I’m 25 and I don’t have a drivers license. I mean, I’ve never really felt the need to go and get one. Public transport is usually the fastest option where I live, and it takes a lot less responsibility to use it.

But most people would still prefer driving, rather than using the public T. Why?

  • fubo@lemmy.world
    1·
    1 year ago

    We can’t sensibly talk about people’s preferences without talking about the environment in which those preferences arise.

    Here are some things that are true for most car drivers:

    • The road starts right at your house. You don’t have to go anywhere to get on it.
    • Your car is right at your house whenever you want to use it. You never have to wait for it.
    • Public transit requires that you pay up-front; the costs of using your car only bother you occasionally (e.g. fueling, maintenance, taxes that pay for roads).
    • Businesses you want to visit are often required by law to provide parking for cars as part of commercial zoning.
    • Cars are the dominant vehicle on the road; other vehicles such as bicycles, motorcycles, and scooters are in many ways treated as second-class citizens.
    • Your employer didn’t choose to locate close to transit, but they did build a parking lot.