[extropy-chat] Debate on Peak Oil

[spike]

> bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of "Hal Finney"
...
> 
> "Meanwhile, Southland public transportation agencies are reporting that
> ridership has jumped in the first months of 2005 - up between 3% and 12%,
> depending on the system."
...
> Hal

Ja, but I expect it won't go much higher.  The basic issue is
that having one's own car promotes one from a pawn to a knight.
The pawn and the pub-trans rider have little choice: go forward
or stay.  The driver and the knight can go anywhere they want.

The car is one's suit of armor, the wheels the swift hooves, a
sawed-off 12 gage under the seat is one's lance.  In one's own
car one has personal space.  People will continue to opt for
autos even in those places where they are already impractical,
such as certain areas in New York and many European cities.

If the subway engineers could work out a means whereby trains
had individual locking compartments, large enough for singles,
some for pairs, a few for groups of 3 to 10, then we
proles would really like them and use them.

spike