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Comment by temp-dude-87844 | Hacker News Reader

The author paints a few overwrought scenes and meanders around a point, but never quite makes one that truly stands out, and doesn't deliver meaningful insight.

Countless people have wondered, amateurs and professionals alike, why so many people commute even when jobs and housing are available in proximity, and not just concentrated in the employment centers like SV, but it always boils down to the same basic setup: supply and demand feeding into pricing, disposable incomes feeding into pricing, zoning and regulations feeding into issues with the demand-matching supply, and a bunch of individuals trying to optimize their circumstances given several constraints.

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> Countless people have wondered, amateurs and professionals alike, why so many people commute even when jobs and housing are available in proximity,

Can be explained by this.

> Moreover, the use of motorized transport is no longer optional. Since the introduction of motorized transport the arrangement of our cities has changed in such a way that the majority of people no longer live within walking distance of their place of employment, shopping areas and recreational opportunities, so that they HAVE TO depend on the automobile for transportation. Or else they must use public transportation, in which case they have even less control over their own movement than when driving a car.

Source: [1995] Prof. Teddy in https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/unab...

Getting rides with Lyft or Uber give me even more control over my own movement than driving a car. I get a built-in chauffeur and valet (no time or money spent parking), plus I don't need to pay for maintenance costs or spend time refuelling. Why would waste time and money driving?

Most of society must still drive.

Well, you're paying for someone else's maintenance and fuel costs, their time, and the company's profit. Plus, spending your time waiting for the ride to show up every time you need it.

Maybe that makes sense for your situation. It doesn't for mine, even beyond the social awkwardness I feel in using services like that.

I am with you 100% - however what keeps me driving is my distrust of other people's driving skills. I know my city's roads very well and I trust myself to pay more attention than a random uber driver.

It may be an irrational fear but that's what keeps me from full time ubering.

I can also skip all traffic jams on my motorcycle. When I see a traffic jam, I get excited.

The important insight it's possible this wasn't by accident or natural, there is a belief that it was intentional[0].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_consp...

Wow! I did not know about this. What a bunch of criminals! That picture of the street cars stacked up, waiting for domolition in 1952, is really sad.

The biggest factor is limiting beliefs. People try to optimize their circumstances within the constraints of limiting beliefs that they're not even aware that they hold. Everyone is selecting the best choice on the menu, and most people present themselves with a shitty menu.

No. There just plain aren't many jobs in the East Bay unless you like working at Chick-fil-A or some call center. The menu is there.

Sounds like an opportunity to me. The East Bay sounds like a great place to start a paradigm-shifting company that attracts all the local talent.

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