Mink: people drive without licenses due to limited resources

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can tell people on this thread have no experience with poverty.

Poor people don't live within walking distance or biking distance of their jobs. They don't live anywhere near subway stations. They can't afford Uber. They're not going to spend three hours a day on the bus when they have families to take care of and long hours to work. They're going to drive no matter what, even if their license gets taken away.

A lot of cities have abandoned traffic cameras and heavy fines on drivers for parking in the wrong place or speeding (DC's traffic fines are absurd, BTW) because those fines, especially when they snowball with late fees, can wreak havoc in low income families' lives.

I don’t care how poor you are, laws are laws. There are already programs to allow for free transit in urban areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What she actually said: many people drive without a license due to limited resources [this is a fact] and so higher fines would not deter them from doing so [a reasonable conclusion].

Driving is a privilege not a right. What's next, should we give free cars to those who can't afford one?

That doesn't make sense. That doesn't solve the problem of drivers with less than the desired amount of licensure. The sensible solution would be to provide a free, on-demand driver service for these individuals.

We have that -- public transportation.

That's not the same as having a private vehicle. It's an inequitable experience.

lol so now it’s a right to have a private vehicle? What planet are you people
On?

Commercial plans are not the same as private planes. It’s an equitable experience. I demand equity!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What she actually said: many people drive without a license due to limited resources [this is a fact] and so higher fines would not deter them from doing so [a reasonable conclusion].

Driving is a privilege not a right. What's next, should we give free cars to those who can't afford one?

That doesn't make sense. That doesn't solve the problem of drivers with less than the desired amount of licensure. The sensible solution would be to provide a free, on-demand driver service for these individuals.

We have that -- public transportation.

That's not the same as having a private vehicle. It's an inequitable experience.

lol so now it’s a right to have a private vehicle? What planet are you people
On?

Commercial plans are not the same as private planes. It’s an equitable experience. I demand equity!

Planes should be limited to government travel for global warming conferences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can tell people on this thread have no experience with poverty.

Poor people don't live within walking distance or biking distance of their jobs. They don't live anywhere near subway stations. They can't afford Uber. They're not going to spend three hours a day on the bus when they have families to take care of and long hours to work. They're going to drive no matter what, even if their license gets taken away.

A lot of cities have abandoned traffic cameras and heavy fines on drivers for parking in the wrong place or speeding (DC's traffic fines are absurd, BTW) because those fines, especially when they snowball with late fees, can wreak havoc in low income families' lives.

I grew up poor right here in Montgomery county. We could not afford a car so it was buses everywhere! Not metro rail, or cabs. It was all buses .My parents had state IDs, not drivers licenses and they never borrowed anybody’s car. They never operated a car illegally. Once they could afford a car, then they got their drivers licenses. I remember this because I remember helping them study in English. Contrary to what some believe, being poor isn’t wasn’t a pass to lawlessness. At least not in the 80s/90s.

But back in the 80s and 90s, laws were actually enforced so maybe that’s why so many people were not willing to take the chance on getting fined, caught, sent to jail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can tell people on this thread have no experience with poverty.

Poor people don't live within walking distance or biking distance of their jobs. They don't live anywhere near subway stations. They can't afford Uber. They're not going to spend three hours a day on the bus when they have families to take care of and long hours to work. They're going to drive no matter what, even if their license gets taken away.

A lot of cities have abandoned traffic cameras and heavy fines on drivers for parking in the wrong place or speeding (DC's traffic fines are absurd, BTW) because those fines, especially when they snowball with late fees, can wreak havoc in low income families' lives.

I grew up poor right here in Montgomery county. We could not afford a car so it was buses everywhere! Not metro rail, or cabs. It was all buses .My parents had state IDs, not drivers licenses and they never borrowed anybody’s car. They never operated a car illegally. Once they could afford a car, then they got their drivers licenses. I remember this because I remember helping them study in English. Contrary to what some believe, being poor isn’t wasn’t a pass to lawlessness. At least not in the 80s/90s.

But back in the 80s and 90s, laws were actually enforced so maybe that’s why so many people were not willing to take the chance on getting fined, caught, sent to jail.

Great post! Both sides of my family grew up extremely poor but they did not break laws.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think Minky is posting responses.

minky!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can tell people on this thread have no experience with poverty.

Poor people don't live within walking distance or biking distance of their jobs. They don't live anywhere near subway stations. They can't afford Uber. They're not going to spend three hours a day on the bus when they have families to take care of and long hours to work. They're going to drive no matter what, even if their license gets taken away.

A lot of cities have abandoned traffic cameras and heavy fines on drivers for parking in the wrong place or speeding (DC's traffic fines are absurd, BTW) because those fines, especially when they snowball with late fees, can wreak havoc in low income families' lives.

I don’t care how poor you are, laws are laws. There are already programs to allow for free transit in urban areas.

Bicyclists ignore every single traffic law. There are gangs of 14 year olds riding ATVs down the middle of the major streets. Seems like we have better things to do than hassle poor people trying to get to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can tell people on this thread have no experience with poverty.

Poor people don't live within walking distance or biking distance of their jobs. They don't live anywhere near subway stations. They can't afford Uber. They're not going to spend three hours a day on the bus when they have families to take care of and long hours to work. They're going to drive no matter what, even if their license gets taken away.

A lot of cities have abandoned traffic cameras and heavy fines on drivers for parking in the wrong place or speeding (DC's traffic fines are absurd, BTW) because those fines, especially when they snowball with late fees, can wreak havoc in low income families' lives.

I don’t care how poor you are, laws are laws. There are already programs to allow for free transit in urban areas.

Bicyclists ignore every single traffic law. There are gangs of 14 year olds riding ATVs down the middle of the major streets. Seems like we have better things to do than hassle poor people trying to get to work.

How are they insured? And if they don’t have to have a drivers license or insurance, then why do I?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can tell people on this thread have no experience with poverty.

Poor people don't live within walking distance or biking distance of their jobs. They don't live anywhere near subway stations. They can't afford Uber. They're not going to spend three hours a day on the bus when they have families to take care of and long hours to work. They're going to drive no matter what, even if their license gets taken away.

A lot of cities have abandoned traffic cameras and heavy fines on drivers for parking in the wrong place or speeding (DC's traffic fines are absurd, BTW) because those fines, especially when they snowball with late fees, can wreak havoc in low income families' lives.

I don’t care how poor you are, laws are laws. There are already programs to allow for free transit in urban areas.

Bicyclists ignore every single traffic law. There are gangs of 14 year olds riding ATVs down the middle of the major streets. Seems like we have better things to do than hassle poor people trying to get to work.

How about poor people trying to get work on a bike?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can tell people on this thread have no experience with poverty.

Poor people don't live within walking distance or biking distance of their jobs. They don't live anywhere near subway stations. They can't afford Uber. They're not going to spend three hours a day on the bus when they have families to take care of and long hours to work. They're going to drive no matter what, even if their license gets taken away.

A lot of cities have abandoned traffic cameras and heavy fines on drivers for parking in the wrong place or speeding (DC's traffic fines are absurd, BTW) because those fines, especially when they snowball with late fees, can wreak havoc in low income families' lives.

I don’t care how poor you are, laws are laws. There are already programs to allow for free transit in urban areas.

Bicyclists ignore every single traffic law. There are gangs of 14 year olds riding ATVs down the middle of the major streets. Seems like we have better things to do than hassle poor people trying to get to work.

How about poor people trying to get work on a bike?

They aren't. They drive. Poor people would love to be able to afford to live close enough to their jobs that it would be within biking distance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can tell people on this thread have no experience with poverty.

Poor people don't live within walking distance or biking distance of their jobs. They don't live anywhere near subway stations. They can't afford Uber. They're not going to spend three hours a day on the bus when they have families to take care of and long hours to work. They're going to drive no matter what, even if their license gets taken away.

A lot of cities have abandoned traffic cameras and heavy fines on drivers for parking in the wrong place or speeding (DC's traffic fines are absurd, BTW) because those fines, especially when they snowball with late fees, can wreak havoc in low income families' lives.

I don’t care how poor you are, laws are laws. There are already programs to allow for free transit in urban areas.

Bicyclists ignore every single traffic law. There are gangs of 14 year olds riding ATVs down the middle of the major streets. Seems like we have better things to do than hassle poor people trying to get to work.

How about poor people trying to get work on a bike?

They aren't. They drive. Poor people would love to be able to afford to live close enough to their jobs that it would be within biking distance.

You're just flat out wrong on this. Poor people absolutely do use a bike to get to work. Either all the way to work, or to transit (bus or train). Maybe you don't see them, but they exist just the same.

What distance do you think "biking distance" is?