WTF? Driving is by definition a privilege. You're maneuvering a 2-ton murder machine.
We got into the current mess because people treat driving as a right - I have to have parking, I have to get there fast, I have to bend everything society to fit my car. And when someone gets caught for a DUI, judges go lenient because they know that taking away their license will obliterate their means to work and live.
> So we are going to need very good public mass transit options, and IMO some kind of vast network of professional drivers that are more affordable than Uber
Sort of. We need denser cities and mixed-use neighborhoods so that people can live close to the goods and services they need. Transit is a feasible problem as evidenced by Europe and Asia. No society has operated under the assumption of a vast network of professional private vehicle drivers (so, disregard bus drivers).
> go "the last mile" (more like 10-50)
That's the problem. We have to stop designing cities like that.
The point was to give an UNpopular opinion. The current driving system is a joke in need of reform. The poor suffer the most.
IMO people just need to cut some of the BS with this driving stuff. I don't think judges really go particularly leniently anymore. You can't function without a car.
The reality is that we probably need to accept that driving is here to stay as a basic NEED and act accordingly. Certain people that are extremely dangerous drivers are going to get their rights curtailed, however we should also support everyone functioning in society.
I think we need to get closer to the system I saw in Netherlands, however IMO it really fell short of what I want to see. Until we surpass this, I think we just need to accept driving.
Lots of jurisdictions, even in EU have vast areas with poor service. Most cities I've been in would be fine with public transit. It's networks of large population centers that can be easily connected, especially with good bike culture we could be just like the Netherlands. It's large swaths of the non-city land that contain people and towns that would be a challenge.
You can't just not drive. It raises alarm bells and attracts unwanted attention. I'm not the only one that's experienced this, I think you can find this on /r/fuckcars. An employer almost called the cops on me once. It's fucking weird. That's not even getting into how unsafe it can be.
How can we pretend this is a "privilege"? IMO it's like calling healthcare a privilege (which btw I also think is a right)
> Driving is by definition a privilege. You're maneuvering a 2-ton murder machine.
I think this point needs sharpening a bit by making the implicit explicit: "Driving" per se isn't the issue, it's where one does it and who else they may endanger when doing it badly or recklessly. People can maneuver 2-ton murder machines alone on their personal closed track as much as they want.
> We have to drive and it's a right.
WTF? Driving is by definition a privilege. You're maneuvering a 2-ton murder machine.
We got into the current mess because people treat driving as a right - I have to have parking, I have to get there fast, I have to bend everything society to fit my car. And when someone gets caught for a DUI, judges go lenient because they know that taking away their license will obliterate their means to work and live.
> So we are going to need very good public mass transit options, and IMO some kind of vast network of professional drivers that are more affordable than Uber
Sort of. We need denser cities and mixed-use neighborhoods so that people can live close to the goods and services they need. Transit is a feasible problem as evidenced by Europe and Asia. No society has operated under the assumption of a vast network of professional private vehicle drivers (so, disregard bus drivers).
> go "the last mile" (more like 10-50)
That's the problem. We have to stop designing cities like that.