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Tilted Cat Head
Administrator
Location: Manhattan, NY
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by QuasiMondo
Even Pennsylfucktuckanians had horse-and-buggy carriages, which, given the available technology back then provided the same level of transportation freedom an automobile would have today.
Living in NYC gives puts you in a unique position of having a public transportation system that is unmatched by any other city in this nation. This public transit system is the only one that can give you the equivalent freedom to get from point A to B on a whim as you could with a car. Given the heavy traffic and lack of available parking that a driver in NYC faces, often times, it's to their advantage to use public transportation instead of their own cars.
Outside of NYC, it's a different story. Buses arrive on the half hour, and on less uses routes, on the hour. The lack of routes means the bus would have to take circuitous routes to get from here to there. When I lived in Florida, a 20 minute ride by car to my job was a two hour ride by bus which meant taking a trip from Kissimmee into the terminal in downtown Orlando, then another bus from there to my job at Universal Studios. Making the ride even more unpleasant was the abundance of homeless folks occasionally made the bus their home, drunk or otherwise. But enough about my sob story.
Driving may be viewed as a privilege, but given the local geography, lack of public transportation, and significant changes to a person's life when the ability to use a car is lost (to include their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness), it would be a mistake to label it a privilege like this is a trivial posession.
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Actually only the wealthy had horses, and the wealthiest had horse and buggy. Everyone has feet.
I have lived in Singapore, they also have good public transit systems.
Outside of the cities, I grew up in Los Angeles, and did need a car. A car improved my range which in turn improved my ability to make higher wages.
I did not need a car living in Northern New Jersey. I lived in Englewood and Hoboken. Neither required me to own or operate a vehicle. In fact when the state of NJ decided I needed to have an insurance surcharge of $1,000 I said, "Here is my driver's license. I don't need to pay you that money for the privelige of driving."
I also lived in Hicksville, Long Island. I also did not require a vehicle in order to get my groceries, doctor, get to work. I could easily walk to shopping centers and transport to the railroad to get to NYC.
Outside of the US, people I know who live in Iceland don't own cars and don't live in the major metropolitan areas. They walk to work in the ice, snow, and rain.
Walking is an option that many do not take.
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