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circuit | 2 years ago
Driving is not a precursor to running errands and conducting business (unless your business is dealing with cars) in any established nation with a robust public transportation network. I have heard the argument that cars are necessary mainly from people who have lived their entire life driving from place to place and cannot fathom using public transit. Either because it is woefully underfunded in their area or it has the perceived notion of only being for the poor folk who cannot afford a vehicle.
> It is the same problem that presents with pushing everyone to electric vehicles, electric cooking, and electric heat. We can barely meet the demand now ... NYC has 4.4MM cars moving through it each day.
This is a strange argument. It doesn't take a genius intellect to see that the energy cost to move a person per unit distance travelled is far greater driving solo than it would be taking a tram, bus, or even cycling.
As a plus, we wouldn't need to use so much space for parking these vehicles and we could use the land for other projects that 1. generate more tax revenue and 2. serve a more useful purpose for the general public; i.e. shops, living quarters, third places[1], etc.
All in all, it would be nice to have the ability to go some place without needing the car. The removal of parking lots and reclaiming that space is the cherry on top. You can thank early automotive lobbyists for shaping the current state of affairs[2][3][4][5]
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place
[2] https://www.vox.com/2015/5/7/8562007/streetcar-history-demis...
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/apr/25/story-cities-...
[4] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-08-31/why-is-am...
[5] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-ever-happened-to-pub_b_6...
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