I feel compelled to recognize this would all be much healthier if we had a plan to shift assets and help the many who will lose jobs.

That being said, it will be pretty infuriating if Trump does more to reduce car dependency than the democrats ever would have.

I read that as why Matt is to blame. Because Matt is trying to split a hair that: the law doesn’t allow, and the activists don’t want split.

We need a plan to manage the assets that have been invested here. But, assuming we had that, it would be very good. There’s way too many cars already.

Right, but that they couldn’t enforce or regulate a distinction (ice cream vs sandwiches) that these advocates find arbitrary.

What about parking requirements?

Another downtown surface parking lot bites the dust!

Seems like this could be a worldwide trend.

Hmmmm, I probably disagree there. I think the presence of cars, moving and parked is a harm to society. To me it keeps coming back to mode share to max out around like 25% private vehicles before society makes good sense.

There is so much theater involved. Dr Phil is just such a farce. The whole thing is horrible.

I appreciate the nuance. For sure, cities can make car oriented transportation systems safe. I doubt they ever pay for themselves. That’s kind of the two variables I was trying to consider.

It strikes me that if we tried to unwind how dangerous driving currently is in the same way we’ve done for aviation, we’d ultimately end up with more buses and trains. I suspect there is simply no way to make a car oriented system safe and cost effective, and that’s why we don’t sincerely try.

It’s such a funny thing! We want to make it nice and they’re like “why should it be nice when it could be over as fast as possible?”

Like, holy cow what a disturbing lack of vision. It reminds me of the third place concept. Walking to the coffee shop could be your third place, but driving can’t

That’s cool. I like a the broader variety of voices I know how to access over there. But I’m still not sure I can stomach maintaining a presence there.

You’re one of the few left on both! I might abandon completely

There is this irony to me, that the people who hate the system the most - who reliably want it to be over as fast as possible - they are the ones who fight to keep it miserable! Keep it fast, dangerous, dirty, disgusting.

When we make it nice we force them to see with how miserable it already is.

With same, beautiful and calm streets, this could be everyone’s cycling journey if they wanted it. It could be every walk. Errands could be a joy of life. Having a reason to take the streets could be a lovable moment in and of itself.

But what then when we want to love it? Last summer I picked up a deep dish pizza on a warm summer night. The pizza, my son and my dog in the box bike, riding slowing home through Welles park.

I didn’t want that moment to end. I took as many wrong turns as I could without risking cold pizza.

Has America at large forgotten how to love daily movement? American tourism often feels to me like a movie with slick editing.

Location 1, exit
Shot of car
Location 2, entrance

And driving feels like this: just please get it over with as fast as possible. In fantasy we just edit it out.