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Get them out of your streets, and out of your lives.
I didn't read any further as what you say you didn't do, you did do.
Okay.
I think for those who do NOT OWN CARS,
Moving things like Car Parking away from prime position, closest to train stations, and bus stations would be what they prefer, and is a good example (of the "out of street, out of lives" ideas) I am talking about.
I think you need to listen to this podcast, to understand the concept more clearly than I can put it in a short post:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geologic
Unfortunately, if everyone owns cars, then there is a huge constituency for keeping cars happy, and everyone else: cyclists, pedestrians / tends to get pushed aside, and the cars get their parking, taking the very best public space.
I think that this should be turned upside down, and the interests of Cars and Car-owners should come last, after pedestrians, cyclists, and mass transit commuters. Parking should be pushed aside, so the car owners need to walk a bit further, without ruining the access to the shop, the train station, or whatever attracts them there.
STRONG TOWNS PODCAST : TRANSIT
(Ian Rasmussen joins Chuck Marohn to talk about transit systems and how they should be viewed as the Suburban Experiment continues to wind down)
We currently seem to be more walkable friendly as a nation so i dont see the point in complaining. Many cities are improving their public transportation systems, Amtrak ridership is high, and dense/walkable apartment developments are popping up all over the burbs.
Okay.
Maybe there are some things we can agree upon. That's fine.
But what got the US to start moving on the Less Cars / More Rail pathway?
I reckon it was pure economics, the jump in Oil prices to over $140 in 2007-8, and the fact that they have hovered near $100 for most the time since then.
People are "coming to their senses", because there is economic logic to do so.
Even so, the US is years, neah: decades, behind the rest of the world in getting onto this path. I want to see an acceleration of the trend. Because the sooner the changes are made, the less Oil-dependent the country becomes.
Someday, when you are ready to move, and you can find a home closer to the job, you may make a decision to drive less. You may even find that you like the change.
I post these sorts of ideas many places.
You can find discussions on places like the www.KunstlerCast.com. Forums.
And I even have a chatboard of my own, which had its roots in the UK and it is very active.
But I will hesitate to mention it yet, since I am very new here. My purpose is not to attract traffic to my own site, but to discuss these issue with Americans in the middle of a car culture.
Okay.
Maybe there are some things we can agree upon. That's fine.
But what got the US to start moving on the Less Cars / More Rail pathway?
I reckon it was pure economics, the jump in Oil prices to over $140 in 2007-8, and the fact that they have hovered near $100 for most the time since then.
People are "coming to their senses", because there is economic logic to do so.
Even so, the US is years, neah: decades, behind the rest of the world in getting onto this path. I want to see an acceleration of the trend. Because the sooner the changes are made, the less Oil-dependent the country becomes.
Someday, when you are ready to move, and you can find a home closer to the job, you may make a decision to drive less. You may even find that you like the change.
I actually take the bus, bike, walk alot when the weather is nice. but i still appreciate the freedom of the open road we have in America, especially on cold and hot days...
many countries are decades behind the USA when it comes to the large and efficient roadways we have on top of that we have pretty cheap gas.
There is absolutely no way I would walk to work and I only live 7 miles away. For that I use my truck. I have no desire to live in a urban jungle either. Besides, where I live in MD houses and property taxes are cheap. If I was to have that in the urban area of this state I'd be spending that extra 8 to 10 thousand a year you mention we spend on cars on housing and taxes. It gets spent one way or another. I'll spend it on cars.
I paid my truck off in half the time, currently have an econo car (fiesta) as a commuter because I drive about 25,000 miles a year. A lot going nowhere. As a matter of fact I'm currently looking for a classic car to waste more money on and then a boat.
My money. I'll use it how I want!
I actually take the bus, bike, walk alot when the weather is nice. but i still appreciate the freedom of the open road we have in America, especially on cold and hot days...
many countries are decades behind the USA when it comes to the large and efficient roadways we have on top of that we have pretty cheap gas.
Yeah.
And the funny thing is...
They don't notice the lack of highways, because they have a good rail system,
with Buses for back-up.
That road system is not free to maintain BTW.
Chances are, major parts of it will fall into disrepair, if the economy continues to decline.
In some parts of the country, you can notice that disrepair already.
Living in an area accessible by rail is a good hedge
There is absolutely no way I would walk to work and I only live 7 miles away. For that I use my truck...
If I was to have that in the urban area of this state I'd be spending that extra 8 to 10 thousand a year you mention we spend on cars on housing and taxes. It gets spent one way or another. I'll spend it on cars.
I paid my truck off in half the time, currently have an econo car (fiesta) as a commuter because I drive about 25,000 miles a year. A lot going nowhere. As a matter of fact I'm currently looking for a classic car to waste more money on and then a boat.
My money. I'll use it how I want!
Right now, your money is draining away on your Truck: Your choice, as you say.
But what will you do if/when the dollar falls, and dollar oil prices rise?
At some point you may wish that you were less car/truck dependent.
By then, it may be too late to escape from the trap. You will be like a junkie
hooked on heroin, finding you have to pay the market price.
Sound like we got one of those Agenda 21 loons wanting everybody to be crammed into bee hives to live in and take the hi speed rail to their daily work detail for the masters. Either that or this one is just upset that folks are spending their money on cars instead of giving it to the government to redistribute back to him.
As for Hong Kong yes I'm sure he felt right at home there.
He talks about elites wanting "to force people into Mega-cities... like Judge Dredd... or Shanghai"
But I think he misses the point about the value of density, preserving wealth rather than destroying it.
Shall I explain?
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Cars-Are-Last ideas are spreading
