Require better utilization of the cars or you have to take the bus. Pretty simple.
I’m starting to develop a vigor for public transit to match the one forced on us for car infrastructure in the 60s. Bigger, taller, more, I want 3 bus lanes and a tram line to any town in the country. We can do no wrong taking back all the space we gave to the car, as long as the garbage truck fits on the street, car users can share 1 lane both directions. Take their parking, take their license for rolling stops and using their phone, gift them e-bikes.
Make transit free, let the highways rot, expand the railways. Sorry for that pothole, all the money was used up by rail.
Just anything better than we have now. If we have to act fast and break things, so be it.
, car users can share 1 lane both directions.
Oh God, I don’t trust them with that.
I visited India 30 years ago and (in the southern part of the country at least) the major highways between cities had a single paved lane in the middle and then just dirt and gravel on the steeply-sloped sides. So on bus trips the drivers would stick to the middle until the last possible second and then veer off so that just the right wheels were on the pavement as they passed each other while tipping crazily to each side. I made the huge mistake on my first trip of sitting in the front seat; I later corrected my mistake by always taking the fucking train, which didn’t have this problem.
More than half them cars are women on their way to starbucks
What does this have to do with anything
Women! We need to bring back misogyny! (I am joking)
True but people have less of a problem when I masturbate in my car.
Honestly? I judge you every time man, but I can’t tear my eyes away
Majestic, isn’t it? I don’t send dick pics because they just can’t capture its grandeur.
Yeah. You meed a better setup for that. Just a basic 10x+oculus doesn’t cut it. Your microscope needs some immersion fluid for the 400x.
I talk as a person who rode the bicycle and walked more than driven a car that in a typical city centre designed for cars I prefer to live poluting with my car rather than die hit by one while riding the bicycle in a hurry to work.
It’s a little bit sad that you are forced to do the thing that forces people into doing the thing, for your own safety.
If that sentence makes sense.
Your sentiment is fine. The reason you’re being downvoted isn’t because of your desire to drive a car for your own safety, it’s because it appears as if you feel that is the only solution.
This community is interesting because despite the name many users here understand a significant change does need to occur before vehicles can be drummed out at bigger percentages. Many also know that modern infrastructure and working expectations means that a car is the only way a lot of people can make ends meet.
In your case there may be an alternative route, a bus you can take, or even car pooling, amongst other options depending on the location. The answer isn’t continuing to pollute, that’s just the easy response. But you’re right, biking is dangerous and there are motorists out there who have an unhealthy emotional relationship with the road, and against bicyclists. So stay safe, alright?
Just maybe also look at alternatives whilst doing so.
Wow, I never expected that elaborated answer, thank you. To be honest I love the bicycle and can’t wait until the autumn rains stop and the good white finnish winter starts for some cool rides. It just requires more preparation and shower time each morning, but twice a week is great.
I have been so close to an accident several times that makes me think, what a sad way to end my life in a hurry to get my ass into work. I even love my job, but still it’s so absurd to precipitate an accident by hurrying to make it for 8 o’clock in the morning every damn day.
I’ve also used the bus a lot, but despite the last technology pros like vehicle gps tracking it takes three times longer to get to work than by car and is quite boring too.
To sum up I think the best solution would be to remove like 90% of the asfalt roads. If you want to drive, then get you some vehicle that can ride the mountains around the city.
insane that the bus gets its own lane \s
True! 10-12 more cars could have fit on that road if it wasn’t for that stupid bus.
But the poors have to get to their jobs serving me…
I got it! Let’s widen the road! Nobody uses the sidewalk anyway. /S
Depends if it’s full or not. I live in a city with decent public bus transport. Outside of rush hour those buses are just mostly empty and sometimes we have a grid lock of empty buses.
Yes this this is clearly a picture of an empty bus at 2AM when nobody is trying to get anywhere.
From my experience bus is carrying just the driver
Walk > Cycle > Tram > Train > Car > Bus.
Buses always seem like the worst possible option from a personal standpoint.
Why is that?
Waiting by the roadside tends to be an unpleasant experience. Then the bus ride itself isn’t usually pleasant. This is all from my recollection from many years ago.
Walking is easier than driving for you?
I much prefer it. I don’t have to worry about parking or vehicle security. Fewer concerns about careless or asshole drivers.
And you get time to appreciate where you’re at, both physically and in life. Stop and smell the roses sometimes.
I do. I genuinely enjoy walking.
In my experience (lived in four countries, ~30 cities / towns), public transport just feels unsafe. It’s always a choice between crazies shouting, groups of teenagers playfighting and blasting their mobile phones on full volume or just the good old rapey stare from strangers. I’d rather not be exposed to all the worst elements of society at close quarters in a metal tube I can’t escape from.
Isn’t that a bit self-fulfilling, though? If more people rode the bus, then it wouldn’t be all creeps and teens.
For my part, having lived in Philly where the people on the busses are actually quite pleasant, it was still too inefficient to make it work. A ten minute drive would be over an hour on the bus, and god help you if the bus was running late (I’m kidding, the bus was always running late). That’s a problem that gets worse when there are more riders. As soon as it got too cold to ride a bike, busses would be completely full and unable to take more riders, which meant you’d have to wait for the next one.
Employers aren’t very understanding about being late. Even if you had a direct route from your house to your job, you’d still need to account for extra time for delays. Taking the bus means you pack on two extra hours onto your commute every day, which even at minimum wage is $3,770 worth of time every year. At a living wage, it’s over $10,000 per year. Even with upkeep and insurance, anybody getting paid enough to live practically needs a car. And that’s if you live and work in the city, which is the ideal situation for public transit. Move to the burbs, and that bus ain’t going where you are.
It seems like it would be a self fulfilling prophecy, you are right.
At the same time, having lived in London for 10 years… This is from today: https://red.artemislena.eu/r/london/comments/1fprfcy/i_cant_even_take_the_bus_in_peace_due_to_sexual/
The argument that more people taking public transport would somehow fix this makes no sense in a place like London. It’s a gigantic city with public transport permanently bursting at the seams.
A bus through a dodgy area at midnight won’t feel safe unless it’s policed somehow. I don’t know where the resources for that could possibly come from.
Hi, which countries did you live in? I’ve also lived in several countries throughout my life and only experienced what you’re describing in the US (at least in the city I live in, maybe it’s a bias)
Public transport in London was probably the worst. Case in point: https://red.artemislena.eu/r/london/comments/1fprfcy/i_cant_even_take_the_bus_in_peace_due_to_sexual/
The argument that more people taking public transport would somehow fix this makes no sense in a place like London. It’s a gigantic city with public transport permanently bursting at the seams.
A bus through a dodgy area at midnight won’t feel safe unless it’s policed somehow. I don’t know where the resources for that could possibly come from.
people should be reminded that posts like these aren’t really critical of people for not taking the bus. they’re critical of systems and planning that don’t make you want to take the bus.
if the bus is always packed people will not want to ride it. that’s not on you.
if the bus is unreliable, that’s not on you.
if there’s no bus or public transit that goes where you want to go out somewhere of a reasonable walking distance, that’s not on you.
if where you’re going is not walkable in the first place, then taking the bus is pointless since once you arrive you’d need a car anyway.
demanding change however is on you.
it’s not like cars are awesome by the way. they’re inefficient, pricy, troublesome, there’s traffic, parking… it’s stressful and it’s deadly to boot. if people are not taking the bus, the city has work to do.
I think (most) cars are awesome but want better public transit because there’s way too many people who are terrible drivers.
If driving required licensing like an airplane pilot I’d still get one. And probably enjoy driving more because I could expect people to know how to zipper merge.
I just want people to learn how the fucking stop signs work.
people have designed the systems you are crying about and people use the systems you are crying about. People make the systems and engage them, you cant keep crying about systems or nothing will change
I’m critical of all the people driving over sized SUV by themselves in NYC when I’m trying to get a loaded box truck though a gridlocked intersection. Even if the city instruction doesn’t have mass transit, you do not need Escalade over a commuter car.
Blame marketing (propaganda.) Our government has given control of our information networks to corporations and corporations use those channels to blast us with consumerist propaganda 24/7. People are taught that the type of car they drive defines who they are as a person so they do what they were taught and they buy a giant tank of a vehicle so that people will see them as dependable, manly, successful, outdoorsy, etc.
An SUV in NYC is especially egregious. They could have taken the train from Yonkers, and used the bus/subway. You guys are the one city in the US that actually has decent mass transit.
If you actually live in the city, and own an SUV you are an idiot spending way too much on parking.
Sometimes being in my little car driving in NYC is more relaxing or faster. Most of the time taking public transportation takes the same amount of time as driving, so I’ll pick driving so I don’t have to be cold or hot while waiting or to deal with other people. The argument for making more public transportation faster, more frequent is a good one and would make more people use it.
You guys are the one city in the US that actually has decent mass transit.
The DC metro is a lot nicer than the NYC subway.
Valid complaint, but not really the focus of this post imo
yeah just because you’re not riding a bus doesn’t mean you should get around with a Gigantus Pollutinator 9000 or a private jet, obviously.
Semi solve by carrying passengers. Become the bus you wanna see.
piggy back rides for $1.99!
Pfft. But for real. I’m getting this feeling this is not normal in USA. Meanwhile where I live people routi ely pick each other up on the way ti save o fuel and/or time.
Yeah, and that’s why I prefer cycling or skateboarding wherever I need (depending on the distance). In Russia those MFs get pretty packed at times, sometimes to the point it gets hard to breath in there 😬
The bus has 33 people on it? Even buses in Korea don’t get that packed in most places.
Russian here, the main routes are always packed here (esp during rush hour)
33 is packed??
Doesn’t matter, if it was carrying 25% of the people that the cars are it’d be baller.
Try riding the bus when the children go to school. It will be so full, that combined with emptier busses you are sure to get the 33 on average.
Yea. The bus I take when I go to vocational school is one of those long double busses with bellows in the middle. If you get there at the wrong time, it’s packed to the point the doors won’t close. It has like 50 seats or so alone and at least the same amount of people standing, if not more. It’s crazy how many people you can squish in a single bus. Luckily the ride is only like 10min because it does get uncomfortably full at times.
Also, as a nice extra, the busses are fully electric, also.
one of those long double busses with bellows in the middle
I believe the technical term is: A bendy bus
Makes sense. English isn’t my first language and even in my first language (German), I couldn’t tell you how they’re called. Most people just call them double busses or accordion busses.
Ah. Danke. Ich wusste nur, dass die Ziehharmonika in der Mitte Faltenbalg heißt.
People get stabbed on busses here. I’ll drive everywhere, thanks.
Bet you good money that the risk of getting stabbed on the bus is far lower than the risk of getting in a car crash.
I’m with you on this one, not sure why you’re being downvoted. Until public transport is safe, which it has never been in my experience (as a lifelong public transport user in many countries), I’ll walk or cycle. Or, well, now I live rurally so there’s no public transport, and I’m reluctantly driving everywhere.
Really? I’m also not sure why exactly he’s being downvoted, but only bc there’s many possible reasons.
- There’s no way transit-stabbings are a real problem, anywhere. Even in the grungiest places, it has to be a fake problem like elevator cables snapping or plane crashes and it’s all fear-mongering.
- You can make these comments everywhere and they’re always unhelpful. Oh, a “bus is high capacity” post? Yeah, but they’re unsafe here, I’ll pass. Oh, a “bus is super safe” post? Yeah, but they’re very infrequent here, I’ll pass. Oh, a “bus is super frequent post”? Yeah, but we only have small ones, I’ll pass.
- The comment implies smug dismissal, yet that problem and the post’s problem have the same solution: more investments in public transport.
When everyone has to take the bus, it might become safer. Until then, it will be neglected.
People get shot when driving too, you wanna walk now?
Not where I live.
Sure, but I’m not going to get on any conveyance with a bunch of strangers if I can avoid it.
