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If they're going to make people ride bikes and scooters in traffic, then it should at LEAST be legal to do the Snow Crash thing where you use a hook-shot-style harpoon to catch free rides from cars.
this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2023
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I was in very bike-friendly Copenhagen last summer and yes, it was nice. I do think in order for cars to move out of cities, we need to focus more on public transportation in the suburbs of big cities, so people could easily access the city without paying an arm and a leg for parking.
I lived in a suburb about 20 min outside of Philadelphia in high school, and It was nice hopping the train in and out, then getting into my car and driving home.
Yeah, parking really kills it.
In Houston, by the time you've paid for the parking and the light rail ticket you've spent more than you would paying for extra gas and for a space in the parking garage at your destination.
So public transit ends up costing more AND adds 30-60 minutes to the commute, plus a 5-block walk in 115°. Why wouldn't I take my air-conditioned recliner?
Yeah, NYC is horrible for this too, and even the parking in NJ across the river is ridiculous if you want to ride in from there. There is a train, but that's gotten expensive too. It's just a shitshow.
I'm not anti-car or bike but we really don't have a good system in place for either when it comes to cities.
As a resident, I just use a monthly pass and it's cheaper than when I had a car and the insurance, gas, and maintenance in a lower cost of living area.
Sure, the MTA isn't perfect, but you can access a lot of the city through the trains and buses. If you've ever driven in the city it can be a lot worse when you include parking. If we were to convert buildings into parking, you would end up with a ton of sprawl and a less walkable city.