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More Than 80 Percent Of Americans Can’t Afford New Cars
(jalopnik.com)
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this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2023
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Here's another reason why taking transit doesn't bother me. For five bucks a day I can listen to podcasts and music and read books for 30 minutes, and let someone else take care of everything, I do not love everything about the bus (really you have to make everyone disembark during rush hour so you can cram your obesity scooter on there so you can go to Tim Hortons so nobody else can sit down?), but honestly it's pretty stress free. I realize not everyone has access to transit but I think people should make more effort to use it.
The problem I run into is time. And sometimes location. My previous job, for instance, was far enough out that there was no bus service; I had to drive. My only other option was a 2-hour transit ride and then a half-hour bike ride, partly on gravel roads.
And my friend has a job that’s 15 minutes by car, or 45 minutes away by bus. Even worse, with recent construction messing with the trains, his commute has gone to 2 hours plus.
And this is in a city with a decently robust transit system.
No definitely transit should be made more robust, I know it doesn't work for everyone. Get light rail transit everywhere and make 15 minute commutes, I say. Make transit more convenient than driving.
Adding more light rail wherever it makes sense is definitely a good plan (and should happen), but improving bus networks gives a lot more bang for the buck than focusing only on light rail. Features like off-board fare collection (paying at the bus stop, not on the vehicle), bus signal priority (extending greens and shortening reds as buses approach traffic lights), and dedicated bus lanes all improve the overall speed of buses and therefore the overall rider experience. Expanding the prevalence of these features should be a priority everywhere, particularly on higher-ridership routes.
Those are also all excellent ideas. More tranist all around I say.
we should build rail out as far as possible, then at the termini put a park and ride and a BRT that stretches as far out as possible
The biggest problem I run I to with transit in most cities is the time sink, security flaws, and expense.
I drive to a park and ride where I have to pay 12 dollars to have my car broken into. Then wait 20 minutes to pamy another $15 to take the light rail that drops me off 8 blocks from my destination, then wait 20 minutes to pay 5 bucks for the bus that drops me 2 blocks away, then walk to my destination.
Or I could drive straight to my destination, pay 8 bucks for the parking garage with a security gate, and save an hour.
Right, the "take mass transit" works great ... in places with functional mass transit.
Bike or electric scooter. Not sure what the distance is but anything under 25 kms is feasible.
I'm not cycling the 40 miles between affordable housing and my office in 105° for 5 months or of the year.
Not everybody can live in New York where the system can support robust public transit.
I live near Austin, and the cheapest place to rent in the small city I work is over $4,000 a month. The place I live is 1/5th of that, but it's a 90-minute commute by car.
I'd kill for better housing or transit options, but it's a very complex problem to solve in established areas that largely developed post-automobile. I work in municipal planning, so I appreciate both the advantages and the challenges more than most.
25 km (15 mi) is a bit of a stretch, although I'd have to test my ebike at those distances to know for sure. I got 10 miles one way throttle-only the other day before I ran out of battery
Can you not just manually pedal?
Has it...occurred to you that some disabled people have mobility issues or pain disorders that limit mobility to begin with, and that weight gain is a byproduct of not being able to walk or move or stand for very long without trouble?
I had a boss who had dwarfism and used a wheelchair 80% of the time. 20% of the time he slowly, painfully did hobble about--but it was clear as day WHY he was higher weight than he should've been. My own blood pressure would spike hearing the tiny sounds of pain he made when got out of his wheelchair and moved.
I have a friend with POTS--and if you're unfamiliar with that, basically she stands up and her blood pressure and heart rate is malfunctioning so her heart acts like she's running a marathon, the beats per minute go insane...but blood is pooling in her feet and they're turning purple where you can't see it because things are out of whack and despite her heart going haywaire, there's not enough pressure to get the blood out of her feet and elsewhere. This condition happened prior to any weight gain.
I can hear her breath start to go wobbly just doing simple things because her body doesn't regulate her blood pressure and heart rate normally. She's gained weight because she's at risk of passing the fuck out if she is on her feet for very long--she has to literally plan out doing simple things like going to the grocery store because if she pushes herself she might end up downed on the sidewalk relying on the helpfulness of strangers to get back up. It's taken her many years to accept she really shouldn't be pushing herself into a collapse because she's worried that people will judge her for being "lazy and fat". Comments like yours about "obesity scooters" only act to tear down all the people who ARE trying their hardest and still having their body fail them.
I have a different friend who has thyroid problems, she inherited them from her mom (and her bro has them too), and weight is a bitch for her to manage because her thyroid is fried.
I just broke my foot in July, and watched my weight inch up because it's really fucking hard to get up stairs when you can't put weight on one foot. I was semi bedbound for like 2 months. I'm LUCKY in that my foot will heal, but I don't even snack and I gained 15lbs because of that one little temporary mobility issue. I'm LUCKY in that once it heals, I will be able to move normally and lose what I gained.
You could've made your point about transit without taking pot-shots at disabled people, who often are stuck in a terrible situation of their body failing them medically, and society often forcing them into poverty to be able to access the care they need.
Seriously, why isn't it possible to champion mass public transit for all without shitting on the people who use it by necessity currently?
We're you refered to physical therapy after breaking your foot? Or are you able to see if insurance will pay because your mobility has been reduced?
I had several injuries in the military that left me unable to stand, walk, drive a car, or balance for very long. With the help of physical therapy I was eventually able to walk properly, then after some time I was able to take a ride to work a job where I was sometimes sitting but often standing. Eventually I was able to work and exercise enough that I got all my balance and mobility back.
Having public transit helped me when I still didn't have enough fine motor control to operate a pedal and brake.
Not everyone is on the same journey, but please see if you can access physical therapy. Please advocate for not just healing but making yourself whole.
You don't have to go to Tim Hortons at rush hour when everyone is using it to go to work and school, and inconvenience everyone on the bus making them late while you back your scooter on because you just have to go get your 12 pack of donuts right now. Just wait a little while until the buses are quieter for pity's sake.
Disabled people couldn't possibly have a reason to be outside at the same time as good, hardworking folk. Why don't they just lurk in the shadows where they belong?
Weight gain is a byproduct of consuming more calories than your body expends. Not everyone can walk or be active, but everyone can put the fork down. It’s quite simple actually
Or is it?
Do you take into account that:
Imho everyone can put the fork down as in everyone can stop smoking or doing any drugs really. It's possible but demands an extra effort that not anyone is able to put in at any given moment (without even taking relapses into account).
To me it really has some "it's your fault you got conned" vibes ^^'
When I was in college I lost weight when I had no access to a kitchen. I ate a lot of fast food but just counted my calories. Sometimes you have to do weird things like skipping the buns on a burger but it’s really not that hard
I'm glad it wasn't that hard for you ^^
But I think you're confusing hard and difficult.
Well there's that and the fact that if you're a tradesman --or woman, or whatever-- having a truck or van can be pretty crucial to your ability to make a decent income.
I currently have a company vehicle, but for years, prior to my current position and when I was a contractor, I was obliged to own my own truck or van for very basic practical reasons.