Raise the Hammer

"That's garden variety exceptionalism. All the available evidence demonstrates that people respond to incentives and that the role of "culture" is overrated - i.e. what we call "culture" is the more the cumulative effect of our decisions than the cause."

Listen... I applaud any and all efforts to change things.

I hate that decisions were made decades ago that determined this aspect of our society. (Another discussion entirely.)

I hate that our communities have, for the longest time, been designed around the automobile.

But Ryan, seriously; how you replied speaks volumes. You seem quite content to ignore just how deeply embedded this cultural imperative is. Good luck reconciling what you crave...with reality.

You have a hearty passion for your ideals, a vibrant intellect, and a forum. I wish you the best in your endeavours to effect the changes you hold precious.

Having said that, my prediction is that public transit will indeed get better. But that the world you envision...especially in the Hamilton area...will never come to pass. In fact, I'll say this: that when the time comes for the petroleum-fueled, internal combustion-driven automobile to meet its end, the replacement won't be dense public transit...it'll be another form of the Individual Locomotion Device most have come to worhship...but with another power source.

Certainly within our lifetimes the paradigm will remain pretty much as it is. Mostly because of one of my own beliefs: 'Change only really happens either in a crisis...or when something 'sexier' is presented to a consumer-based society.' And the limits of public transit in a world designed around the car just aren't sexy. (Of course, if you can manage a migration from a society based on consumption to one based more on the experiential...then we're talking a whole different ballgame.)

Right; I have to get on my way to catch a bus. Cheers!