"Then I would say our politicians are at least trying to meet the basic necessities of our citizens."

 

Since when is this the responsibilty of our politicians?

 

Unlike the federal government, state and local governments are charged with providing for citizens' health, safety, and general welfare. 

 

I thought their only purpose was to do favors for those who contributed the most money to their campaigns?

Campaign money can influence the outcome, but the outcome of an election is still under the control of the voters!

 

If those who support mass transit are outnumbered by those who don't, then it doesn't even matter if they all vote.  Saying they deserve what they get because they don't get out to vote as much is a lame attempt to shift the blame.

 

By the way, maybe if people who rely on public transportation had better public transportation, they would be able to get out and vote more.

 

You can vote by mail in Ohio.

The NRA, Sierra Club, etc, have strong, organized lobbies that are supported by members. I can't think of any strong lobby that is supported by non-drivers.

 

"Then I would say our politicians are at least trying to meet the basic necessities of our citizens."

 

Since when is this the responsibilty of our politicians?

 

Unlike the federal government, state and local governments are charged with providing for citizens' health, safety, and general welfare. 

 

There are numerous provisions for roads in Ohio, but can you show me in the Ohio state constitution any place that requires state or local government to provide rides?

Note that a non-driver might be statistically more likely to support public transit than a driver, but there's still a leap or two of logic in there.  Some of them might well simply be awaiting the day when they have the resources to get a car and be a driver, and look forward to that rather than to an improved bus system and/or new streetcar line.

 

Voters often vote with a mindset somewhere in between that of the person they currently are and that of the person they wish they were--what they see themselves being someday.  For example, a very large amount of the electorate believes that it will be in the top 10% or even the top 1% of the income scale someday, and may therefore vote as though they're wealthier than they are.  I could easily see the same thing being true of many of those who are simply temporarily out of work (as opposed to physically disabled, for example) and dependent on transit for that reason: they look forward to *not* being transit-dependent.

"Then I would say our politicians are at least trying to meet the basic necessities of our citizens."

 

Since when is this the responsibilty of our politicians?

 

Unlike the federal government, state and local governments are charged with providing for citizens' health, safety, and general welfare. 

 

There are numerous provisions for roads in Ohio, but can you show me in the Ohio state constitution any place that requires state or local government to provide rides?

 

In response to the implication that politicians should not be in the business of providing the basic necessities of our citizens, I replied that state government IS responsible for providing for the health, safety, and general welfare.  (I guess we can make an exception for politicians who are not part of the government.)

 

From that you inferred that I thought the state constitution should require the state to provide everyone a ride?! :drunk:

 

That's a stretch. 

Although with the car-centric development of the past fifty years it's near-impossible to get around without a car in the suburbs.  Politicians represent the people, and that includes people who are unable to drive, particularly disabled, children, and the elderly.  So since you brought it up, maybe the government should provide rides to people who need it.  :evil:

 

Not everything has to be spelled out in the constitution for it to be within the state's purview.  (Unless you live in Louisiana or France or another civil law jurisdiction.)

 

If 25% of the population can't drive, shouldn't the state encourage (if not entirely fund) some alternative forms of transportation?  If 25% of the population doesn't drive, shouldn't 25% of the state transportation budget go for something other than roads for cars?  I think that would only be fair.

 

 

 

 

 

I agree that not everything has to be spelled out. But construction of highways is one of the things that is explicitly spelled out in the state constitution as being a function of the state. Providing rides is not (at least not that I'm aware of). 

 

 

Full Story: Car Culture: Freedom Brought to You by the American Auto Industry

Source: Urban Milwaukee, April 26, 2012

 

Forget for a minute what the answer to that question may be, and focus first on why the two ideas are associated with each other. As Dave Reid explains, it's no accident, but rather the result of a relentless marketing scheme by the auto industry.

 

In the inaugural edition of "Car Culture," Urban Milwaukee's regular series on "the history of our love affair with the automobile, and its true costs and consequences," Reid begins with a historical examination of the association of the automobile with freedom.

 

Reid argues that, "U.S. automakers successfully sold the American public that access to an automobile is 'freedom', and that an automobile is an inalienable right, not a responsibility. For decades millions of dollars have been spent marketing this concept to us. It is so ingrained in our belief system that I’ve actually had friends tell me ‘my car is freedom’."

 

Reid includes two very persuasive advertisements to prove his point, one a Ford television commercial from 1955 and, the other, a Dodge television commercial from 2010. Different era, same message: the car = freedom.

 

MORE:

http://www.planetizen.com/news/redirect_new.php?id=56452-0

I took that poll and I am..get this..in the 75% to 100% range.  And that I can do this in suburban Dayton, too....

 

I do still have a car and occasionally use it.  No more than once a week, if that much....really no more than two or three times a month. 

 

For basic commuting and errands I am on the bus, on foot, or..now..on a bike.

 

 

We're taking the keys away from Grandpa this weekend.  I think I'm going to go ahead and call the police ahead of the intervention, since he might try to make a getaway. 

^One of my aging relatives kept her keys, but her car was disabled by removing the battery without her knowing. Probably this won't work on grandpa if he has any mechanical ability at all.

I don't blame you for taking the keys, though. My grandfather was always a really careful driver, and made a big fuss if his car was ever scratched, whick usually happened when it was parked. In the last few years of his life, he started bumping into things while driving. Fortunately, nothing serious happened.

We're taking the keys away from Grandpa this weekend.  I think I'm going to go ahead and call the police ahead of the intervention, since he might try to make a getaway. 

 

Call the police in advance, we had to do that with my grand father.  Granted, he drove himself to the hospital, when he had a stoke.  Go figure.

We should've taken my Grandpa's keys earlier than we did. Fortunately no one but him was hurt when he drove into a ditch. (He broke his arm, shoulder, and ribs.) The thing is he never really showed us any signs that he couldn't handle driving before the accident.

I still think it would be a good idea to require everyone to take a driver's test every ten years.  That's really not too much to ask.  As it stands there are people on the road who haven't looked at the rules of the road since the 1950s. 

People over 75 should have a driver's test every 6 months! 

We should've taken my Grandpa's keys earlier than we did. Fortunately no one but him was hurt when he drove into a ditch. (He broke his arm, shoulder, and ribs.) The thing is he never really showed us any signs that he couldn't handle driving before the accident.

My Grandfather almost ran into an RTA bus.  My grandmother took the keys out the ignition and called my uncle to come drive the car home.  Since then my father and his siblings have forbidden him to drive.  If they need to go somewhere, the grand kids and great-grandkids run errands with my grand parents.

I still think it would be a good idea to require everyone to take a driver's test every ten years.  That's really not too much to ask.  As it stands there are people on the road who haven't looked at the rules of the road since the 1950s. 

Agreed. There's a lot people in their 30s and 40s that haven't looked at the rules since the 80s or 90s. The rules have changed a little and they've forgotten enough of the rules that haven't changed that they should be required to test again.

If we're serious about road safety, we should be taking keys away from 16-18 year-olds, not just focusing on grandma's failing eyes.

>the grand kids and great-grandkids run errands

 

The problem with mine are that they are in "independent living", or whatever it's called, where they get free meals and all those things, but they insist on cooking themselves and maintaining an image.  They are keeping up with the Jones's until the very end!

>the grand kids and great-grandkids run errands

 

The problem with mine are that they are in "independent living", or whatever it's called, where they get free meals and all those things, but they insist on cooking themselves and maintaining an image.  They are keeping up with the Jones's until the very end!

Nobody is as "independent" as my fathers parents.  They swear they are my age!  We'll at least they act like it.  My grand father always wants to "go to the club". 

 

Yeah, my grand parents are very active and don't want to lose their independence, but at the same time, I have several relatives that live withing a 5 min walk to their house.  My cousin and her family live directly behind my grand parents, so she's always watching out.  My extended family is so large, there is always someone at their house.  Plus now that they're on a health kid they bike ride, roller skate and even roller blade to things nearby. 

OMG I would love to see old folks rollerskating through my neighborhood.

OMG I would love to see old folks rollerskating through my neighborhood.

 

There is a whole posse of old folks they hang with.  They play Tennis three times a week, they swim twice a week, they run (ok walk fast), roller skate, play volleyball and bike.  They are a hot mess.

Hell no, I'd never cook again if my meals were covered. That was one of the best things about college -- never having to keep a bunch of food around or having to eat the same things over and over again to keep from having to throw a bunch of food out.

Everytime I think about getting a new car....I want one eventually.....I stop when I receive this bill:

 

 

$17.25 which includes gas, insurance, unlimited miles, and tolls is pretty damn cheap for an evening in the suburbs.  That's all the time I needed it for that month. 

Roughly how long of a drive was that for each instance?

^ It says 57 miles total. So break that into 3 trips. My guess is one trip was about 25 miles, the others about 16 each? Roughly...

Well, the intervention was unsuccessful.  We were moving them from one unit in the complex to another, and grandpa freaked out because the unit they were moving to was a mirrored floor plan from what he thought he was getting.  This set him off and he never returned to earth.

 

So the bottom line is he still has his car and will continue to roam the area until something happens. 

We were moving them from one unit in the complex to another, and grandpa freaked out because the unit they were moving to was a mirrored floor plan from what he thought he was getting.

 

How do you expect him to live his life backwards?!

^ It says 57 miles total. So break that into 3 trips. My guess is one trip was about 25 miles, the others about 16 each? Roughly...

 

Sorry, I missed seeing the distance in the invoice. Thanks.

My bad.  Total trip was 57 miles, roughly 28 miles in each direction.  The trips listed under adjustments are I-Pass / EZ-Pass checkpoints.  When I passed under the gantry the tollway authority bills the carsharing service, and they then bill me. 

 

My trip used approximately 2 gallons of gas since much of it was city driving.  Gas runs around $4.50-$4.90 / gallon here in Chicago...so nearly half of my bill covered gas...then there was tolls.  That leaves $6 left for the cost of insurance and just being able to drive the car. 

 

Considering time, money, and convenience there's no other transportation alternative in existence that is comparable to reach remote destinations.  Keep in mind, my only other alternatives were bus, taxi, or conventional rental services like enterprise.  And obviously those are either expensive or require alot of time.

 

......Of course, I could always borrow a friend's car nearby.  But that's risky, and you have to work with their schedule.

I wish we had something like igo in Dayton.  If they did I would give up my car.

 

Would a car-share thing work for longer distance trips...like down to Cincy or Louisville?  Right now I'm limited to the car rental places...tho the Avis place downtown is a great convient place to rent cars.

 

 

I wish we had something like igo in Dayton.  If they did I would give up my car.

 

Would a car-share thing work for longer distance trips...like down to Cincy or Louisville?  Right now I'm limited to the car rental places...tho the Avis place downtown is a great convient place to rent cars.

 

 

 

There are mileage limits, but if you go over the limit they charge a fee.  With Zipcar it's $.45/mile.  Factoring in gas and insurance, it sometimes works out to take Zipcar over other rental companies.

 

I took a Zipcar from Milwaukee to Cincinnati and back.  4 day rental was $280 and included 720 miles.  The trip was 800 miles.  80 miles * $.45/mile = $36.    That's $316 total.    The cheapest rental from Hertz is $294 PLUS gas.  No contest there.

They charge high fees for day rentals.  The intention of the service is for short trips and they discourage long term rentals.  Like zipcar, they start running the mileage counter after 180 miles.

 

I use enterprise for long trips, and always from a neighborhood location.  For some reason it tends to be cheaper.  Base price is usually $25/day.  Then Taxes add $8.  Then the insurance your credit card doesn't cover is $15 (since I don't own a car).  So it's close to $50 / day without gas.  igo's rate is $60 with gas.  So it's an ok deal if you're just driving around the suburbs or something.  But a long trip is probably not worth it. 

 

The only time I ever rent cars is to go to Ohio actually!  I'll ask for a prius and was able to do a round trip from Chicago to Cincy for $55 in gas....and that's when prices had peaked this year.

Enterprise has worked out well for me and my buddies for long trips back when we only had big ass trucks and needed something easier on gas. But we did have to select a location that would let us take the car out of the area. Not all of them would let us do it. We always told them ahead of time that we'd be taking the car out of the region they specified (for Cincinnati it was the Tri-State -- not sure if that meant we could drive it from Ashtabula to Paducah or had to stay in the Cincy metro). This was a few years back, so I may not be up on current policy. Since several of us now have small sports cars, we'd go back to them for small cars that have more interior space for long trips.

When I didn't have a car and rented from Enterprise, I would always reserve a compact, but often they didn't have one when Friday rolled around, and once I ended up with a Chevy Silverado King Cab.  Fueling up at a country gas station, the country boys looked at me with the deepest envy I've ever experienced.  Seriously, I can't believe that pickup trucks really mean that much to people. 

New trucks bore me, but old trucks without all those stupid "features" have lots of character. Basically, trucks from back when people who actually needed trucks bought them. Oh, and the old school monster trucks that were real trucks with vikings airbrushed on the sides:

 

TNT All American Houston Astrodome 1988 - Bigfoot vs Master of Disaster

 

 

 

New trucks bore me, but old trucks without all those stupid "features" have lots of character. Basically, trucks from back when people who actually needed trucks bought them

 

Hah!  So I'm not the only one who's notice the 'pick-up truck bloat'!

 

 

 

Figured I'd bump this thread now that there are 2 new Zipcars outside my place at 12th & Vine.

 

Looks as though there are two locations in the CBD & 1 in OTR. I've been at free for 6 months and this is going to be awesome.

Fueling up at a country gas station, the country boys looked at me with the deepest envy I've ever experienced.  Seriously, I can't believe that pickup trucks really mean that much to people. 

 

First time I've seen this. That's hilarious. And what a contradiction in values.... You, who apparently held the car in such relatively low esteem that you didn't own one. They, who held motor vehicles in such high esteem that they almost tripped over their tongues at the sight of "your" vehicle. If only those good ol' boys knew the truth.

 

Since I view all the world as my own personal test tube, I would have been tempted to see their reaction upon telling them "Sorry boys, not only is this not my truck, but I don't own any vehicle at all. In fact I can't stand these friggin' things and the clod-kicking morons who usually drive them."

 

Wonder what them thar fellas woulda thunk about that??

We did a recent four-part article on locals who go car-free in Columbus to find out how they do it, why they do it, and whether or not they're planning to get a car in the future. Long story short, most people have said that it's gotten much easier to go car-free in Columbus with new services from car2go, CoGo Bike Share, CBUS Circulator, Uber, Lyft, COTA upgrade and cycling infrastructure updates.

 

You can read all four articles, here:

 

Part 1 - Getting Around: http://www.columbusunderground.com/car-free-in-columbus-part-1-getting-started

 

Part 2 - Getting Started: http://www.columbusunderground.com/car-free-in-columbus-part-2-getting-around

 

Part 3 - The Challenges: http://www.columbusunderground.com/car-free-in-columbus-part-3-the-challenges

 

Part 4 - The Long Haul: http://www.columbusunderground.com/car-free-in-columbus-part-4-the-long-haul

 

<img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/themes/patterns/timthumb.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.columbusunderground.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F04%2Fcar-free-columbus-01.jpg&q=90&w=650&zc=1&">

That was a pretty good idea for a series.  I moved out of Columbus in 2007 and anecdotally it certainly seems to me that bicycling has increased exponentially in popularity there.  As for how many of those people are also car-free, I don't know. 

That was a pretty good idea for a series.  I moved out of Columbus in 2007 and anecdotally it certainly seems to me that bicycling has increased exponentially in popularity there.  As for how many of those people are also car-free, I don't know.

 

Speaking for myself… my wife and I have been a one-car household since we first started dating in 2001. She came to college (OSU) with no car, and I came to Columbus with one, so we immediately became a couple with one car between the two of us.

 

Eventually we got married, bought a house and started having kids (two of em). And we've yet to find a reason to add another car.

 

We've been pretty frequent bus riders for the past 6 or 7 years and often used it as our "secondary vehicle". We kind of gave up the bikes when our kids were born. Just didn't seem practical with a baby or two.

 

When CoGo Bike Share launched last year I picked up a $75 annual membership and began using it. I found it fun to get back on a bike after a hiatus. After 3 months of that I figured it would be worthwhile to have an old bike in my basement tuned up and started riding it again too.

 

And then last fall, car2go launched and we got a membership for that.

 

So… we're not exactly car-free, but I'd say we're pretty "car-light". We only work a little over a mile from home, and most of our day-to-day activities occur within a 1 or 2 mile radius. It's nice to have our own car when we need to make a trip to Lowe's or Target for a bulk-buy, but it's also very easy to leave it parked in the driveway all week without ever needing it, which is often the case. It's definitely gotten easy to do that in recent years.

Great real-world tales of the low-mileage lifestyle, Walker. The more that can be done to help demystify it and erode fears, the better. Keep up the great work!

 

70 American Cities Ranked Based on Access to Uber and Other Car-Free Options

Anastasia Pantsios | February 4, 2015 10:53 am

 

The facts are indisputable: Americans are driving less and car ownership is down, especially among younger people. A plethora of transportation options has come online in recent years: car-sharing, ride-sharing, bike-sharing, new taxi services and improved public transit. And while navigating these options has been daunting in the past, new technology-based tools and smartphone apps have been developed to make it easier.

 

A new report from U.S. PIRG and Frontier Group, The Innovative Transportation Index, explores the range of available options for accessing alternatives to car ownership and reveals the cities where these technologies and tools make not owning a car a more attractive option.

 

“Technology is fueling a revolution in transportation,” the report says. “Rapid technological advances have enabled the creation of new transportation tools that make it possible for more Americans to live full and engaged lives without owning a car. Many of these new tools have been in existence for less than a decade—some for less than five years—but they have spread rapidly to cities across the United States.”

 

The report looked at 11 technology-based transportation services and 70 cities. It found that 19 cities with a combined population of nearly 28 million have access to at least eight of the 11, and other cities are rapidly joining them.

 

MORE:

http://ecowatch.com/2015/02/04/cities-ranked-car-free-options/

Interesting study. I was reading this earlier today. Here is a cut out of the full rankings comparing Cleveland (#24) to Columbus (#13).

 

 

Cleveland could really use car sharing. Also, we unfairly get credit for having bike share, but I'm sorry, Zagster isn't real bike share. Also, the chart says Moovit and Transit Authority (not sure what that one is) use real time data. I was skeptical of this, so I tested it out during my lunch break on the HealthLine and other buses...and let's just say it wasn't "real time."

Ugh! Cincinnati isn't even on there.  Sigh.

Ugh! Cincinnati isn't even on there.  Sigh.

 

Sorry that's my fault. Cincy is number 32. I don't know how they scored below Cleveland though. Here's the link to the full report: http://www.uspirg.org/sites/pirg/files/reports/Innovative_Transportation_Index_USPIRG.pdf

^^^Thanks for posting the comparison. Not sure if the study has a minimum car count or something, but Cleveland does have some Zipcar service near CSU and at University Circle: http://www.zipcar.com/csuohio

 

As for real-time tracking, I assume "Transit Authority" refers to RTA's own system, "NextConnect," which it just relaunched today or yesterday. I can't remember the technical limitations it suffers from, but they were dicussed in the RTA thread in the last few years, with some info from JeTdoG, IIRC.

^^^Thanks for posting the comparison. Not sure if the study has a minimum car count or something, but Cleveland does have some Zipcar service near CSU and at University Circle: http://www.zipcar.com/csuohio

 

As for real-time tracking, I assume "Transit Authority" refers to RTA's own system, "NextConnect," which it just relaunched today or yesterday. I can't remember the technical limitations it suffers from, but they were dicussed in the RTA thread in the last few years, with some info from JeTdoG, IIRC.

 

 

I do use the Zipcar at CSU occasionally, but that's only because I work at CSU and it's convenient. Plus, the accounts are through CSU and CWRU exclusively, so it doesn't count as a city wide network. If you look at Zipcar's list of cities served, Cleveland isn't on there.

 

And that makes sense about Next Connect, which despite its update, is still FAR from user friendly.

^Actually, I'm pretty sure those Zipcars cars can be used by any Zipcar member, just like anywhere else. I've never used them (I usually have a rental car when in town), but the site lets me reserve them without a problem with my account.  Also, on its website, Zipcar does list Cleveland as one of the city it serves: http://www.zipcar.com/cities 

^Actually, I'm pretty sure those Zipcars cars can be used by any Zipcar member, just like anywhere else. I've never used them (I usually have a rental car when in town), but the site lets me reserve them without a problem with my account.  Also, on its website, Zipcar does list Cleveland as one of the city it serves: http://www.zipcar.com/cities

 

Touché haha. I should have double checked before speaking I guess, but last time I checked Cleveland wasn't listed as one of the cities and I had to enter in my CSU email in order to reserve those cars. Regardless though, the city could use a lot more Zipcar locations.