Quote:
Originally Posted by derklug
I lived in Germany for 3 years, and saw what taxes and regulations did to private auto ownership. Where I was had poor public transportation, so there were a lot of mopeds. Most families had one car and they made do. People rented close to where they worked so they could walk, so the car wasn't tied up sitting at someones work. Americans are used to having cars, and will not easily submit to European standards. The sheer size of the United States also makes European style mass transit impractical. High speed rail is nice when you are going 100 miles, but NY to LA would be a major biotch. Going the same distance from Paris gets you to Siberia.
|
I agree. I lived in England in the 90's. Bicycles were everywhere, even on the highways. It was rare for people under 30 to own a car.
One point about the high speed rails. Just do a google search and you'll see that is one of major transportation policies is pushing high speed rail, from the same people pushing electric cars, CAFE standards, gas taxes, etc.
You're also correct that it will be hard to get American's to conform to European standards, which is why the government is pushing their policies on manufacturers. We will have to conform if the only cars available are mini cars and electric cars.
Look for certain cities in the near future to start banning private cars in "core" areas served by public transportation.