Trump Considering Raising Gasoline Taxes For Infrastructure

[Economy 53,130]

6 minutes ago, Morphine Prince said:

What you just proposed is laughable to most people who live in urban areas in North America. Actually, even rural areas. 

Cities, towns, and suburbs were designed with things being long distance. Most people's jobs aren't a bike ride away. The only things that are close to people at a walking distance are small stores and other businesses. If you live in the suburbs you need a car just to head into the city. 

For example, the closest large grocery store to me is probably a 30 minute walk away, but a 5 minute drive. Why would I not drive? Most people in my city who have stable jobs have a car. All the people I know my age have a car. People get cars here at 16. 

In a sense public transportation IS for low income people because everyone who can afford gas, a car, car insurance, etc. doesn't need to use public transportation. 

The only people I know of who use the bus system here are people who can't afford cars or just haven't invested in one.

Furthermore it is much easier to get around with a car here with the great highways we have. A 30 minute drive on a commute could be 2 hours on a bus, a huge inconvenience. 

 

This!!!!!! Thats what im getting at

 

Ive lived in Europe and now i live in Canada and theres a big difference

 

In portugal any city with more than 10,000 people and u got everything near by

 

Here in Canada, my city in the Toronto suburbs (Brampton) which has over 600,000 people has nothing near by

 

everything is zoned far apart. The cities are designed with the assumption that most people would have cars

 

if u really cant afford cars we have public transportation but its really inconvinient tbh

 

 

[Whispering 18,865]

2 hours ago, Luc said:

Or maybe you could walk/cycle to the grocery store and use public transport and a cycle for work?  that's at least what most people here tend to do.

 

Higher costs for riding a car means a reduction in CO2 emissions. Most Americans have less than 50$ in their pocket and a small change like this impacts their behaviour directly. One family trip less, a more energy-efficient car speed or just a bit more consciousness could be the result. It amazes me how it's normal for some people to sit in their car every day  I try to prevent getting in a car as much as possible.

Public transport? Not if I value my life! 

Walk to a grocery store? Not really feasible, when it is already a ten minute car ride away. People often travel thirty minutes to an hour, one way, to work everyday. Cycling is taking your life in your hands on main roads, especially during rush hours with so many cars on the road. 

There are very few cities in the US that have the type of public transportation you find in a city like NYC or in many cities across Europe. 

[Luc 4,776]

7 hours ago, Morphine Prince said:

What you just proposed is laughable to most people who live in urban areas in North America. Actually, even rural areas. 

Cities, towns, and suburbs were designed with things being long distance. Most people's jobs aren't a bike ride away. The only things that are close to people at a walking distance are small stores and other businesses. If you live in the suburbs you need a car just to head into the city. 

For example, the closest large grocery store to me is probably a 30 minute walk away, but a 5 minute drive. Why would I not drive? Most people in my city who have stable jobs have a car. All the people I know my age have a car. People get cars here at 16. 

In a sense public transportation IS for low income people because everyone who can afford gas, a car, car insurance, etc. doesn't need to use public transportation. 

The only people I know of who use the bus system here are people who can't afford cars or just haven't invested in one.

Furthermore it is much easier to get around with a car here with the great highways we have. A 30 minute drive on a commute could be 2 hours on a bus, a huge inconvenience. 

 

And here I am thinking about never getting a driver's license  the only reason I would would be in case I ever made a US roadtrip. We'll have self-driving ones in 10 years anyways. 

 

And yeah, I know public transportation in the US is mostly for the poor. I once used it from San Diego to Tijuana (border) and it became pretty obvious there. It's just a shame, because public transportation allows for way lower levels of greenhouse gas emission, while it can also be a lot faster (e.g. Amsterdam to Paris in 3 hours by train, compared to 6 hours by car) and it doesn't get stuck in traffic jams. Especially in the US with high distances and pretty much nothing in between, it could make a lot of difference. I personally don't feel comfortable sitting in a car when I know that public transport could've done the job.

Here, trains are mostly used by people who go to university (free public transport) or yuppies in general. 

 

 

and @Economy it's not all about city sizes either. So-called 'food deserts' are a known and big problem in the US leading to higher obesity rates. I get that in the US supermarkets are generally bigger and fewer, but with good cycling infrastructure it could be a good alternative for lower distances. I would be prepared to cycle about 1.5 to 2 miles for a supermarket personally, and 5 miles is doable for shopping/going out/anything else. 

 

What do people in the US do when they're drunk and need to come home?  with no public transport and no bicycle  

[Mr Ricky 9,089]

9 hours ago, Luc said:

I can only support that. Higher gasoline prices leads to less greenhouse gas emission. It's also a very noticeable tax increase, one that will be felt by many and allows for good opposition from Democrats. Working on infrastructure is good. Tax increase leads to less debt

 

The US is too cheap with gasoline anyways. $2.57 in the US ($2.10 in R states) for a gallon vs $6.30 in the Netherlands or $5.50 in most of Europe. Maybe the American culture of 'public transport is for the poor!', 'just an eight-hour ride, doable' and 'let me ride my kids to school/walmart/fitness/whatever that's only 1 mile away!' needs to change.

Exactly this, people are getting way too lazy in US. Not that I know that much of it, because I don't live there. But it's noticeable how everyone takes the car to get some milk around the corner. Get a BYCICLE!!!!!! Or use the feet!!!! 

[Mr Ricky 9,089]

43 minutes ago, Luc said:

 

And yeah, I know public transportation in the US is mostly for the poor. I once used it from San Diego to Tijuana (border) and it became pretty obvious there. It's just a shame, because public transportation allows for way lower levels of greenhouse gas emission, while it can also be a lot faster (e.g. Amsterdam to Paris in 3 hours by train, compared to 6 hours by car) and it doesn't get stuck in traffic jams.

But that's funny, because people are being labeled as poor when they use public transport. Here you see every kind of people using public transport with the reason that it's seriously way easier to get somewhere than by using the car! It's way greener! People need to stop judging others, just because they use the public transport. Maybe if the US started updating their public transport it would help much better. For example the busses, they need one hell of a make-over. 

[Morphine Prince 109,984]

3 hours ago, Luc said:

And here I am thinking about never getting a driver's license  the only reason I would would be in case I ever made a US roadtrip. We'll have self-driving ones in 10 years anyways. 

 

And yeah, I know public transportation in the US is mostly for the poor. I once used it from San Diego to Tijuana (border) and it became pretty obvious there. It's just a shame, because public transportation allows for way lower levels of greenhouse gas emission, while it can also be a lot faster (e.g. Amsterdam to Paris in 3 hours by train, compared to 6 hours by car) and it doesn't get stuck in traffic jams. Especially in the US with high distances and pretty much nothing in between, it could make a lot of difference. I personally don't feel comfortable sitting in a car when I know that public transport could've done the job.

Here, trains are mostly used by people who go to university (free public transport) or yuppies in general. 

 

 

and @Economy it's not all about city sizes either. So-called 'food deserts' are a known and big problem in the US leading to higher obesity rates. I get that in the US supermarkets are generally bigger and fewer, but with good cycling infrastructure it could be a good alternative for lower distances. I would be prepared to cycle about 1.5 to 2 miles for a supermarket personally, and 5 miles is doable for shopping/going out/anything else. 

 

What do people in the US do when they're drunk and need to come home?  with no public transport and no bicycle  

I think we need a good train system nationwide. I think the east coast has a decent train system though. 

"I was thinking about never getting a driver's license" 

Oh, boy no one ever says that here lmao. Not having a license or a car is basically being stranded or having to rely on public transportation (oh God lol). 

Also idk how supermarket trends are in your country but here in the large supermarkets people tend to buy A LOT of food that will last weeks. It is highly convenient to have a car and put the groceries in the trunk vs. a bike. 

I literally only see people here on a bike when exercising (obv) and illegal immigrants who ride around Home Depot etc. because they don't have cars, and obviously at university or the park areas of the city. Not a common transportation, however. 

This is all my experience in my city (Houston) which is one of the largest cities in the US but I've been to other cities and rural areas in various states and not having a car in all of them seemed like an inconvenience. 

Oh, and when drunk you can take an Uber  

[Morphine Prince 109,984]

2 hours ago, Mr Ricky said:

But that's funny, because people are being labeled as poor when they use public transport. Here you see every kind of people using public transport with the reason that it's seriously way easier to get somewhere than by using the car! It's way greener! People need to stop judging others, just because they use the public transport. Maybe if the US started updating their public transport it would help much better. For example the busses, they need one hell of a make-over. 

But that's the thing, here in the US in many parts it IS easier to use a car. So if you HAVE to use public transportation you obviously don't have a car and most are low income. Not saying that in a mean way it's just a fact. 

If bus systems/other types of transportation were better here perhaps it would change but not every city is like NYC. 

[Luc 4,776]

32 minutes ago, Morphine Prince said:

I think we need a good train system nationwide. I think the east coast has a decent train system though. 

"I was thinking about never getting a driver's license" 

Oh, boy no one ever says that here lmao. Not having a license or a car is basically being stranded or having to rely on public transportation (oh God lol). 

Also idk how supermarket trends are in your country but here in the large supermarkets people tend to buy A LOT of food that will last weeks. It is highly convenient to have a car and put the groceries in the trunk vs. a bike. 

I literally only see people here on a bike when exercising (obv) and illegal immigrants who ride around Home Depot etc. because they don't have cars, and obviously at university or the park areas of the city. Not a common transportation, however. 

This is all my experience in my city (Houston) which is one of the largest cities in the US but I've been to other cities and rural areas in various states and not having a car in all of them seemed like an inconvenience. 

Oh, and when drunk you can take an Uber  

Some people buy for a week, some for a few days.. supermarkets are slightly more small-scaled and focused on appearing fresh and 'real'. I don't think food that can be kept for so long is legal, they're stricter on additives and manufactured products here (like chlorine chicken).

 

perhaps Trump will do something about public transport.. even though the right generally doesn't care for it.

[DeleteMyAccount 11,881]

Ha. I remember when an old friend got pissed at Obama for the rising gas costs which weren't even his fault. She voted for Trump.

[Economy 53,130]

5 hours ago, Luc said:

And here I am thinking about never getting a driver's license  the only reason I would would be in case I ever made a US roadtrip. We'll have self-driving ones in 10 years anyways. 

 

And yeah, I know public transportation in the US is mostly for the poor. I once used it from San Diego to Tijuana (border) and it became pretty obvious there. It's just a shame, because public transportation allows for way lower levels of greenhouse gas emission, while it can also be a lot faster (e.g. Amsterdam to Paris in 3 hours by train, compared to 6 hours by car) and it doesn't get stuck in traffic jams. Especially in the US with high distances and pretty much nothing in between, it could make a lot of difference. I personally don't feel comfortable sitting in a car when I know that public transport could've done the job.

Here, trains are mostly used by people who go to university (free public transport) or yuppies in general. 

 

 

and @Economy it's not all about city sizes either. So-called 'food deserts' are a known and big problem in the US leading to higher obesity rates. I get that in the US supermarkets are generally bigger and fewer, but with good cycling infrastructure it could be a good alternative for lower distances. I would be prepared to cycle about 1.5 to 2 miles for a supermarket personally, and 5 miles is doable for shopping/going out/anything else. 

 

What do people in the US do when they're drunk and need to come home?  with no public transport and no bicycle  

Its called taking an uber, thats what i always take. And if u have friends to split it with its really cheap. And before ubers existed thats what taxis were for  

 

And From what i saw in the US its kind of the same as Canada. Small grocery stores are rare. They have them in Toronto and my mom and I used to walk all the tine to get a few things and get things done... and if things were further away the public transit was so efficient. Buses, street cars and subway would get you anywhere in no time  

 

But thats only in the 3 largest cities (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver)... as soon as we moved to the suburbs thats it.  Walking is out if the question

 

We like the US dont have little grocery stores spread out. We have a few large ones every so many large km in plazas usually. Sometimes theres 3 or 4 large ones in the same area because its zoned that way.

 

I can choose from Fortinos, Metro, Freshco and Walmart which are 10 minutes drive away all clumped together in plazas  

 

Actually 7 minutes away in another direction we have this large grocery store called Nofrills which my brother worked in. That grocery store is on its own. But its still a large grocery store with no other small ones near by...

 

unless for food u count Mcdonalds, Pizza-Pizza, KFC, A&W, Taco Bell Or Burguer King which are spread out every where. Those are always walking distance away. But u can find them in plazas too  

[Economy 53,130]

2 hours ago, Morphine Prince said:

I think we need a good train system nationwide. I think the east coast has a decent train system though. 

"I was thinking about never getting a driver's license" 

Oh, boy no one ever says that here lmao. Not having a license or a car is basically being stranded or having to rely on public transportation (oh God lol). 

Also idk how supermarket trends are in your country but here in the large supermarkets people tend to buy A LOT of food that will last weeks. It is highly convenient to have a car and put the groceries in the trunk vs. a bike. 

I literally only see people here on a bike when exercising (obv) and illegal immigrants who ride around Home Depot etc. because they don't have cars, and obviously at university or the park areas of the city. Not a common transportation, however. 

This is all my experience in my city (Houston) which is one of the largest cities in the US but I've been to other cities and rural areas in various states and not having a car in all of them seemed like an inconvenience. 

Oh, and when drunk you can take an Uber  

This This and This

 

u described my city exactly...

 

When i lived in Toronto walking and transit was common cuz things are close, public transit is efficient, and parking and traffic rush-hour is such a pain in the ass that u loose years off your life in stress trying to drive in Toronto. Even some wealthy business-men in Toronto dont have cars in the city core

 

But we moved to the suburbs (my new city has 600,000 people) and its exactly the same as what u described

 

Public transit and walking is super inconvinent. Distances are bug and u waste a lot of time. Only students and poor people use transit tbh.

 

And my parents are exactly like that. They stuff the trunk if their van and we have 2 refridgerators cuz 1 jumbo sized one wasnt enough  . Im my defence tho we are a household family of 6 😅 But try to immagine carrying that many griceries without a car 😳

 

And interesting u mention uber. Its mine and my friends life saver these days when we cant drive  

[Morphine Prince 109,984]

7 minutes ago, Economy said:

This This and This

 

u described my city exactly...

 

When i lived in Toronto walking and transit was common cuz things are close, public transit is efficient, and parking and traffic rush-hour is such a pain in the ass that u loose years off your life in stress trying to drive in Toronto. Even some wealthy business-men in Toronto dont have cars in the city core

 

But we moved to the suburbs (my new city has 600,000 people) and its exactly the same as what u described

 

Public transit and walking is super inconvinent. Distances are bug and u waste a lot of time. Only students and poor people use transit tbh.

 

And my parents are exactly like that. They stuff the trunk if their van and we have 2 refridgerators cuz 1 jumbo sized one wasnt enough  . Im my defence tho we are a household family of 6 😅 But try to immagine carrying that many griceries without a car 😳

 

And interesting u mention uber. Its mine and my friends life saver these days when we cant drive  

Yeah North American cities (USA and Canada) have almost the same design I think! 

Not all cities are like NYC and Toronto where public transportation is efficient. 

In Houston we have a rail system that only functions downtown and some surrounding areas but besides that it's the bus people who don't have cars depend on. 

Taxis are too expensive and Uber is there of course. 

And even in downtown there are tons of parking garages so you don't even NEED to use public transportation to get around the area. 

 

[Economy 53,130]

3 minutes ago, Morphine Prince said:

Yeah North American cities (USA and Canada) have almost the same design I think! 

Not all cities are like NYC and Toronto where public transportation is efficient. 

In Houston we have a rail system that only functions downtown and some surrounding areas but besides that it's the bus people who don't have cars depend on. 

Taxis are too expensive and Uber is there of course. 

And even in downtown there are tons of parking garages so you don't even NEED to use public transportation to get around the area. 

 

I dunno how it is in Huston but in the suburbs here everyone has a parking driveway in front of their houses so car parking isnt an issue. And if u live in a condo they have undergound parking. And yes theres parking garages throughout cities too

 

In Toronto though many houses didnt have a driveway or garage. And even if they do cuz houses are narrow there u can only fit 1 car. So people have to find parking in streets. I tell u that was a real pain in the ass cuz sometimes ud only find parking several minutes from your house. And then ud be screwed with parking tickets all the time if u passed legal hours and didnt go move ur car say at 4am  

 

We have 3 cars in our household now and when my brother gets one we will have 4. Im glad in the suburbs we dont have to deal with that non-sense anymore

 

And yeah its the same design. Ive been to a few States in America and your suburbs pretty much look like ours

 

But they are very different from Europes. I used to live in Portugal. Even smaller cities there aren compact in mini-appartments (usually 3 or 4 floors). Then things like stores are zoned more ramdomly so theres always something close to u. So they have an easier time getting around

 

The largest cities tho i believe its the other way around. Europe has few cities with super dense city cores and large skyscrappers like Toronto and New York where a sh*t load of stuff is super condensed.

 

Our suburbs in North America are harder without a car than Europe. But i think our largest cities in North America are easier to get around without a car than Europes largest cities

[Morphine Prince 109,984]

15 minutes ago, Economy said:

I dunno how it is in Huston but in the suburbs here everyone has a parking driveway in front of their houses so car parking isnt an issue. And if u live in a condo they have undergound parking. And yes theres parking garages throughout cities too

 

In Toronto though many houses didnt have a driveway or garage. And even if they do cuz houses are narrow there u can only fit 1 car. So people have to find parking in streets. I tell u that was a real pain in the ass cuz sometimes ud only find parking several minutes from your house. And then ud be screwed with parking tickets all the time if u passed legal hours and didnt go move ur car say at 4am  

 

We have 3 cars in our household now and when my brother gets one we will have 4. Im glad in the suburbs we dont have to deal with that non-sense anymore

 

And yeah its the same design. Ive been to a few States in America and your suburbs pretty much look like ours

 

But they are very different from Europes. I used to live in Portugal. Even smaller cities there aren compact in mini-appartments (usually 3 or 4 floors). Then things like stores are zoned more ramdomly so theres always something close to u. So they have an easier time getting around

 

The largest cities tho i believe its the other way around. Europe has few cities with super dense city cores and large skyscrappers like Toronto and New York where a sh*t load of stuff is super condensed.

 

Our suburbs in North America are harder without a car than Europe. But i think our largest cities in North America are easier to get around without a car than Europes largest cities

Here suburbs and even areas in the city have driveways. Only the ones in the very downtown area do not. 

That's what I like about our cities. Parking is never an issue an nothing is condensed. 

But that's not very green  

[Economy 53,130]

2 minutes ago, Morphine Prince said:

Here suburbs and even areas in the city have driveways. Only the ones in the very downtown area do not. 

That's what I like about our cities. Parking is never an issue an nothing is condensed. 

But that's not very green  

Some parts of Toronto have driveways too but not closer to the downtown area

 

Where I lived we didnt have driveway. My parents only had 1 car at the time and it was still a pain

 

I love Toronto but the issues id have driving alone make me never wanna live there

 

my friends and I just ubber down on weekends and have fun there without worrying about where we gonna put our car