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this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2024
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A Boring Dystopia
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I live in the LA area. By car, 45 minutes to work. By bus, 3 buses and 4 hours one way.
In my city, if I want to arrive at my office at 8AM, I need to leave my apartment by car at 7:45. If I want to be within a block or so of my office by that same time, I need to leave my apartment at 6:15 to find a bus stop and ride on three different buses. Getting home by bus after ending my shift at 5:30 (I work 9 hour shifts and get every other Friday off), I would get home about 7:15.
Consider that I'm paid roughly $35 an hour pre-tax. If I do this every day for a month, the time this costs me would be equivalent to more than a two week paycheck.
Why would I take the bus?
I have zero interest in riding a bus for the same reason and I'll add that I'd rather not sit in a bus with a bunch of other people. Hard pass.
If you need a personal cage to feel safe, then maybe the problem isn't the bus.
I'm not afraid of someone doing something to me, I'm more concerned with whatever illness they may have. People are gross, I like my space. You do you and ride a packed a buss full of people with some no doubt sick, and some with terrible hygiene that stink. I'll ride in my luxurious and fast car enjoying my heat and a/c with my heated/ac seats and great sound system.
Car manufacturers have lobbied to make America only accessible by car. As a consequence, you now have no sensible choice but to drive everywhere. Imagine if gas prices were to double tomorrow. What would you do?
It would still be cheaper to drive.
And with most other things, you wouldn't just accept it if the price doubled, but with gas, you'd have no choice.
If you have 15min drive to office, that would be ~15-45min with bicycle and save you a good bunch yearly if you want to put it that way
It would take me about 45 minutes one way. It could work, assuming it never rained or snowed (both will absolutely happen here in upstate NY) and my exercise-induced asthma didn't prevent me physically from doing so. Don't get me wrong, I love my ebike for quick zips around town, but it's no replacement for my car at this point. It can't function in the rain or snow and, even if it could, I don't want to risk injuring myself by riding on un-shoveled sidewalks or the slurry of death that accumulates on the sides of the road from the snow plows. Plus I have to keep my work laptop dry, and I'd be much less safe against the US's notoriously brutal cyclist ignorance.
Just breathe better, god how simple do you need it to be? /s
As someone with Excercise-Induced asthma i must ask; Dont you have an emergency inhaler? Also going for walks does gradually build up your endurance, just obviously never overdo it (especially in the winter, you will keel over and simply die).
But, as the future is looking less and less car centric it would be a good idea to start now.
I do, yes, but in every single gym class I've been in I would have to stop what I was doing completely and use my inhaler. The school tried having me use it before the exercise, but that did nothing.
I played hockey and had to do the same (30 second shifts were all I could do, but thats all you need to do!)
Trust me I know an emergency isn't anywhere near enough for extended strenuous workouts. However, it does allow you to throw your hands up and continue to walk.
None of this is meant to come down on you either, this was just how I was able to get myself to a point where I personally can run a mile now without wanting to die. More of an "If you ever wanted, im sure you could!"
They do make inhalers that are longer-lasting and intended to prevent asthma attacks, but I haven't tried them yet. If I ever get a house that will let me keep more than one bicycle so I can have a non-ebike (those omafiets look pretty sweet but I'd need adjustable gears for the slopes around here), I might consider it.
I couldn't do public transit like that. My anxiety wouldn't let me. The amount of sick people crammed into busses and trains like that. It makes me start to panic. Like in Japan where they force you in an over packed train...I get for many people it's NBD but I couldn't do it.
It's amazing how car dependency is so ingrained that leaving a cage induces agoraphobia, anxiety, and related psychological traumas.
Nah, it's that people are shitty and gross.
How is it anybody else's fault that you chose to live stupidly far from your job?
If I moved closer to my work, my rent would increase about $800+
Or your square footage could go down. Or instead of moving closer to your job, you could find a different job closer to your home. Point is, you do have options. They might take compromises, but they're there.
You’re asking them to compromise food and shelter so the only point you’re making is that you’re an asshole.
I'm in a rent controlled unit. I'm not moving.
Could it though? Don't know if you noticed but the rental market is completely fucked in NA. For most people this would mean renting a room instead of an apartment, which doesn't work well if you for example, are a family of 4.
There are no guarantees for this because jobs of people's industries which pay them the money they need to support themselves and their families are not geographically distributed evenly. If you have years of tenure at your workplace as well, it is a big fucking risk to change jobs unless you have a really, really, good reason to do so as well.
Point is, you might have these options but it doesn't mean everyone does. People's lives and options are not so black and white as you seem to think.
Who were they trying to blame?? They are just saying for their situation they need a car to survive.