Originally Posted by
noglider
Forced down their throats, agreed. If, for example, we narrow streets to one lane each, creating a disincentive to driving, and also don't run adequate bus service, that would be painful and would make people angry.
But I don't envision costs going up for people who switch from cars to something else. Normally, the result is a reduction in costs to both individuals and society. Cars cost more to operate compared with other modes. Roads built mostly for cars cost more per passenger/mile than other modes, and they take up more space.
I understand that cost-related animosity is peaking in some societies to new heights - I read that in a county where sides of roads were used by Amish people with their horse-drawn buggies, some non-Amish wanted a law passed to have Amish people pay annual registration of their buggies like a car. The law did not pass, just seamed too mean. Then there was a matter of their horses’ droppings… 🤪
On a serious note, auto and petro industry has deliberately prevented developments of shared alternative transportation such as trains or trams. The urban sprawl is so pervasive everywhere that it has taken a life of its own. You go to Europe or even many places in Asia, people walk around to markets to buy fresh food and other needs. There are very few places in US where one can do that, even if you try. By US norms, we who commute on bicyclists are an anomaly.