I will say non-automotive transport isn’t really an option for a large portion of US Americans. Basically anyone who doesn’t live within one of a few major cities will need access to a car for at least some of their transit needs.
The average commute in the US is 41 miles each day. This is largely along highways and stroads where cars are traveling 45-65 mph (70-100kph). Unless you have a death wish, walking, biking, and using a scooter isn’t something anyone would do unless there were absolutely no options. If there is bus service (which isn’t a given) it’s usually infrequent (every 1-1.5 hours) and doesn’t take you to where you need to go.
It’s a systemic issue that’s been implemented gradually over a few generations through policy and culture making. It can be reversed but it will take a generation or more to roll it back.
In my home state, the urban areas are trying to build out functioning transit systems, however it’s difficult to get support as so many people think transit “brings the wrong kind of people” (aka poor and black people) to their neighborhood and fight it. But progress is being made. My city is breaking ground on a new BRT line next week.
Then when there is a cohesive project that could work and serve large portions of the state, the state government has killed it because “it only serves the cities and not the rural areas” although it very much is in the best interest of rural communities to have some sort of public transit.
We do have a train that runs service multiple times a day between the two largest cities in our state, with funding secured to expand it further. So that’s a win.
The uphill battle we face in terms of transit is so many people have never experienced how great a functioning transit system is and won’t look at those “socialist areas” (aka NYC, Europe, and parts of Asia) because they believe those places are evil, and if they can’t use their car to get places they’re having their freedom taken away from them.
I will say non-automotive transport isn’t really an option for a large portion of US Americans. Basically anyone who doesn’t live within one of a few major cities will need access to a car for at least some of their transit needs.
The average commute in the US is 41 miles each day. This is largely along highways and stroads where cars are traveling 45-65 mph (70-100kph). Unless you have a death wish, walking, biking, and using a scooter isn’t something anyone would do unless there were absolutely no options. If there is bus service (which isn’t a given) it’s usually infrequent (every 1-1.5 hours) and doesn’t take you to where you need to go.
It’s a systemic issue that’s been implemented gradually over a few generations through policy and culture making. It can be reversed but it will take a generation or more to roll it back.
In my home state, the urban areas are trying to build out functioning transit systems, however it’s difficult to get support as so many people think transit “brings the wrong kind of people” (aka poor and black people) to their neighborhood and fight it. But progress is being made. My city is breaking ground on a new BRT line next week.
Then when there is a cohesive project that could work and serve large portions of the state, the state government has killed it because “it only serves the cities and not the rural areas” although it very much is in the best interest of rural communities to have some sort of public transit.
We do have a train that runs service multiple times a day between the two largest cities in our state, with funding secured to expand it further. So that’s a win.
The uphill battle we face in terms of transit is so many people have never experienced how great a functioning transit system is and won’t look at those “socialist areas” (aka NYC, Europe, and parts of Asia) because they believe those places are evil, and if they can’t use their car to get places they’re having their freedom taken away from them.