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Comment by hakrgrl | Hacker News Reader

This argument always comes up. "Why not public transit? It's so efficient, look at country X". Well, country X has people who respect public property and are orderly, so they can have nice things.

The US is filled with people who don't. And who do drugs. And who rob. So people retreat to places like a Joby aircraft or self driving Waymo, which don't have those issues.

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Other countries with good systems also have such people. America’s crime rate is far lower than the 1990s; the impression that you live in a crime-infested world is likely increased media coverage.

I think the real reason the US has poor public transit is that its transport landscape has been shaped by years of planning and funding decisions that have put the car first, and cities rebuilt accordingly. America’s enormity also makes nationwide PT more difficult (but not impossible).

Then add the meritocratic attitude that if you can’t afford a car it’s somehow your fault, and you end up with little political and societal interest in a good public transit system.

*https://ourworldindata.org/us-crime-rates

You’re probably right on crime. But I will say that both SF and Chicago(most of my experience) local train systems are constantly filled with homeless people with severe mental health issues. Generally , without fixing that a large segment of the population are never going to want to ride public transport.

I'm with you. Imagine the Sackler class being forced to see the results of what they have inflicted on American society?

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