WASHINGTON—In a trend that is reducing the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels by curtailing the total number of cars on the road, a study released Thursday by the Transportation Department found that more Americans than ever are commuting to work splattered on the grill of a Ford F-150. “Increasingly, U.S.…
  • @heatofignition
    16•10 months ago

    Yes, but that alternative infrastructure needs to be in place before you can start really discouraging cars with, for example, high gas prices. Raising gas prices to that extent right now in most places outside of a few major cities would just cause people not to be able to get to work.

    • @[email protected]
      1•10 months ago

      In my Australian city they keep restricting more and more free parking areas near town, pushing the problem out into nearby residential areas when it’s still free, merely a few more minutes walk away.

      All the while, not improving any bus services.

      The cognitive disconnection is amazing.

      Then again, the people running the city council will all have dedicated parking spaces just outside their offices.

      So…

    • Owen
      1•10 months ago

      @heatofignition @mondoman712

      Nah. Public policy isn’t a neat project plan you can accomplish in chronological order. The measurement of good policy isn’t whether or not there are zero negative impacts on lower income folks.

      The status quo is bad. Do what’s possible. If you can raise gas prices do it. If you can increase transit do it. Each improvement will virtuously reinforce other improvements.

      #transit

      • AJ Sadauskas
        4•10 months ago

        @owen @heatofignition @mondoman712 Put enough good quality alternatives in, and you can get modal shift without resorting to punative measures.

        If walking, cycling, or catching a train to a given destination is faster and easier than driving, then that’s what many people will do.

        But those alternatives — fast metro systems, frequent busses, light rail, barrier-protected and off-street cycling paths — need to be in place first.

        • Owen
          1•10 months ago

          @ajsadauskas @heatofignition @mondoman712

          You can obviously do whatever policy advocacy you want. IMO it’s not actually possible to make walking, biking and transit more convenient and less costly than driving without increasing the cost of driving. Higher gas prices and better transit reinforces each other.

          Meanwhile the existing pollution and car dependency creates real harm every day it persists.

          • Owen
            2•10 months ago

            @ajsadauskas @heatofignition @mondoman712

            It seems pretty obvious to me that we’re not mitigating harm to low income or marginalized folks by making it cheap for middle class folks to pollute and cause traffic violence, despite whatever benefits people might get from low gas prices.

            • Owen
              2•10 months ago

              @ajsadauskas @heatofignition @mondoman712

              I can’t speak to Australian demographics but in the US the lowest decile of income is 9 times more likely to not own a car. So they don’t get any benefits from low gas prices but they still have to pay the costs of pollution, traffic violence and a political economy that hates transit because driving is so cheap and easy for the middle class.

              • AJ Sadauskas
                1•10 months ago

                @owen @heatofignition @mondoman712 Here’s the timetable for the Sydney Northwest Metro: https://transportnsw.info/documents/timetables/93-M-Sydney-Metro-North-West-20230929.pdf

                It has a service every four minutes during the morning and evening peak.

                I’ve attached a screenshot from Google Maps showing what’s typical 8am morning commute would look like from Rouse Hill to Macquarie University and the Macquarie Park business precinct.

                It’s typically 40 minutes by car. You have to have your hands on the wheel. You’re stuck in traffic. That’s if you pay $9.56 or $14.13 for a toll road, which is a bit quicker.

                Or you can take the Metro.

                Trains run every four minutes during the morning peak, so you can turn up and go. It’s a modern service with driverless trains and platform-screen doors.

                It takes 32 minutes — so it’s the faster option. And you can do other things during your commute.

                (I’ve attached a screenshot, please note you might need to see the original post to view it.)

                The train is the faster and more convenient option.

                Why wouldn’t you take the Metro?

                This isn’t because the state government has done anything to hobble road driving.

                It’s because the NSW State Government has invested in building a good quality, frequent Metro service to the northwestern suburbs.

                The Metro has been a catalyst for building a number of transit-oriented developments at each of the stations. For the people living in those apartments, there’s a clear winner.

                The problem is that for around 70 years after WW2, governments have zoned whole suburbs for low-density residential.

                These car-dependent suburbs, cars were the only viable option for getting to work, school, or shopping. By design.

                At best, there’s an often unreliable bus that runs every 20 minutes during the peak. And that’s it.

                At least in Australia, they tend to be on the outer fringes of the major metropolitan areas. Wealthier people with a choice tend to prefer inner-urban areas with better public transport.

                If you just hit people in these areas with taxes and fines without a compelling alternative, and you’re effectively levelling a poor tax.

                Give people access to good quality public transport — and yes it can be faster than being stuck in traffic — and they’ll choose it.