Peak car?

[mspohr]

The age of 'the car is king’ is over. The sooner we accept that, the better | John Vidal

The world is moving away from road vehicles through ride-sharing and cheap public transport. The benefits are incalculable, says environment writer John Vidal

www.theguardian.com

 

[ThomasD]

 

[mspohr]

Germany offered a 9 Euro monthly train pass. It was very successful.
Estimate that they saved 1.5 billion tons of CO2.

 

[ThomasD]

I like Trains. But if I wanted to go to Tampa I would have to drive just over an hour to the Train Station. Take the Train to Chicago, Then to DC. DC to Orlando and rent a car to continue my journey or take the Train from Orlando to Tampa. Then get a rental car. Driving only takes 14 hours. It is sad that the Train in California is taking so long and costing so much money

 

[mspohr]

I like Trains. But if I wanted to go to Tampa I would have to drive just over an hour to the Train Station. Take the Train to Chicago, Then to DC. DC to Orlando and rent a car to continue my journey or take the Train from Orlando to Tampa. Then get a rental car. Driving only takes 14 hours. It is sad that the Train in California is taking so long and costing so much money

Unfortunately the US doesn't have a very well developed public transportation system. Europe is much better..
It will take some time to develop a US system.

 

[ThomasD]

 

[mspohr]

Germany offered a 9 Euro monthly train pass. It was very successful.
Estimate that they saved 1.5 billion tons of CO2.

Spain has now offered free train commuting.

 

[ThomasD]

I don't see California or New York offering free rides to commuters

 

[mspohr]

I don't see California or New York offering free rides to commuters

The Lake Tahoe bus service (TART, runs around the lake and to Truckee) is free. They also offer an "on demand" ride service (also free).
More places are getting the message.

 

[roblab]

The Lake Tahoe bus service (TART, runs around the lake and to Truckee) is free. They also offer an "on demand" ride service (also free).
More places are getting the message.

Of course, there's the hundred-mile jaunt just to GET TO Tahoe. And it's all uphill. Probably not going to ride your bike, and if you do, your life is in your hands as there are precious few bike lanes on the way. I see people "riding for their health" here in Napa Valley, with cars doing 60-plus mph just a few feet away. Don't hear of many accidents, but they happen, with poor visibility on curves, narrow bike lanes, guard rails right at the edge of the road with just a foot left for bikes. Nothing to do with being healthy. Listen, folks, you're safer riding in your own neighborhoods. Don't come to Napa Valley to get hit.

 

[mspohr]

Of course, there's the hundred-mile jaunt just to GET TO Tahoe. And it's all uphill. Probably not going to ride your bike, and if you do, your life is in your hands as there are precious few bike lanes on the way. I see people "riding for their health" here in Napa Valley, with cars doing 60-plus mph just a few feet away. Don't hear of many accidents, but they happen, with poor visibility on curves, narrow bike lanes, guard rails right at the edge of the road with just a foot left for bikes. Nothing to do with being healthy. Listen, folks, you're safer riding in your own neighborhoods. Don't come to Napa Valley to get hit.

Most car use is local commuting, not long distance travel.
At Tahoe, we have an extensive system of paved bike trails and mountain biking trails for healthy safe bicycle travel.
Sorry about Napa. Haven't been there in years.

 

[mspohr]

https://nyti.ms/3RzFODf
India’s Electric Vehicle Push Is Riding on Mopeds and Rickshaws https://nyti.ms/3RzFODf
Indian automakers sold 430,000 electric vehicles in the 12 months that ended in March, more than three times as many as a year earlier. Most were two- and three-wheeled vehicles, with cars accounting for just 18,000, according to industry data. Americans bought about 487,000 new electric cars in 2021, a 90 percent increase from 2020, according to Kelley Blue Book.

 

[Earl]

Most car use is local commuting, not long distance travel.
At Tahoe, we have an extensive system of paved bike trails and mountain biking trails for healthy safe bicycle travel.
Sorry about Napa. Haven't been there in years.

Neither Napa nor Tahoe are useful examples. They are areas where leisure activities dominate, not examples of sustainable economical microcosms. Both depend on folks from other places who work for a living to sustain them and buy their high-end products or spend their sparse leisure time.
Cars work to break the lock of high property costs due to required proximity to enable walking to work or mass transit hubs or from low wages due to fewer options due to the same proximity requirements.
I took a college course titled "a sociological perspective on housing' that was quite eye opening. It covered these natural limitations caused by a need to be in walking distance from home to work and shopping. Housing and business farther from the central business district were cheaper but far less convenient and, hence business less profitable and housing less desirable. Mass transit enables a network of such business districts but still does not provide reasonable NxN connectivity of people and their places of employment and trade as the independent automobile does.
While clearly, car overcrowding is a part of population overcrowding. There aren't obvious simple solutions.
Ride-sharing will most likely only increase the amount of traffic on roads although it will reduce the amount of needed parking facilities.
It's an interesting problem but discussion between residents of wealthy resort areas isn't very relevant to the world.

 

[RichAZ/CapeCod]

I don't see California or New York offering free rides to commuters

Well, NYC sorta does. A significant percent of the riding public "jump the turnstiles" (get on the system without paying). As the local district attorneys will not prosecute for this violation this means, de-facto, that one can ride the subways for free.

Remember, a law, regulation or rule without a penalty is nothing more than a suggestion.

Rich

(41 years a Jack-Booted Thug... 20 NYPD/20 Chief of Police on Cape Cod)

 

[Earl]

I don't see California or New York offering free rides to commuters

I actually wonder if offering free rides might be better than the current heavily subsidized public transit. With heavy subsidies and operating at a loss. Since politicians are always encouraged to reduce losses, naturally, the transit operators will be encouraged to reduce losses. This creates 'the last stop' problem with mass transit.
The last stop on the line usually has very little usage compared with other stops (park and ride may help this). Therefore, it is always an obvious one to cut in order to reduce losses. If you shut it down, the next stop becomes 'the last stop'. The same goes with 'the last train of the night'. This is not a sustainable model since it eventually leads to shutting down the system or only serving a very small part of the population that would benefit.
Perhaps, if there is no assumption that there is any revenue coming from riders, service would be the goal, not profit or loss and this would improve?
- just a musing . . .

 

[outdoors]

For many people like me cars are just transportation. I would suspect on a worldwide level this belief is greater.

Some connect cars with status symbols or a place of refuge for individualism. Which is completely fine, but I suspect many are conditioned over many generations to equate cars with individual freedom or self expression. When in some cases that individual may not even need a car. I look at teens in the US getting a driver's license, and then the need to get a car. Why? Is there a need or again that expression of freedom. Programs that can dangle a carrot to make people think differently, often correctly for the greater good are wonderful. Are they always perfect no, but people change so should our was to reach them.

So are we at peak car? I have no idea

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

The age of 'the car is king’ is over. The sooner we accept that, the better | John Vidal

The world is moving away from road vehicles through ride-sharing and cheap public transport. The benefits are incalculable, says environment writer John Vidal

www.theguardian.com

While the article points to some disruptions that will put downward pressure on vehicle sales, it ignores the huge reverse pressures: rising property prices and driving assistance technology.

 

[ThomasD]

The Lake Tahoe bus service (TART, runs around the lake and to Truckee) is free. They also offer an "on demand" ride service (also free).
More places are getting the message.

I'm talking about Cities. Will L A and NYC give free transit to all the people that live there?

 

[ThomasD]

45% of the people in this country don't have access to mass transit. Where are these places outside of cities that people won't need to own private cars anymore? Will there be public transit or an UBER to take someone who lives an hour or two away from a major town into a major town to shop or to the Dr. Even in areas with mass transit they may not travel where you need to go.

 

[mspohr]

45% of the people in this country don't have access to mass transit. Where are these places outside of cities that people won't need to own private cars anymore? Will there be public transit or an UBER to take someone who lives an hour or two away from a major town into a major town to shop or to the Dr. Even in areas with mass transit they may not travel where you need to go.

55% do have access to public transit