[ExI] Americans are poor drivers

[Henrique Moraes Machado]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: John Grigg
To: ExI chat list
Sent: Wednesday, July 08, 2009 11:24 PM
Subject: Re: [ExI] Americans are poor drivers


How do traffic circles work?  I remember seeing them shown as an object of 
humor and comic consternation in various American films I've seen.

Henrique wrote:
The problem is not only in the drivers or the streets. I also happen to 
think that cars are wrong in so many ways. Using a two ton steel three meter 
long brick moved by an engine capable of tugging a small house to transport 
(most of the time) a single ape and his mobile phone is really really 
insane.
>>>

John Grigg>>I totally agree.  I find it so depressing that so many Americans 
would feel totally lost without their own car(s).
>I dearly wish every U.S. city had extremely thorough 24/7 bus and light 
>rail systems
>(running every 15 minutes 24/7 to make the driving public convinced it was
>worth their time to use and support it) that made owning a car largely 
>unnecessary.

I'm not advocating that everyone stop using cars altogether and turn to 
public transportation. Good public transportation is necessary indeed, but 
it's not all.
What I'm saying is that the object that we know as car is wrong and should 
be remade. For instance, motorcycles are way more rational as individual 
transport than cars, but they are not very safe (my broken leg has something 
to say about this). There are some projects like this tricicle hybrid 
(http://www.hybridcars.com/plug-in-hybrids/ventureone-plugin-hybrid-commuter.html), 
that carry two apes and take half the space of a conventional car. They even 
lean on curves which also makes them fun to drive.

John Grigg>I'm severely dyslexic and don't drive.  This has caused me 
immeasurable trouble and when
>I shared this with a wonderful woman I recently started dating, she looked 
>at me as if I had told her
>I had recently been released from prison after serving time for some 
>terrible crime.
>I live in Phoenix/Mesa Arizona, which has decent but not great public 
>transportation.
>I find it appalling that this part of the public sector agenda does not get 
>the financial support that it deserves.
>But ironically the lip service/hot air for such matters does seem 
>never-ending...

Sorry to hear that. Women can be quite cruel.
Down here in Rio every mayor elected promisses to fix the public 
transportation, but nothing ever happens. Buses look like packed meat 
packages and the rail/subway network is negligible. The hot air can melt 
Antarctica.

John Grigg>I'd like to think that long before I am brought back from "the 
hopeful ice" of cryonics,
>that I will live to see my vision of excellent public transportation coming 
>into being.

Me too. But I also hope to see better means of individual transportation 
either. Where's my frakking flying car?