Comment 39960

By Brandon (registered) | Posted April 19, 2010 at 08:39:17

For all their negatives, there are some positive side effects of owning a car.

For example, the martial arts classes my son attends are located a 15 minute drive away, yet would easily take an hour and a half by bus to get there. Considering that there are three kids in transit and it's around supper time, that's pretty significant. Why not something around the corner from us? Not all instructors are created equally!

Getting to a client meeting anywhere in the GTA is feasible. Transit? Only in limited circumstances. Sure I'd rather use the phone and internet, but sometimes ya gotta press hands.

Essentially they are multipliers of time and convenience. Can they be wasteful? Absolutely. That doesn't make them wasteful by definition.

The other side of it is the pleasure factor. Some of us derive a lot of pleasure from our cars. Carving a corner nicely or nailing a smooth heel and toe shift can bring a smile to my face quite easily. Are these worth the costs to me when coupled with the convenience of the vehicle as a whole? Absolutely.

You want to get people out of cars? Reduce the convenience of them and increase the cost to use them. Parking is one of Ryan's favourite issues and is wholly appropriate. Double the cost of gas and you'll see far less usage (and put the proceeds from the tax to transit!). Will I pay those costs? Absolutely. Maybe not always with a smile, but it will be paid.

Then we get to the arguments that cars become a tool for the wealthy as the poor can't afford them anymore. Sigh.

Comment edited by Brandon on 2010-04-19 07:40:35

I am disappointment in you're grammar.

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