Re: But are Uber and Lyft the root cause?
This may be the case at times, but most of the time (in my experience) cars are more convenient and reliable for the vast majority of journeys I make, and while not large I do live in a city.
There is only one regular journey I make which could be done sensibly by walking, and that's to the supermarket. It's about 30-45 mins walk, which is doable. The journey there is up a fairly steep hill, also doable.
However, when I have walked there and done my weekly shop, how do I get half a dozen bags of shopping home? I could try to walk it, but even half an hour downhill lugging a week's worth of shopping is no longer sensible. I could get the bus, but they are unreliable and I would have to change part way, as well as taking as long as walking and costing a fair bit. I could get a taxi, and pay way more than the cost of fuel while my car sits at home doing nothing.
The alternatives are things like doing a more frequent, smaller shop, but that would then take even more of my time walking to and from the supermarket. I could use a small, local shop, but they charge a significant amount more for everything. They also don't sell much of what I want, so I would still have to make trips to the supermarket. I could do online shopping, but I'm rarely at home when they would want to deliver (and the substitutions!).
Every other journey I make would be at least an hour's walk, normally more than that. The car is the only realistic option (except for the occasional taxi or train for a night out drinking, which are so rare I can put up with the inconvenience or cost in exchange for an enjoyable night out).
People who say "walking is an option" often don't consider the downsides, and that people value their time and convenience. Walking or using public transport can be an option in some circumstances, but (in my experience) is less convenient, less comfortable and more time consuming 99% of the time.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
