this post was submitted on 11 Sep 2023

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Commutes Are Faster For Everyone After Buses Got Their Own Lane On Tobin Bridge (mass.streetsblog.org)

submitted 1 year ago by KillAllPoorPeople to c/boston

24 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Taking away a lane for cars to create a dedicated bus lane made for faster commutes for everyone, thanks to faster, more reliable service on one of the region's busiest bus routes.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Man this country's embarrassing. A news story on one 2.4 mile segment of public transit infrastructure.

Imagine telling your kid they need to finish dinner so they can go to bed. So they eat one kernel of corn at a time, and take a minute to chew it. Just, comically taking as long as possible so they dont have to go to bed. That's the US on addressing climate change. We're a goddamn child that don't wanna.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Also, the kid is shoveling down junk food at the same time.

[–] iforgotmyinstance 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Tbh force semis to stay in the rightmost lane to alleviate traffic issues as well. 18 wheelers should not be in every lane going 2 miles below the speed limit and trying to pass each other for a 1 mph advantage.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

This. If they’re not actively passing, they should be required to be in the rightmost lane. It should be illegal for semis to take up 2 lanes, especially when they’re moving at the same goddamn speed.

[–] SheeEttin 2 points 1 year ago

If there's more than two lanes they should move over, though, especially at on and off ramps. Everyone should. Let people get on and off easily.

[–] tdawg 2 points 1 year ago

Good. Do more

[+] thantik -24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

I'm not a fan of the whole "fuck cars" movement, simply because Cars are a central staple of American identity. But I can get behind something like this. Public transportation sucks, it always will, because you're forced to deal with the public. Dedicated lanes for these service vehicles is a good idea, as it lowers the time significantly. I also wish we had road coverings with solar on them. There's about 39 million acres of road in America, and we would only need about 14 million acres of solar panels to power the USA. AND we'd get shade while driving, reducing the need to run A/C.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

so are gun homicides and police brutality. and obesity...and anti-science conspiracy theories...and wealth inequality...

[–] SomeKindaName 3 points 1 year ago

Don't forget bigotry and homophobia!

[–] thantik 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Yeah, enough with the oppression olympics. It's getting old. You don't have to devolve every conversation into this shit.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

You made it about American identity. And like many other things we're famous for, our car obsession is a detriment to people. Especially the big trucks and SUVs. Did you know pedestrian deaths have been skyrocketing?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

The particulate pollution from cars would mandate constant cleaning of the panels, which significantly increases operating costs compared to just building solar farms in better areas.

There's also the issue of accidents and adding potential electrical hazards to them if power distribution infrastructure is damaged.

It can work in some places, parking lots for instance, but covering highways in solar panels is too much hassle for the benefits.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What made cars so central to being an American? I work from home in a rural area, and I need a car. I can’t walk to the grocery store because they built it too damned far away down a dangerous road. So what could I walk to? “Convenience” stores owned by the same companies that run the grocer except it’s all marked up for the convenience. And My employers downtown office doesn’t make business sense for the one time a month they make me drive down there, and the easiest solution, obviously, is to give me a few days notice that I’ll be in office indefinitely.

From then on there’ll be nothing more American than wasting my life on some stretch of highway with parked cars for miles in front of me, waiting to get to the same exit as everybody else, and then waiting to get through the same lights as they are, so I can get to my house that’s one street away from where they’re going.

Maybe we should critically re-examine what our parents were advertised into believing is the most American thing ever. Before the environmental collapse, please.

[–] thantik 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

What made cars so central to being an American?

FORD, and paying their employees a wage that was enough to be able to afford those cars. Manufacturing in the early 1900s. It's one of the things that Americans enjoy, along with Baseball, Burgers, Blue Jeans, etc.

You've been too entrenched in that "Americans don't have culture" lie that you've been told. Cars are very much a part of American culture. Racing, customization, engineering, speed, freedom to go wherever you want, whenever you want. Cars are central to individualism and a massive part of our culture.

Additionally, we're far less population dense than other nations, with exception of Russia, Canada, and Australia. Individual travel is a necessity for our populace.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Culture is as culture does. Cars shouldn’t need to be a necessity for all because some people like them. Does minimum wage afford all Americans a new car today, on top of rent? You’ve been too entrenched in justifying your expensive car loan to yourself.

[–] thantik -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Sorry, I don't have any car loans. I buy from auctions and repair them for myself. In fact, I probably have worse credit than you do, because I don't have any. Couldn't get a loan if I tried. Same with my house, I had to find a by-owner financier.

I've got a '96 Del Sol, An '05 mazda MX-5, A '15 Ford Focus SE, A '12 Hyundai Elantra, an 88 Fiero, and a 99 MR2. Each of them I got for around $2.5k ea due to damage that was wholly repairable, but the insurance companies don't like the swallow that cost. I probably put another $1.5k into each to get them workable and for the title rework, but obviously my labor to myself is free.

I bought my 3/2 at the bottom of the 2008 crash, owner-financed for $32k. It's just a matter of finding the people who can watch for stuff for you. Past the cars and the house, I own basically nothing. No savings right now, but also no rent, and no loans. Insurance on all the cars is basically the same as insurance on 2 of them. It didn't go up adding the 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc... because I still drive about the same amount, the mileage is just split between them.

Cars are special to people. They aren't just a tool to get from point A to point B, but many people's first real investment into something. They take pride in that. Cars aren't necessary because people like them, they've become a standard expectation because everyone loves them.

ADDITIONALLY One ocean freighter puts out more emissions than all of the cars in the USA do in a year. Pretending like this is something the people have to sacrifice in order to fix things is blind to the real problems. This is like everyone taking up drinking out of cardboard straws while Nestle still pumps fresh water out of Arizona. It's pointless, and it puts the burden on the wrong people.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Okay then both our assumptions were wrong. Again just because cars are your hobby doesn’t mean we should design our society in a way that both assumes and forces car ownership on people. On top of the economics of every household needing at least access to one car, it is literally making our planet unlivable.

[–] thantik 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

It really isn't. Owning and operating cars PALES in comparison to corporate pollution from shipping industries. It's the rampant consumerism that's killing the world, not cars. That's why all the crap about China polluting. China isn't polluting so much as the US has offshored all of their pollution TO China.

The argument you're making is the equiv to all these rich billionaires telling kids to skip the avacado toast and morning coffee.

Why is it up to the PEOPLE to curb these actions instead of the ones who are actually polluting? Why do the PEOPLE hold responsibility here when it comes to cars? Why do they have to suffer and use public transportation instead of their nice, private, quiet vehicle?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And how many corporations force people to come downtown into offices, and either through fossil fuel emissions or tire particulate, pump carcinogens into high traffic/high population areas? If we want to reduce corporate pollution then we should plan to reduce it across the board, and not allow these real estate companies to dictate WFH.

The responsibility to transition to a sustainable world isn’t on the people. But it is the people’s responsibility to ensure their government is legislating issues like this properly. Failure to do so is letting down all future generations. This summer shows the results of 50 years of failing to face these issues head on and instead allowing profits to influence legislation. One of those influences is to force cars on people.

I understand you like your cars but I believe most people only have their cars for these reasons: to get necessities, go to work, and maybe childcare. And many can’t afford the gas to go much further. If more neighborhoods were designed to human scale, so you could walk or ride a bike to access the peoples common needs, that would make living much more affordable and sustainable for many.

[–] thantik 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

But it is the people’s responsibility to ensure their government is legislating issues like this properly.

Listen...Have you SEEN the graph of what our politicians pass vs "The People's" approval of it? We have no say...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tu32CCA_Ig

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well then, I suppose if it is CENTRAL to American identity, perhaps the climate will take that into account and bypass the USA. The solution was looking us right in the face.

[–] thantik -2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Because cars are the problem and not the technology they run on, right? What is this short-sighted shit take?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'd be curious about the maintenance costs of converting all roads to solar roads.

[–] thantik 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Or even just parking lots and rooftops. Solar is just Nuclear at a safe distance.