Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm someone who has always lived in walkable neighborhoods and have always commuted to work by metro or bus. I do a lot of my errands on foot and use my cheap, compact car very little. But, there are simply circumstances in which public transportation will never be as easy or convenient for weekend errands, leisure activities, shopping, etc. The buses or trains don't run often enough, or the stops are not close enough to my destination, or it takes much longer than driving due to connections, transfers, wait times. I'll be carrying big or heavy things. The departure or destination or transfer points don't feel safe or it's too late at night. There will ALWAYS be occasions when I will choose the car.

As for biking, NOTHING will make me move by bike instead. I'm not a strong or skilled cyclist. I would not feel safe even in protected lanes due to faster, more aggressive cyclists. I'm old enough to worry about injuries, even if I'm healthy and fit. I don't want to have to adapt my clothes, accessories, hair just so that I can bike, wear a helmet. I don't want that much exposure to sun, car pollution, cold or hot weather. I don't want to have to purchase a good bike, a collection of safety gear, lights, reflectors, trailers, etc. in order to try to safely do the things by bike that I can easily and more quickly do by car.

And, there will always be plenty of people for whom biking is just not feasible due to the distances they have to cover, health, physical limitations, age, weight and fitness levels. It will never be a solution for everyone.

But neither are cars.

But OP's question is what would it take for people to use public transportation or bikes instead of cars, assuming there will be a solution that will eliminate motoring. The question posed is not why doesn't everyone use cars nor what will it take for everyone to use cars.

No, the OP is just asking what it would take for individual people to consider biking or taking the bus instead of driving. The OP is not asking what it would take to eliminate driving for everyone everywhere always.

Also, many of the answers are "Bikes bad, bus bad, Metro bad, cars 4 ever". I think that the people posting such answers cannot imagine a life where people, who are otherwise like them, can't or don't use cars every time they go anywhere for any purpose.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm someone who has always lived in walkable neighborhoods and have always commuted to work by metro or bus. I do a lot of my errands on foot and use my cheap, compact car very little. But, there are simply circumstances in which public transportation will never be as easy or convenient for weekend errands, leisure activities, shopping, etc. The buses or trains don't run often enough, or the stops are not close enough to my destination, or it takes much longer than driving due to connections, transfers, wait times. I'll be carrying big or heavy things. The departure or destination or transfer points don't feel safe or it's too late at night. There will ALWAYS be occasions when I will choose the car.

As for biking, NOTHING will make me move by bike instead. I'm not a strong or skilled cyclist. I would not feel safe even in protected lanes due to faster, more aggressive cyclists. I'm old enough to worry about injuries, even if I'm healthy and fit. I don't want to have to adapt my clothes, accessories, hair just so that I can bike, wear a helmet. I don't want that much exposure to sun, car pollution, cold or hot weather. I don't want to have to purchase a good bike, a collection of safety gear, lights, reflectors, trailers, etc. in order to try to safely do the things by bike that I can easily and more quickly do by car.

And, there will always be plenty of people for whom biking is just not feasible due to the distances they have to cover, health, physical limitations, age, weight and fitness levels. It will never be a solution for everyone.

But neither are cars.

But OP's question is what would it take for people to use public transportation or bikes instead of cars, assuming there will be a solution that will eliminate motoring. The question posed is not why doesn't everyone use cars nor what will it take for everyone to use cars.

Anonymous wrote:I'm someone who has always lived in walkable neighborhoods and have always commuted to work by metro or bus. I do a lot of my errands on foot and use my cheap, compact car very little. But, there are simply circumstances in which public transportation will never be as easy or convenient for weekend errands, leisure activities, shopping, etc. The buses or trains don't run often enough, or the stops are not close enough to my destination, or it takes much longer than driving due to connections, transfers, wait times. I'll be carrying big or heavy things. The departure or destination or transfer points don't feel safe or it's too late at night. There will ALWAYS be occasions when I will choose the car.

As for biking, NOTHING will make me move by bike instead. I'm not a strong or skilled cyclist. I would not feel safe even in protected lanes due to faster, more aggressive cyclists. I'm old enough to worry about injuries, even if I'm healthy and fit. I don't want to have to adapt my clothes, accessories, hair just so that I can bike, wear a helmet. I don't want that much exposure to sun, car pollution, cold or hot weather. I don't want to have to purchase a good bike, a collection of safety gear, lights, reflectors, trailers, etc. in order to try to safely do the things by bike that I can easily and more quickly do by car.

And, there will always be plenty of people for whom biking is just not feasible due to the distances they have to cover, health, physical limitations, age, weight and fitness levels. It will never be a solution for everyone.

But neither are cars.

Anonymous wrote:OP, the obesity rate in this country is almost 42%:https://www.tfah.org/report-details/state-of-obesity-2022/#:~:text=Nationally%2C%2041.9%20percent%20of%20adults,obesity%20rate%20of%2041.4%20percent.

Walking and biking require a degree of fitness that most folks simply don't possess. Good luck.

It's funny how Americans will do all kinds of crash diets and pharmaceuticals and other extreme measures to lose weight, but will never give up the car commute.

When I moved from LA (car commute) to DC (metro commute with a ten-ish minute walk on either side) I lost 15lbs without any other changes.

I'm someone who has always lived in walkable neighborhoods and have always commuted to work by metro or bus. I do a lot of my errands on foot and use my cheap, compact car very little. But, there are simply circumstances in which public transportation will never be as easy or convenient for weekend errands, leisure activities, shopping, etc. The buses or trains don't run often enough, or the stops are not close enough to my destination, or it takes much longer than driving due to connections, transfers, wait times. I'll be carrying big or heavy things. The departure or destination or transfer points don't feel safe or it's too late at night. There will ALWAYS be occasions when I will choose the car.

As for biking, NOTHING will make me move by bike instead. I'm not a strong or skilled cyclist. I would not feel safe even in protected lanes due to faster, more aggressive cyclists. I'm old enough to worry about injuries, even if I'm healthy and fit. I don't want to have to adapt my clothes, accessories, hair just so that I can bike, wear a helmet. I don't want that much exposure to sun, car pollution, cold or hot weather. I don't want to have to purchase a good bike, a collection of safety gear, lights, reflectors, trailers, etc. in order to try to safely do the things by bike that I can easily and more quickly do by car.

And, there will always be plenty of people for whom biking is just not feasible due to the distances they have to cover, health, physical limitations, age, weight and fitness levels. It will never be a solution for everyone.

I am planning to start taking metro to work in the fall. The biggest barrier for me has been that I have to get my son to daycare on my way to work and the metro is not stroller or toddler friendly. However, I am moving him to a different daycare close to my house so I will drop him off before getting on/off metro.

Anonymous wrote:I would need affordable housing and better schools in DC to live near enough to my job to bike.

For metro: I suppose I could drive and park at the metro and then metro to work - but that would take longer than driving and cost more than gas (I get free parking at work).

+1 to the bolded. I just looked up my bike commute from my suburban house to my office- shortest route was over an hour. I also SWEAT (I very much envy those who don't!) so that would mean more time when I get there to shower/dry hair/change. Frankly, I'm not a confident cyclist anyway- I learned to ride on wide, traffic-free suburban streets in the midwest. There isn't a route where I could take only separate bike paths.

I do park at the closest metro and metro in because my employer subsidizes metro fare so it is cheaper, but also more efficient, than driving/parking. In the past (when I lived/worked elsewhere) I commuted by bus.

Honestly? Protected or separated bike lanes like they have in many northern/western european cities.

Anonymous wrote:More policing. I would like only people with only bus-pass to board the buses and it should be expensive to buy.

Bus-pass should be issued by employers or school. For occasional commuter it should be expensive. Also, passes should be revoked for bad behavior and should be issued if the person has no discipline problems in school or place of employment.

You want travel by bus to cost more? And bus travel should be only for work or school?

Anonymous wrote:OP, the obesity rate in this country is almost 42%:https://www.tfah.org/report-details/state-of-obesity-2022/#:~:text=Nationally%2C%2041.9%20percent%20of%20adults,obesity%20rate%20of%2041.4%20percent.

Walking and biking require a degree of fitness that most folks simply don't possess. Good luck.

First we build an environment for people to drive everywhere instead of walk or bike. Then people are physically unable to walk or bike. Then we justify the environment built for people to drive everywhere, on grounds that people are physically unable to walk or bike.

Are you capable of not trying to claim your opinion as fact? The PP that said you are perseverating was correct.

Here are some facts. Once you have opened a mine, the marginal impact of the additional materials is less significant. You still need one mine for one E-bike and one mine for one electric car. It is the same for the whole supply chain. The rest of the materials are also the same: steel, rubber tires, etc. The only major material that cars have that e-bikes don’t is glass, but that is the most easily and best recycled material in the world.

So do you have any facts or just more opinions?

The argument you are trying to make is really weak. I mean rrreeealllyyy weak. It's difficult to tell if you're simply trolling but I'll bite on this.

See, the thing is, you could make multiple e-bikes with the quantity of materials you are referencing above to produce a single SUV. Efficiency. How's about them facts?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Biking works well for people who don't have to pick up and drop off kids, don't have to carry a lot of stuff, can roll into work looking like they just biked there and have that be professionally acceptable, live relatively close to work, don't have to do grocery shopping for a family after work, have place to safely store their bike at home and at work, have a safe route to work (bike lanes alone don't do it, unless they go door to door), and who know how to ride and bike and feel comfortable and are physically able to do so.

Biking doesn't work for me for the vast majority of these reasons. But I will admit; I am physically fit and could ride a bike, especially if I practiced, but it seems hella dangerous and sweaty and unpleasant to me. I'd rather live a mile from work and walk, which I'd do happily when it's over 30 and under 85 degrees.

There are people who do pickup/dropoff, carry stuff on a bike, look professionally acceptable, and grocery shop on a bike. So it's definitely possible to do all of those things on a bike. Especially on an e-bike! I think the most important things are a safe route and secure bike storage.

By people, you mean you? Did you have to plan your entire existence (living space, daycare, workplace, grocery stores) around having safe biking routes between all of these things? Do you have a bike trailer that could pull two kids or have one of your youngsters riding their own bike in traffic at age 4?

Or by "people" are you being theoretical and actually have no direct experience?

I'm the PP you're responding to. Yes, I have done school pick-up/drop-off on a bike (with my child old enough to bike), carried stuff on a bike (either in a backpack or with a trailer), looked professionally acceptable (keeping in mind that I don't work in TV or make court appearances), and grocery shopped on a bike (either in a backpack or with a trailer). I also have a car. I don't make every trip by bike, but then I also don't make every trip by car. In addition to myself, I also know other people who also do these things.

Other things I have done on a bike:

biked to/from Metro (because it's more reliable/predictable than bus to/from Metro)
biked after dropping my car off/biked to pick my car up
gone places on the bus or on Metro, with the bike to solve the last-mile problem
driven most of the way and parked, then biked the rest of the way (if I'm going somewhere where it's hard to park or parking is expensive)
biked one way (downhill), then taken the bus back the other way (uphill)
multi-tasked and increased my time/efficiency by getting my exercise while also getting errands done (instead of separate time for exercise and errands)

More policing. I would like only people with only bus-pass to board the buses and it should be expensive to buy.

Bus-pass should be issued by employers or school. For occasional commuter it should be expensive. Also, passes should be revoked for bad behavior and should be issued if the person has no discipline problems in school or place of employment.

OP, the obesity rate in this country is almost 42%:https://www.tfah.org/report-details/state-of-obesity-2022/#:~:text=Nationally%2C%2041.9%20percent%20of%20adults,obesity%20rate%20of%2041.4%20percent.

Walking and biking require a degree of fitness that most folks simply don't possess. Good luck.

Anonymous wrote:I would need affordable housing and better schools in DC to live near enough to my job to bike.

For metro: I suppose I could drive and park at the metro and then metro to work - but that would take longer than driving and cost more than gas (I get free parking at work).

This is a major factor in people's choices. When there is free parking, people are more likely to choose to drive by themselves than when they have to pay for parking.