Most comments in this thread are talking about just wanting a basic electric car without the bells and whistles. Person A chimes in with Public transit being superior. Person B mentions they want to be able to go to a stop and ride.
Stop and ride exist in most countries. Even European countries with great public transit like Netherlands have some form of a stop and ride because for suburban and rural areas you’ll only get a bus at most and a train if you happen to be near the line between cities.
But not everywhere. I was pointing out that fact, plus disabled people have issues. I’m aware good public transit is great for the disabled. Never said otherwise. I’m referring to the disabled person that can walk so they don’t need an electric wheelchair, but experience pain for long walks due to a knee or hip thing. Something very common as people age.
So now this person living in the suburbs has to walk to a bus stop and experience a lot of pain because people wanted to get rid of the stop and go. Even though they have no issue driving to a place close to the city, parking, and then using the Intercity public transit to get around with minimal pain because they don’t have to walk that much from tram to store.
I’m talking about a very real world and already happening situation. You are talking about an ideal situation that currently doesn’t exist. I also would love it if public transit extended to more areas, but it’s unlikely for rural areas globally, not just the US. There are people that live miles from their neighbors. A tram line isn’t going to be built for them a train is much more expensive and would likely miss them. Best they can do is hope for a bus. Then sit on the bus for a few hours as it picks up all the neighbors.
It is certainly possible to have good public transit everywhere – as I mentioned, Switzerland for an example, which also has rural areas - and even there, access to public transit is excellent. The issue is that billionnaires try to weasel out of paying their due share, which benefits everyone. The ideal situation is definitely possible, and we need to strive for it!
The stop and ride is a thing in the Netherlands BECAUSE public transit got less and less funding while CEOs and billionnaires greedily hark in money. Often, there used to be bus stops there, and then the neoliberal and right wing governments, propped by the far right sometimes, broke that down, while lowering taxes for the ultra rich.
As for the disabled person that can walk but not for long distances – for those bicycles, again, would be excellent because it doesn’t strain the knee or hip a lot, compared to walking.
The situation I describe is also very real and certainly achievable. A doomerist mindset of “it’s impossible” or “it’s too rural for that” won’t cut it. Again, what we need is to tax billionnaires as much as we did in the '50s - if not more - and eliminate all billionnaires. Only by having the oligarchs pay can we actually instate proper infrastructure. Utopias only stay utopias with a doomer mindset. When we set ourselves to action, to campaigning for it actively, we also set for pressure to actually build it.
That said, I agree that a no-nonsense vehicle without all the bells and whistles would be excellent.
I’m aware. But how is the disabled person going to get there if they don’t live close enough. The conversation was on park and ride.
You’re aware that disability-friendly methods of transport without private cars exist?
Wheelchairs, wheelchair-bikes, hell, even quadriplegic bicycles exist.
And the issue of “not living close enough” can be resolved with public transport being widespread and widely available.
What we should do, is stimulate park & rides with those for disabilities and for bicycle users. Have a few centres where people with disabilities can live, and a bus stop outside of those centres (or close enough for such a park & ride to be feasible) with buses for everyone driving regularly and often for free, and boom, done.
If Switzerland and China can do it, in rural landscapes and on a large scale, then so can the US, self-proclaimed “best country” of the world.
I think frankly that that is much more useful and efficient. It also keeps the people more independent, as they no longer are dependent on expensive and energy-inefficient methods of transport to travel around.
So what about people that live outside the city?
That’s also for public transit. They also can plenty be done in rural communities.
There’s this myth that if it’s not profitable or whatever, it shouldn’t have service - but that is bullshit excuses spread by billionnaires so they can cut down on essential services and evade taxes like the leeches they are! People go before profit.
What I want, is that all cities are connected by train, for free; and that all towns are connected to those cities by bus. By far most Americans live within an hour from their commute, but this commute would be much more quickier and much more efficient, if public transit were available for all at a low cost.
I never said anything about profit. I’m just pointing out that you can’t have good public transit everywhere. It’s impossible.
This is an instance about electric cars. Most comments in this thread are talking about just wanting a basic electric car without the bells and whistles. Person A chimes in with Public transit being superior. Person B mentions they want to be able to go to a stop and ride.
Stop and ride exist in most countries. Even European countries with great public transit like Netherlands have some form of a stop and ride because for suburban and rural areas you’ll only get a bus at most and a train if you happen to be near the line between cities.
But not everywhere. I was pointing out that fact, plus disabled people have issues. I’m aware good public transit is great for the disabled. Never said otherwise. I’m referring to the disabled person that can walk so they don’t need an electric wheelchair, but experience pain for long walks due to a knee or hip thing. Something very common as people age.
So now this person living in the suburbs has to walk to a bus stop and experience a lot of pain because people wanted to get rid of the stop and go. Even though they have no issue driving to a place close to the city, parking, and then using the Intercity public transit to get around with minimal pain because they don’t have to walk that much from tram to store.
I’m talking about a very real world and already happening situation. You are talking about an ideal situation that currently doesn’t exist. I also would love it if public transit extended to more areas, but it’s unlikely for rural areas globally, not just the US. There are people that live miles from their neighbors. A tram line isn’t going to be built for them a train is much more expensive and would likely miss them. Best they can do is hope for a bus. Then sit on the bus for a few hours as it picks up all the neighbors.
It is certainly possible to have good public transit everywhere – as I mentioned, Switzerland for an example, which also has rural areas - and even there, access to public transit is excellent. The issue is that billionnaires try to weasel out of paying their due share, which benefits everyone. The ideal situation is definitely possible, and we need to strive for it!
The stop and ride is a thing in the Netherlands BECAUSE public transit got less and less funding while CEOs and billionnaires greedily hark in money. Often, there used to be bus stops there, and then the neoliberal and right wing governments, propped by the far right sometimes, broke that down, while lowering taxes for the ultra rich.
As for the disabled person that can walk but not for long distances – for those bicycles, again, would be excellent because it doesn’t strain the knee or hip a lot, compared to walking.
The situation I describe is also very real and certainly achievable. A doomerist mindset of “it’s impossible” or “it’s too rural for that” won’t cut it. Again, what we need is to tax billionnaires as much as we did in the '50s - if not more - and eliminate all billionnaires. Only by having the oligarchs pay can we actually instate proper infrastructure. Utopias only stay utopias with a doomer mindset. When we set ourselves to action, to campaigning for it actively, we also set for pressure to actually build it.
That said, I agree that a no-nonsense vehicle without all the bells and whistles would be excellent.