Ending private automobile ownership.

[MrEd]

I hope to be 6 under by the time we get to this point. The Brits are talking...

UK Inches Closer To Eliminating Private Car Ownership

Soon, Brits will own nothing and will be happier for it…

autos.yahoo.com

 

[J. Frum]

I hope to be 6 under by the time we get to this point. The Brits are talking...

UK Inches Closer To Eliminating Private Car Ownership

Soon, Brits will own nothing and will be happier for it…

autos.yahoo.com

I don’t think we even have to invoke the hand of government to envision a future in which private vehicle ownership doesn’t make sense for most people. Depending on the demographic and locale, we’re already on our way.

The real death throes of automotive culture will come when they start restricting times and roadways for human-driven vehicles, egged on by an insurance industry that views them as less safe.

 

[Audionut]

Maybe in heavily saturated/populated areas? I remember getting a rental while visiting NY. Didn’t need it in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Yonkers... It wasn’t till I went up state that it was necessary.

 

[MrEd]

I don’t think we even have to invoke the hand of government to envision a future in which private vehicle ownership doesn’t make sense for most people. Depending on the demographic and locale, we’re already on our way.

The real death throes of automotive culture will come when they start restricting times and roadways for human-driven vehicles, egged on by an insurance industry that views them as less safe.

I was having a very similar discussion about this at work the other day.

 

[kirk57]

I don't know about you guys, but my cars sit in my driveway (at least) 95% of the time. If I could just summon a car when I need it, that would kind of make sense, wouldn't it? Mind you, I like cars and currently have a Jaguar, BMW and Saab, but I wonder if they are a good long-term transportation solution for those in urban and sub-urban areas. Rural areas are a different situation entirely.

It's worth thinking about the fact that cars have only been a transportation solution for humans for 120 years. A blink of an eye in human history.

 

[mpholland]

Would kinda put a damper on my 50 mile round trip commute from the middle of nowhere to a small city and back.

 

[JohnVF]

I don’t see it happening here, for various reasons not the least of which is the influence car companies and their associated infrastructure have on government, both oil and electric. Plus our public transportation in the US sucks.

If I still lived in the city I could do without one- when I first moved up Chicago I used my car maybe ten times in a year because it was parked 3/4 of a mile away.

For a lot of America it doesn’t make sense, though, and it won’t ever happen. Cars may change but people will still own them. I think the author of this is just chasing clicks.

 

[JoeThePop]

I actually kind of despise car ownership. They are a big budget drain between upkeep and insurance. I often think of becoming Amish so i don't have to deal with it anymore.

 

[Thermionics]

I actually kind of despise car ownership. They are a big budget drain between upkeep and insurance. I often think of becoming Amish so i don't have to deal with it anymore.

Well, that would certainly cut down on hi-fi expenses and time spent on HFH.

 

[JoeThePop]

Well, that would certainly cut down on hi-fi expenses and time spent on HFH.

Didn't think of that. Can I be a quarter Amish?

 

[JohnVF]

I actually kind of despise car ownership. They are a big budget drain between upkeep and insurance. I often think of becoming Amish so i don't have to deal with it anymore.

When I travel to big foreign cities I love the feeling of not having a car to deal with. They’re set up for that existence and it’s so easy to get around without one. The US will never have public transport like that, though. The trains in Europe are awesome. Amtrak has microwaved hotdogs and takes 6 1/2 hours to get from Chicago to Detroit if it isn’t cancelled.

 

[JohnVF]

I grew up in Amish country. Not sure the horses are less work than a car.

 

[JoeThePop]

When I travel to big foreign cities I love the feeling of not having a car to deal with. They’re set up for that existence and it’s so easy to get around without one. The US will never have public transport like that, though. The trains in Europe are awesome. Amtrak has microwaved hotdogs and takes 6 1/2 hours to get from Chicago to Detroit if it isn’t cancelled.

Detroit is a poster city for not having useful public transport. Legacy of the Motor City and the Big 3.

 

[JoeThePop]

I grew up in Amish country. Not sure the horses are less work than a car.

Hay is cheaper than gas.

 

[JohnVF]

Hay is cheaper than gas.

Yeah but the barn… the field… the beard without a mustache…

 

[JohnVF]

Detroit is a poster city for not having useful public transport. Legacy of the Motor City and the Big 3.

They have the people mover that goes on a loop to nowhere.

 

[RPMac]

Hay is cheaper than gas.

Horse is something you have to care for 24/7/365…you don’t get any days off.

 

[RPMac]

Remember the first time you drove a car without anyone to tell you where to go? That’s freedom! We won’t give up freedom.

Less cars and electric cars make sense in many places, but is not a one size fits all.

 

[Doghouse Riley]

The UK government is obsessed with building cycle lanes. It seems to be more important than fixing potholes in the roads.

Who wants to ride a bike in the UK during the winter?

Whatever form of propulsion is used, private car ownership will always increase at a greater rate than cycle use.
In areas where cycle lanes have been built locally, it has reduced several roads from two to a single lane, reducing traffic flow and thus increasing polution. I've not seen any increase in cycle use on these roads.

 

[Zen Cafe]

I want a small solar powered helicopter damn it!...personal of course...