Cars fulfill a very self-indulgent narrative. ‘I get to decide where and when I travel’, makes people feel “free” snd “important” even when millions of them are silently coming to the same decisions-- like going downtown at 09:00 on weekdsys-- that allow huge efficiency plays.

Notice how many ads feature fantasies of open roads and trips to faraway attractions, not the real world of “I need to sit in rush hour traffic from 6:30 on to get to the Work Factory”

Maybe public transit needs to focus its message on the freedom from drudgery it offers-- you don’t have to be staring at the driver in front of you, scanning the traffic reports

Because many of us live in places where you must use a car, there are no alternatives

In such places electric public transport is nothing but a pipe dream

Oh great, you pipsqueaks moved to lemmy? Fuck, you guys are annoying

I love trains

because in our sick culture and capitalist media, cars generate profit and growth and things with social benefit, like public transportation, is seen as a weakness and waste of money. I truly wish it were not so.

Big Auto has been destroying any idea of high speed rails for decades. Our trains are complete trash because of car lobbyists.

because in lots of countries there is effectively no public transport culture existing, and car companies take advantage of that. it’s really just about car culture and taking advantage of people in my opinion

I have an electric car because I refuse to pay any more money to fossil fuel companies but still need to drive. I use public transport where possible, but many trips just aren’t viable.

It takes me 30 minutes to walk to the nearest shipping centre, but 2 hours to get there by public transport, or 5 minutes by car.

As an average citizen, I don’t have the means to build or fund new railway lines. I am, however, lucky enough to be able to refuse to drive fossil fueled vehicles and still survive.

Public transportation in America is typically a magnet for crime.

I’ll take a hard pass on being trapped in a tube with my assailants.

We 100% need more trains. But in rural America, we need cars to do anything.

Batteries used gives you150 ebikes for every e-car

since wen this sub is full of carbrain? like bruh.

Because trains aren’t economically viable for the vast majority of the US, and where they are economically they are the topic of conversation.

As far as why the conversation would center around the US, that’s just the regular American-centric tilt english conversations generally lean towards. Most of Europe has their shit together in some topics like this (public transportation, for instance) and the US is a huge consumer of automobiles and no one if building mass transit between the middle of nowhere to the other middle of nowhere where we could ‘efficiently’ move individually insignificant numbers of people at a time.

Not every journey is possible with public transport. People will still need to lug equipment about in the electric future.

I dunno what country you are from, but here in the US of A, the monopolies that own all the train infrastructure make sure to keep trains as public transportation as cost prohibitive as possible.