Do not wait to incorporate public transit into your life

[rebeccaC]

I don't see how an EV car would work for me without major changes.

NY…In some cities it is more difficult when you don’t have good funding, planning and infrastructure. Some areas just have better support for mass transit and electric cars, which is important in establishing its efficiency. Our mass transit has some problems….just one being end-point to home for many, especially those using light rail. Lyft/Uber shuttles/ride sharing (and bike share for some) are being integrated into it here though. Personal EV’s can work into it easily with charging stations at Metro link stations, a public self-driving system would be even easier. For EV use China and Europe, with what happened today to the Paris Climate Accord, perhaps are going to be the best leaders for awhile….Norway has integrated it with good planning and is and will be a good model for others to study, especially with the pubic awareness/support issues. Using green energy, Norway’s being Hydro, is another big help in the awareness process.

The east coast has been doing work on EV infrastructure for a few years now but nowhere near what we’ve been doing on the west coast. The midwest and areas where electricity tends to come from coal just makes it less environmentally beneficial. The south, well, is the south…….

The Wa/Or/Ca West Coast Green Highway project has opened the ability to drive the entire length of the west coast with an Ev. Rapid charging stations now at and with more being established at places like hotels, restaurants etc. etc. and with more also being solar powered in some area’s, has the beginnings of a well thought out support system.

How can someone not want a environment emision friendly car with accident avoidance benefits and paint with nano-particles that helps to charge it’s energy system

safe summer rides for you !!!!!!!!

Shootingstar…..I’ve been using mass transit more the last year especially the last few months. I can get to a light rail station with a reasonable walk. That can take me to a number of different places that I enjoy walking and photographing. I would prefer bicycling to them or take my bike on the train like a few times before but walking is just more of my exercise for a while. I’m just open to the experience even with its minor problems and actually see that method of transportation as a positive adventure. No bike also makes it easier to Uber/Lyft home when I need to.
eta...a good friend who lives in San Francisco does a commute from her place downtown on a wifi equipped Caltrain to Menlo Park and a quick shuttle directly to her office...a 40 minute express train ride leaving every 30 minutes both ways

[shootingstar]

I haven't lived in a household with a car for nearly last 35 yrs. I'm 58.

Have summarized what it's been like here. So I've chosen to live near transit, core services, shops, etc.
Just last weekend we rented a car for 2 days after we took a bus for 170 km. out of town to get to next destinations of 300 km. That's probably going to be the only time we're renting a car for this whole year.

[smilingcat]

Hi shootingstar,

It's amazing how much you are saving by not having or owning your own car. I think I've given you a rough figure of the savings. One Tesla P85D owner said he tracked the total cost of ownership after one year at somewhere around $17K or so. Recharging of battery to insurance, to monthly payment with interest etc. Granted its not your usual econo box. so after 35 years that adds up to mighty big sum of money!!

I also found out why my friend's Tesla cost over $30,000 to repair the damage to passenger side rear door and rear quarter panel. Regular steel bodied car would have cost somewhere around $3,000-$6,000 for luxury sedan (me think). It was because the repair can only be made at Tesla approved repair shop. They are the only ones who can get the necessary replacement aluminum body parts and sensors from Tesla. There is no third party source.

I'm really hating to drive. Men seems to think its a race course out there. What is the point of having a speed limit when they completely ignore it and drive 10-20-30MPH over the limit. Want to make unsafe and illegal pass since I'm going at the speed limit...And when they see that its a Asian woman driving a car, they get even angrier! I can't wait for level 5 autopilot. Then what are these gorillas going to do? Some of the younger women are worse! I wish I didn't have to depend on a car...

[shootingstar]

Hi shootingstar,

It's amazing how much you are saving by not having or owning your own car. I think I've given you a rough figure of the savings. One Tesla P85D owner said he tracked the total cost of ownership after one year at somewhere around $17K or so. Recharging of battery to insurance, to monthly payment with interest etc. Granted its not your usual econo box. so after 35 years that adds up to mighty big sum of money!!

I also found out why my friend's Tesla cost over $30,000 to repair the damage to passenger side rear door and rear quarter panel. Regular steel bodied car would have cost somewhere around $3,000-$6,000 for luxury sedan (me think). It was because the repair can only be made at Tesla approved repair shop. They are the only ones who can get the necessary replacement aluminum body parts and sensors from Tesla. There is no third party source.

I'm really hating to drive. Men seems to think its a race course out there. What is the point of having a speed limit when they completely ignore it and drive 10-20-30MPH over the limit. Want to make unsafe and illegal pass since I'm going at the speed limit...And when they see that its a Asian woman driving a car, they get even angrier! I can't wait for level 5 autopilot. Then what are these gorillas going to do? Some of the younger women are worse! I wish I didn't have to depend on a car...

Hopefully e-cars will have 1-2 support competitors for repair jobs to bring down the price. It might take time. Right now, our city is surveying citizens about e-cars. So novel..
I have no trust about autonomous cars in our area....lots of people here drive pickup trucks that guzzle a lot of gas. Do I think people will try to game/tinker with an autonomous car. Sure, why not, if they're smart enough one day.

As for the Asian-face woman driver , I would LOVE to see my friend step out of her car to educate speeding drivers and see their facial reactions..: she works for the municipal transportation planning dept. The very dept. that's working on street calming, more sidewalks, more infrastructure for safety of pedestrians and cyclists. And she is Canadian-born Asian (Chinese). Every single car ride I'm in the car with her, we see speeding drivers going over the speed on city roads. We're not travelling on the highways.

As I said, at beginning of this whole thread, it has been a former cycling advocate, long distance commuter who at 79 now is bored with her friends in her age group spiralling down in petty discussions over short transit rides (which she privately finds amusing and bizarre) ...only because they've never had to restructure their life around transit and walking. Now they can't drive... Let's not be a bunch of elderly grumps incapable of restructuring our lives by making these adjustments .now.