There is a lot of tilting at windmills with straw men in them going on here. It seems to be a product of the Kotkin school of obfuscating the internal contradictions in ones argument.
At the end of the day, improving transit and creating more walkable neighborhoods is about giving Americans more living options, not taking their preferred choice away.
Trembath cites the fact that "over 85% of Americans commute to work by car, overwhelmingly alone, compared to about 5% who use public transit and less than 1% who bike" as evidence that cars are "really popular." Given how terrible mass transit options are for the overwhelming number of Americans, that is hardly evidence that cars are "really popular." Ask any Soviet grandmother--buying the only option on the shelf doesn't mean you love it.
Hernandez's article is mostly a wokewashing of her anti-mass transit and anti-environmentalism animus.
They are for cars. They are not so I don't bike into someone (Though they set up bike signals! Dumb!). Traffic lights ruin commute times and literally create traffic. All because cars are so huge and heavy that their existence (doing what they are built for) is so dangerous that every other form of transit (which do not need traffic lights) has to use them. Talk about a huge externality.
Street wideness and parking are also car externalities. We've had cars for so long the inefficiency of them is baked into our minds. I'm sick of everyone's inability to see it.
The US economy is heavily invested in all things related to the automobile.
Automobiles are extremely convenient, compared to most other current modes of transportation.
The US public has had in the past a huge love affair with the automobile, although many younger people seem to be less enamored.
As we have moved toward working from home due to the pandemic, we may find that driving and the use of motor vehicles will decrease.
We have to address the issues of whether the use of pipelines vs rail or trucking is more environmentally friendly in the long run, particularly if we are going to have to use fossil fuels for the near future.
We have to be circumspect and reasonable when addressing environmental issues. To frame everything as an emergency or cataclysmic seems drastic when we see so-called Climate Change enthusiasts using huge amounts of energy with their homes and vehicles, and purchasing ocean front property.
It is very reasonable to consider alternative forms of energy which make sense for large populations. But consider the amount of reported immigrants to this country and all the energy required for use of current and future populations. People are going to get very upset if their energy needs are not met the way they are accustomed to, even Climate Change warriors.
If and when we do find alternatives to the automobile as we know it, whether fully electric or combinations of personal vehicles and mass transit, what do we do with the current vehicles?
Thinking about the use of electric vehicles vs ICE vehicles, what are the potential environmental concerns of electric vehicles, both in terms of energy requirements for massive usage and for disposition of batteries when they are no longer useful?
There is a lot of tilting at windmills with straw men in them going on here. It seems to be a product of the Kotkin school of obfuscating the internal contradictions in ones argument.
At the end of the day, improving transit and creating more walkable neighborhoods is about giving Americans more living options, not taking their preferred choice away.
Trembath cites the fact that "over 85% of Americans commute to work by car, overwhelmingly alone, compared to about 5% who use public transit and less than 1% who bike" as evidence that cars are "really popular." Given how terrible mass transit options are for the overwhelming number of Americans, that is hardly evidence that cars are "really popular." Ask any Soviet grandmother--buying the only option on the shelf doesn't mean you love it.
Hernandez's article is mostly a wokewashing of her anti-mass transit and anti-environmentalism animus.
Why are there ANY traffic lights?
They are for cars. They are not so I don't bike into someone (Though they set up bike signals! Dumb!). Traffic lights ruin commute times and literally create traffic. All because cars are so huge and heavy that their existence (doing what they are built for) is so dangerous that every other form of transit (which do not need traffic lights) has to use them. Talk about a huge externality.
Street wideness and parking are also car externalities. We've had cars for so long the inefficiency of them is baked into our minds. I'm sick of everyone's inability to see it.
A few considerations:
The US economy is heavily invested in all things related to the automobile.
Automobiles are extremely convenient, compared to most other current modes of transportation.
The US public has had in the past a huge love affair with the automobile, although many younger people seem to be less enamored.
As we have moved toward working from home due to the pandemic, we may find that driving and the use of motor vehicles will decrease.
We have to address the issues of whether the use of pipelines vs rail or trucking is more environmentally friendly in the long run, particularly if we are going to have to use fossil fuels for the near future.
We have to be circumspect and reasonable when addressing environmental issues. To frame everything as an emergency or cataclysmic seems drastic when we see so-called Climate Change enthusiasts using huge amounts of energy with their homes and vehicles, and purchasing ocean front property.
It is very reasonable to consider alternative forms of energy which make sense for large populations. But consider the amount of reported immigrants to this country and all the energy required for use of current and future populations. People are going to get very upset if their energy needs are not met the way they are accustomed to, even Climate Change warriors.
If and when we do find alternatives to the automobile as we know it, whether fully electric or combinations of personal vehicles and mass transit, what do we do with the current vehicles?
Thinking about the use of electric vehicles vs ICE vehicles, what are the potential environmental concerns of electric vehicles, both in terms of energy requirements for massive usage and for disposition of batteries when they are no longer useful?