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Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

cnn.com

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Re: Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

#551

Post by foxyv »

kulahan wrote: post #550
foxyv wrote: post #548

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, the ones that are falling apart and collapsing as we speak. The question is, would we rather continue investing in maintaining and expanding roads which have bankrupted our cities, or would we rather build something different. https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023/2/28/odot-proposes-...

We would rather spend a small amount of money maintaining an existing system which supports all dynamic transit systems than throwing them out and using a much more static system. This seems really obvious. Cities aren't bankrupted by roads, roads are what give cities lifelines. Trains and buses are an incredibly poor substitute in all but the densest of regions.

Roads do provide an economic good. However, having every single individual drive a multi ton vehicle in order to pick up a bag of onions from a supermarket with a 15 acre parking lot doesn't make sense.

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2016/1/26/roads-and-debt

> Trains and buses are an incredibly poor substitute in all but the densest of regions.

This is patently wrong. Buses, trams and trains are the most efficient, safe and affordable forms of transportation known to man. They are superior on every metric I can think of. Combined with last mile micro-mobility and you just can't build a better transportation system.

Cars take up more space, kill more people, destroy more land, kill wildlife, and pollute the air. Worse, they are slower due to traffic.

Re: Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

#552

Post by foxyv »

kulahan wrote: post #549
foxyv wrote: post #545

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you have never lived in a place with good public transit, I can understand why you feel this way. You are literally trapped without a car. Now imagine, tomorrow you are diagnosed with epilepsy, or macular degeneration. Or, your car is destroyed while it's parked on the street and you cannot afford another. If a car is the only form of transportation, your freedom is contingent. Think of what a privilege driving is…

One of my buddies had a dad who was a parapalegic and he was still much more mobile using his wheelchair and modified van than anyone with a bus could hope to make him. One of these days, you should try traversing 8 blocks in a wheelchair and see how convenient a bus stop feels! lol

Been there, done that. Kinda weird how dangerous it was with all those cars. If only there had been dedicated pedestrian infrastructure and maybe some sort of micro-mobility device. If only I hadn't needed to cross huge parking lots to reach my destination where cars with huge front hoods and massive A pillars couldn't see me. Being disabled in car dependent cities is hell.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/12/26/1064764/diversit...

Re: Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

#553

Post by feanaro »

lumb63 wrote: post #499
feanaro wrote: post #495

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pitchforks? Seriously though, your comment is way too defeatist. Legislature has worked for centuries for this problem. Imperfectly, but don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. But if all else fails, giant corporations are eventually going to get the good ol' pitchforks up their butt.

To the contrary, I think settling for a mechanism that (maybe) cleans up the damage after it’s done is defeatist.

I'm not saying it's good, I'm just saying it is to be expected.

Re: Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

#554

Post by foxyv »

anon291 wrote: post #230
manuelabeledo wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let’s not kid ourselves. Americans love their cars because they want short term convenience. Cars trips in the US are, in their vast majority, short and between common places like grocery stores, gyms, schools, etc.

Absolutely, and if you eliminated all of that... most americans would still want a car, because it lets them get out. Look... I live in the inner city. Realistically, I walk everywhere most of the week. However, I keep a car so I can get to the mountains 50 miles away. That is the main reason I keep a car and my main usage of it (and to also visit family and friends who live more rurally).

Imagine if you could get to those same mountains without needing to worry about parking or traffic. When you get there, you don't have to dodge cars constantly or walk 10 miles into the back country to get away from road noise. It's silent aside from the sounds of birds and the wind in the trees.

When I go to the mountains in America I hear the constant drone of cars and generators...

Re: Mercedes EVs can go faster for $60 a month

#555

Post by wcarron »

zamnos wrote: post #531
wcarron wrote: post #322

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really poor equivocation re: 2-cyls. Engine performance and efficiency is one of the primary and critical aspects that define the ability effectively travel between places, which, again is the entire purpose of a car. Engine (drivetrain really) power, torque, efficiency, durability and reliabilty are core aspects of a vehicle. Being able to accelerate (and brake) when needed is important. Watching a YouTube vehicle i…

The ludditism is in who decides what's "needless". To you it's needless, to other's it's utilitarian, and there are generational differences to account for as well. You probably know how to drive from your house to a number of destinations without a GPS. Other's... don't, making a screen and an entertainment system with CarPlay a utilitarian feature for them that's a deal-breaker on a new car if doesn't have that bec…

> You probably know how to drive from your house to a number of destinations without a GPS. Other's... don't,

Well then they should learn how to fucking navigate. Learn where North is and go from there.

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