Years ago, I believed that if someone drove instead of taking the train or bus, it meant they were rejecting transit. That not riding was an active choice against it.
In my city, it is a active choice. Biking is infinitely more convenient and they choose not to. Every public conversation about my city’s transportation needs is absolutely dominated by people who are actively refusing to use anything but a car regardless of how much you explain the problem (the congestion they’re bitching about) they are creating.
There was one guy on Facebook who wrote the funniest fucking comment; “If I can’t park downtown, I’ll just drive to the next city and do my shopping there!” like he doesn’t understand he’s solving the problem (parking) he’s creating.
Yeah, I mean this is pretty obvious stuff. For anyone that didn’t read the article:
- People make choices based on what they perceive as efficient
- Sometimes you have to educate them about better options than driving
- Not all transit is good transit
Now one thing that wasn’t really addressed, but which should have been, is on-board experience of transit. Qualify of life issues seems silly to a lot of people to spend effort policing, but they matter. Guys on the subway smoking, playing music, smelling awful, etc. Even things as basic as people not taking their backpacks off leading to jostling and crowding. This all matters.
I think people delude themselves about not having poor experiences in traffic. Yes, the asshole is now in an enclosed metal box, instead of one seat away from you on the train with his boombox. But he controls that metal box, and can suddenly incur hundreds of dollars of insurance costs to you.
Where I can see the issue getting emotional and personal is women’s safety. I’m a guy so it’s not something that I can speak to, but I’m aware can affect behaviors on a primal survival level.
