Re:Twike
by kiliantics on Wednesday July 21, 2021 @10:44AM
(#27906983)
This is a completely ahistorical take. The roads didn't all come out of nowhere and the railways that used to go everywhere didn't just magically disappear. And market forces didn't make these transformations either. Regulation is what got us into this mess and regulation can get us out.
We have also regulated away many things that were favoured by markets but had negative consequences. And there are plenty examples of people who are happy to do the less convenient thing and even end up enjoying it. Including switching from cars to bikes, which has happened in a number of European countries.
As a species, yes, but -and I know this sounds hokey- we are not in control of the automobile industry. Market forces are -and we don't control those, either. Like so many mythical creators, we have lost control of our creation and it's not destroying us.
What's worse, we have now raised multiple generations of humans who know no other way of being and for whom any alternative is unthinkable, or ridiculous. "What, I'll go around the city pedalling my little three-wheel bike? That's stupid!".
Alternatives will have to be a lot better than automobiles to be able to replace them: be much cheaper, much more comfortable, much more convenient. Is there anything like that on the horizon?