I like this quote:

“The problem is that electric cars are popular with politicians precisely because they provide an excuse to avoid doing harder things, like rebuilding our cities, or changing the habits of lifetimes. Persuading people to switch from their old gasoline car to a shiny Tesla is much easier than persuading them that they can live without a car. Hence governments are pushing electric cars, often with incentives that make no sense.” - Daniel Knowles, author of Carmageddon

@breadandcircuses Even persuading them they can live w/o a car is not the solution—*providing an actually working alternative* is. And not just in the cities, but EVERYWHERE, and covering ALL usecases for a car.

That means frequent, cheap or free, comfortable and not overcrowded local and long distance public transportation, including services to handle larger amounts of luggage, transportation services for goods where needed, etc.

It’s a HUGE undertaking.

@breadandcircuses Not that I think this isn’t worth it—quite the opposite. But currently, we’re always putting the cart before the horse. We’re asking ppl to get rid of their cars *w/o* providing a good alternative. And wondering why there’s a lot of pushback & resistance.

Ppl wouldn’t spend 1 year’s income or more on a car, plus running costs, if it didn’t *significantly* improve their lives. If you want them to change that, you’ll have to provide an alternative ALREADY.