I’m saying that private motor vehicles are a huge net positive despite all of that. This is hard to fully discuss in the context of a comment, and we may not see eye to eye on this, but I hope I am able to explain my perspective well:
For many urban areas, real estate is desirable in part because of its accessibility, including by cars. Without that, many who live outside the downtown core wouldn’t be there, lowering the value of that real estate. Sure pollution is undesirable but we can address that, and it’s hard to ignore the fact that being able to get places quickly via cars has improved the richness of our lives and added tremendously to the economy over the last several decades. Traffic eats our time but that’s not true everywhere, and traffic also reflects demand. Traffic is evidence that a lot of people value being able to get to the activities they want, whether that’s work or leisure. And traffic can be alleviated by just building more roads and highways to meet demand - induced demand is a myth that relies on the illogical notion that there is literally infinite demand, which is not true. Are cars expensive? Sure but so are a lot of desirable things in life. The fact that we still purchase them reflects their value to us.
There’s no other transportation option that gives me fast, weather proof, point to point transportation, on my own schedule, for me and any cargo or passengers I have. Public transit will never meet the travel times and flexibility of driving in locations with adequate road infrastructure. And there are no alternatives if I want a life where my day might span a variety of people and activities, which usually mean traveling across a wide area. Having lived in very dense metropolises with only public transit, I can confidently say there’s just no comparison - without a car you’re forced to live on a limited set of routes and on timetables with wait times. Your freedom to experience life is reduced because you just can’t get as much done on any given day, and for me it was hard to even see that until I moved out of an urban jungle. A high density transit only life may be great for young urbanites whose range of activities and circle of people matches that situation, but it isn’t what everyone desires. I’m fine with some cities like NYC optimizing for subways and buses but not every place has to be that way, because people are different and live differently. In my view, cars enable that variation in who we are, and unlocks lifestyles that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.
Very myopic. In many areas, there simply isn't room for any more roads. Like most urban areas. Try again.
You seem to have failed at living in transit-oriented places. I'll take walking to the grocery over sitting in highway traffic for 30 mins any day. Your entire life seems very oriented.
The average American spends like 2 hours a day commuting. You cannot honestly think that is a good use of time or life. Sounds depressing if you ask me.
For many urban areas, real estate is desirable in part because of its accessibility, including by cars. Without that, many who live outside the downtown core wouldn’t be there, lowering the value of that real estate. Sure pollution is undesirable but we can address that, and it’s hard to ignore the fact that being able to get places quickly via cars has improved the richness of our lives and added tremendously to the economy over the last several decades. Traffic eats our time but that’s not true everywhere, and traffic also reflects demand. Traffic is evidence that a lot of people value being able to get to the activities they want, whether that’s work or leisure. And traffic can be alleviated by just building more roads and highways to meet demand - induced demand is a myth that relies on the illogical notion that there is literally infinite demand, which is not true. Are cars expensive? Sure but so are a lot of desirable things in life. The fact that we still purchase them reflects their value to us.
There’s no other transportation option that gives me fast, weather proof, point to point transportation, on my own schedule, for me and any cargo or passengers I have. Public transit will never meet the travel times and flexibility of driving in locations with adequate road infrastructure. And there are no alternatives if I want a life where my day might span a variety of people and activities, which usually mean traveling across a wide area. Having lived in very dense metropolises with only public transit, I can confidently say there’s just no comparison - without a car you’re forced to live on a limited set of routes and on timetables with wait times. Your freedom to experience life is reduced because you just can’t get as much done on any given day, and for me it was hard to even see that until I moved out of an urban jungle. A high density transit only life may be great for young urbanites whose range of activities and circle of people matches that situation, but it isn’t what everyone desires. I’m fine with some cities like NYC optimizing for subways and buses but not every place has to be that way, because people are different and live differently. In my view, cars enable that variation in who we are, and unlocks lifestyles that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.