You must log in or register to comment.
deleted by creator
Depends on the bus / area.
There is real time bus tracking now in most places so you can see when things will arrive = WAY better for dealing with traffic (note traffic is a thing for cars as well)
I’m in Portland OR and of course a bus going through a bad area is more likely to have people who are “not ok” (addicts) but the vast majority of our busses are clean and climate controlled and filled with perfectly lovely friendly people.
And risk assessment is based on what is likely. My aunt smoked her whole life and never got lung cancer so my “personal experience” is that smoking doesn’t cause cancer. You see what I’m saying?
Cars are more dangerous than busses. Period. You might not like them for any number of perfectly valid reasons, and a specific bus in a specific area might be more dangerous - but the point of the post is that personal preference and accurate risk assessment are not the same thing.
deleted by creator
It’s not really a choice for people. I get up at 3am and wait an hour for the bus just to be on time at 6am.
Can’t do much and any job requires a license even if isn’t driving related - which instantly nullifies me if I use other acceptable forms of identification.
Public transport is definitely safer, just more eventful. It’s nice when you enter a train that smells like fecal matter with a lady just eating a whole rotisserie chicken on the other side. It just follows the same guidelines as other public spaces, don’t be a nuisance and make yourself small. It becomes entertaining to have these stories.
Some lady didn’t know to just shut up and complained nonstop about the shit on the floor. But then she made a comment about the lady and her chicken, it was small and innocuous. She then kept talking to the conductor.
However, that is how you get slammed after you got stunned by some airborne rotisserie chicken.
So it’s usually okay, just has rules like any house.
Mehhh I made bad choices and have to live with them, Pity me!
don’t be a nuisance and make yourself small
That’s the most un-American thing I’ve ever heard.
deleted by creator
I’d rather risk death on the highway.
You can’t generalize about public transport across the whole of the USA. It’s very variable between different cities, and some have pretty good systems.
deleted by creator
You mentioned one of the better systems but still mentioned busses? All the more enjoyable public transportation I’ve been on in the US has been trains and subways. My bus experiences haven’t been that enjoyable, but not horrid either …except that one time I had to sit near the bathroom at the back.
Still, train/subway experiences in Chicago and New York/New Jersey/ Long Island were vastly superior to driving for me. There’s also a new line going from Orlando to Miami my sister has been using that sounds wonderful. Unfortunately doesn’t really reach where I currently am, greater Atlanta area. Unfortunately I have to drive most of the time for work etc, with no subway lines or when trains from my home to work, and the traffic is terrible at times.
deleted by creator
Either way you risk a possibility of being rear-ended.
In a train? That seems very unlikely though not impossible.
I used to be a big fan of public transport, but after covid it went to shit in my country or rather, it went to shit in my part of the country. Pretty sure it is still great in Copenhagen. Those lucky bastards.
As an American who visited Copenhagen post-covid, the public transport is amazing.
Right? Oh noooo I missed the metroooo. 🤭 2 minutes until the next one arrives?! Whatever will I doooo? 😜 And that is just the metro. Ignore the busses and trains which are also plenty and usually on time. Those lucky, lucky bastards.
Meanwhile in my neck of the woods: 💨
I could go into my public transportation horror stories, but I think it’s better to conclude my comment with the fact that my boyfriend and I, who were both big fans of public transportation, ended up buying a car because we literally had no other choice.
Right? Plus they’re clean and well-lit.
I’ve spent some time in North Jutland too - I don’t think I saw a bus or train. It felt much more like home in terms of needing a car.
Yeah, they don’t care about investing in public transport for us because we are too rural or some shit like that. It’s not like we don’t want to use it. We just get ignored while Copenhagen is the darling of the land lol. It’s the result of centralization politics for decades that drives people into the cities while smaller communities in the countryside are starved of options like public transport, doctors and even shopping facilities. It was a very systematic move on politicians parts and I have lived both in bigger cities and smaller towns and witnessed the centralization happen in real time and how the smaller towns have been slowly strangled to death. It sucks. It didn’t used to be like this.
my boyfriend and I, who were both big fans of public transportation, ended up buying a car because we literally had no other choice.
As a car guy, this breaks my heart. Because you probably bought something reasonable and practical and egg-shaped.
Nothing that stirs your passions. Nothing you look back on in the parking lot and think “I can’t believe that’s my car.”
As someone who thinks cars can be an art form, forcing people who don’t want cars to buy cars dilutes that art. Like making amazing designers make ads for bottled water or something.
Cars should be like horses are now: Beautiful and running in a field. Cared for as cherished pets. Not resigned to bumper-to-bumper traffic, waiting for someone who hates driving to attempt to merge with a “Please let me merge before I cry” bumper sticker, herding the semi who’s just trying to do their job and not kill someone who should not be driving.
Yeah man! It was even white like an egg too because we couldn’t afford a color xD
I will say that for my boyfriend’s part, I think our little egg car has brought him a lot of joy because he has more time and energy now that he doesn’t have to get up at 3.30 in the morning to get to work at 8.00. He likes nature too so he goes on several trips in his spare time to places he wouldn’t be able to reach otherwise, so if it is of any solace to you, our goofy little car has done some good to us. We even talk more because he started calling me on his commute home from work to chat about our day. During the public transport days, there was none of that because he was totally wiped out from being on the go since night time and into the afternoon where the only train or bus home would be home in our city around 18.00 or even 20.00 some days. For years our relationship was good morning and good night on week days because of how fucky public transport is and this was before covid too xD I feel like our car gave me back my boyfriend so I can’t hate on it too much even if it is ugly and boring to look at.
But yeah, I appreciate your love for cars. I really feel your passion through your words. To me, cars are just a vehicle that takes you places so it’s nice to hear someone else’s perspective and having them remind you that cars could be more than just four wheels that drives you around.
Me and the boys boarding be like
deleted by creator
Other countries actually clean, sanitize, and maintain their public transit including trains and metro. They do this by shutting it down for a few hours in the early morning/ late night
NYC is the only one in the US I’m aware of that goes 24/7. I know the Philly one doesn’t.
Are they maintained or just shut down for a few hours?
Well it’d be disrespectful to a friend of my mom’s to say they don’t…but also, it’s probably dirtier than the NYC one tbh. My point is that it’s not the root cause.
Yeah the root cause is they dont maintain or clean them at all
Fully agreed but even clean as a whistle I am not comfortable being around that many people ever
Cleanliness depends a lot on culture
Odds are they are American and if you haven’t noticed our culture is pretty hell bent on rejecting civic duty
Every time I get scared on a train, I just imagine a video of a train versus a car
I imagine the fear isn’t so much about accidents as it is about interacting with crazy people or crime.
Or getting on the wrong train and be carried away in the wrong direction and miss your appointment.
That person wasn’t in the country legally, so not a situation that would apply to many people.
Although the idea of accidentally driving to another country is very strange to me, there’s no way to leave my country without knowing it.
I hate being within arms reach of people so fuck your subways and your neurotypical ease with dealing with ridiculously overstimulating stress-filled situations
I’d rather you be uncomfortable in a subway sometimes than the entire world suffer from all the horrible things personal car ownership does.
Or you know, buses and trains for people that can handle them, and cars for people who can’t
If you envision a world where no accommodation is made for those who struggle then you are not a person that should be in charge of anything
I never thought I’d see this platform act like this towards someone with a disability, especially considering how many people here are likely on the spectrum.
Honestly rotten behaviour.
lemmy is going the way of reddit at a record pace and as usual the mods and admins don’t care
Dude is weaponizing his disability, go through his comments. He lives up to his name and goes off on just about everyone
With the attitude you have towards the disabled, I don’t blame them.
Also, why are you assuming they’re a dude?
Why are you assuming that I am assuming that?
If you’re a regular subway rider or grew up riding one (such as my neurodivergent ass) you start to realize that you’re just a person in a sea of people on the train. The anonymizing actually helps with my anxiety.
For you maybe, and my worry isn’t not being anonymous, it’s getting stabbed again
I’m really sorry this happened to you. I hope you are well and that nothing like this ever happens to you again.
Are people really downvoting you for being stabbed?
It’s the typical ‘Terrible things never happen because they haven’t happened to me’ mentality
Easy, just don’t look like someone who wants to get stabbed again!
I’m joking, obviously. I’m really sorry that happened to you.
Appreciate it, thankfully it slid off my ribs and only needed stitches but that was nearly half a century ago and I still have to do a lot of mental prep work to sit down that close to strangers
Also as for your ‘don’t look like a person who wants to get stabbed again’ line, I know you made it as a joke but statistically autists are targeted for violence by abusers and those abusers describe it all as visual cues that lead them to violence so maybe something to consider.
Subways are chill in other countries. The USA is insane.
My fear of being stabbed again isn’t 100% rational and won’t just go away because I cross an imaginary geographic line PEOPLE are insane, just the U.S. has a higher concentration
pssh. they’re both easy.
I remember going to NYC for a gig and I had a hotel in Manhattan and I got a lift from a coworker going to Long Island. That highway drive scared the shit out of me. He was changing lanes without signalling and weaving in and out of traffic.
I was gonna tell my account manager about it but my account manager said something like, oh he gave you a lift? did you know he was too scared to drive on the highway until I taught him how?
There are set of rules that everyone follows, so it’s more like an orchestrated dance. If you don’t know the rules, that’s fair to be freaked out in those situations. In Seattle, we have drivers from all over the world with they’re own rules, that’s got its own issues. I think NYC does too, but most people from somewhere else get a ride from someone who knows the rules, like you, or walk or whatever.
What he’s describing aren’t rules for driving in NYC, it’s just an asshole driver. People generally drive more quickly and more closely together here (the same way we walk), but the weaving in and out is a dick move
That’s fair, I didn’t catch the part that it was on the highway. You do have to weave a bit downtown.
Got it. The rule in Manhattan is just be assertive. Everyone is suffering driving, and everyone knows it. If you’re assertive people will let you in, if you’re not people are going to blow past you.
This has, however, gotten much easier with congestion pricing
I’m more terrified of driving a car in a city than on a highway. In a city one small mistake can mean killing a child or something. On the highway I can go at a moderate speed in the right lane without distractions.
Either way I prefer rails tho
In my state, statistics show that there are more fatalities on rural roads than in metro areas… and 80% of us live in the metro areas.
My car is 900kg with a straight-through muffler. No kid is going under it. Just don’t drive a tank through school zones.
straight-through muffler
I hope you throw a rod through the oil pan.
If you don’t like it, I’ll take it off.
😅 plz no.
Already afraid of this on an e bike.
Saw a mom walking on the road (next to a perfectly available sidewalk) with her small child following her 2 meters behind her.
Fucking hell if that kid randomly ran to my side, I would have hit her.
I hate this shit so much
I saw a car hit a teenager on a bike the other day. Dragged the kid a bit and then just sped off.
Somehow the kid seemed fine. Got up and rode off after a moment.
This was in Brooklyn, by Barclays center (a very crowded spot). Fuck cars and double fuck irresponsible turds that would drive off after nearly killing someone.
I’ve never almost died on a bus.
deleted by creator
Yeah, but LA has a shitty public transport system.
Take a look at any major European city. Subway systems with a train interval of 2 minutes that get you across the whole city in 40 minutes max.
Let’s be real: they’re terrified that they might be forced to be near poor people, minorities, gays, and mentally ill folk.
Bingo. I’ve talked to many of them online and it always boils down to this. It’s never that they’re actually in any danger. It’s just they feel scared. They drive their big trucks because it makes them feel safe.
Meanwhile puny me rides the subway daily.
Might surprise you, but on feeling scared: I once heard that a slim majority of SUV drivers were women. In some ways it makes sense - if they’d normally be vulnerable walking the streets alone, a less vulnerable vehicle gives them a feeling of safety.
It’s not a surprise. There’s some good analysis of vehicle advertisements, and one of the big emotions they push with SUV ads is the feeling of being safe in a ‘bad’ situation.
Fear based advertising (in general)
Article that is often quoted about fear in advertising
They’re weak, scared, and pathetic. Too xenophobic to interact with anyone or anything outside their coddled circles that might make them feel “”“uncomfortable”“”.
That’s nice, no medication I’ve found yet lets me ride public transportation without constantly freaking out from human proximity but I bet it is just so pleasant to have a normal brain
or they could be, like me, mentally ill folk who really cannot handle being forced to be around other people
But generalizations are fun aren’t they!
You arent the main character bruh
Everyone is the main character of their story.
His story is other peoples stories are the same as his story.
removed by mod
deleted by creator
removed by mod
I didnt say get over yourself, you literally just made that up
No, I think that’s a fair summary of your attitude.
No, I think thats a fair summary of your attitude.
removed by mod
That is an extremely callous thing to say.
No it isnt lmao. Cheer up buttercup 😘
Every single conservative man is mentally ill?
EDIT: to anyone reading this, the person I’m replying to is very clearly a troll. Just read their post history. Do not engage! (:
LOL
Add a little nuance to your argument and I’ll engage
Also you didn’t parse the sentence correctly, I was specifically referring to MY mental illnesses
Add a little nuance & good faith to your conclusion on my initial statement, and I’ll engage, too! Maybe you should re-read things to nake sure you’re not misunderstanding something.
— Sincerely, someone who is also struggles with mental illness, including severe anxiety & agoraphobia.
Nothing in my statement said conservatives, you made that up out of bad faith so why are you demanding good faith now?
Why cripple myself with rules you refuse to follow?
…did you not read the text of which this entire post is about, or…?
Um, that’s not my post. That’s not even from lemmy.
What the fuck is wrong with you?
Possibly…
His username is angry autist, just BTW. Bit of a hint there.
In my defense: I’m stupid.
Their “News tm” is constantly telling them cities are hellholes full of junkies and murderers and murderous junkies.
Most of them have no clue how the world outside their pickup truck windows works.
One of these things is not like the other
Which one is the one you’d single out?
Where I live, half the year it’s painfully cold outside. Then in the summer we alternate between unbearable heat (because we’re not used to it) and torrents of rain recently.
We also don’t have a subway system in any of our cities, have lower density cities because we don’t have a huge population in general, and have better driver education than much of the US.
I realize it would be optimal for society for me to take public transit, but in these conditions I’d rather drive. And if I need to go somewhere close, walking is quicker than public transit (and in the winter, generates SOME heat. Standing around at a bus stop, not so much).
I promise if I ever move to NYC, I’ll take the Subway when something is out of walking distance. I did when I visited. It was fine.
I’m terrified of riding the nyc subway because I don’t understand how it works amd I’ll get lost.
Trains go either this or that direction. Get on the train that goes the direction you want. Get out of the train when it is where you want to be. Done.
Also, you only pay when you enter the system, and it’s a flat fee no matter how far you ride. So if you fuck up and get on the wrong train, just get out and get on the correct train. You don’t have to pay again until you actually leave the system. (I think there are some stations where you can’t change directions without exiting to the street and re-entering, but that’s pretty uncommon.)
Just use your phone now, use transit directions. It’ll tell you exactly where to go. And if you go to the wrong place, you can always just go back
its really well designed and easy. with a smartphone, navigating the city is so easy I think a 10yo could do it. that said, my parents might have trouble, but only cause they get freaked out.
I just looked at your metro map. As a San Diego resident, we need to step out game up. We barely have a trolley system compared to your subway.
I grew up on a farm, basically the rural part of a rural county in a rural state. When I visited San Diego I got on a bus going the wrong direction (which isn’t a thing I even realized you could do wrong). Ended up having to wait an hour for another bus in a sketchy part of town, at night, while in cosplay.
Felt like that episode of SpongeBob where they get stuck at Rock Bottom.
I live in San Diego (well, in east county) and it’s particularly a mess here. The geography leads to no real structure, roads just sorta go where they can fit. This and a general lack of public transportation infrastructure means it’s easy to get lost or take forever to get where you’re going. Luckily it’s pretty safe, as cities go. We have a lot of unhoused folks but they’re just here for the weather. I’d rather be stuck downtown somewhere at night than out here in the rural SD area, buncha fuckin white supremacists are my neighbors
Conservative men are terrified of everything. Perpetual fear and petty grievances are the cornerstones of the entire conservative ethos.
