bragi

Apparently, a recent survey has revealed that, for almost half of the single-occupant drivers in the Puget Sound region, absolutely nothing is going to convince them to try an alternative form of transportation besides their cars:

In Seattle Region, Half of Drivers Say They Won?t Give Up Solo Commute ? Next City

Dahon.Steve

Good Post.

The writer pointed out in the survey, many households were in communities without transit. Why would anyone expect them to give up their car?

What's needed is to focus on getting those already in transit friendly cities out of their cars! This may sound strange but everyone on my block has a car and there is no parking. Yet, we have a 2 billion dollar lightrail, and six bus lines that provide service. There are four supermarkets that provide service and 3 yellow taxi companies! Yet, people still drive and have two cars or more in their lot. Incredible.

As the study pointed out, we're only going to see change with the price of gas goes up $5.00 dollars or more. We're about 10 years away from that happening.

gerv 

Maybe I'm reading this headline wrong but to me it says "50% of drivers might be willing to give up their solo commuter".

This represents enormous progress... close to 50% considering a change.

I'm glad it's not more... how would we fit all that traffic in the bike lanes?

B. Carfree

Many of the car addicts are just one earthquake away from public transit. At least that was how it played out in the Bay Area back in '89. Several freeways, including the Bay Bridge, were taken out of commission by the Loma Prieta quake which led people to "discover" BART. Their comments of amazement at what a wonderful system it was were actually pretty funny. That was back when car addiction was so unquestioned that the editor of Mother Jones commuted daily across the Bay Bridge rather than ride BART. He was replaced by someone who was willing to walk the talk.

bragi

OK, in outlying areas it's normal to not even consider other options, because there won't ever be any, but for most people in the Puget Sound region it's a solely cultural thing: people always use their cars because they always have, and many can't, or won't, even imagine anything else. The State Legislature in WA just passed a fairly large transportation budget, which is very heavily skewed towards even more highway projects, even though these projects are turning vast swathes of our region into a hellhole, and people are howling because they included a token amount for transit, or for things like ferries, which actually serve mostly cars. It's idiotic, even delusional.

Roody

I think my viewpoint is closer to yours.A lot of progress has already been made. Getting to 50% would be huge, and might create a band wagon effect that would get another 10% or 20% to ditch their car commutes. It would also create enormous political power for further improving alternative infrastructure. Experts quoted in the article also seemed to share this interpretation:

Roody

Great point. I hear this all the time when talking to friends and co-workers--even people on this carfree forum. Most people have no idea about the quality of their local transit system because they've never tried it, at least not in recent years. They think the bus will be late and they will be forced to sit on hard seats and deal with unpleasant people. They usually remain skeptical if I tell them it's really not that bad. However, they're pleasantly surprised if they're "forced" to use public transit--especially if somebody who understands HOW to use it is advising them--and they can actually experience the comfort and convenience of riding modern buses.

I think it's a similar situation with bikes. People have no idea of how easy it is to cover impressive-sounding distances on a bicycle without gettin winded, sweaty, or tired. They were actually impressed when I told them my daily commute to work was four miles! I would explain that I could do that in 20 minutes with no more effort than an easy walk, and they would not really believe it. When I said they could do it too, just as easily, they definitely didn't believe. It would take them trying it for themselves to realize how easy it actually is.

So I think a big part of the challenge is getting these perceptions to change. That will not be easy, but it is possible. First you need to make the alternatives realistic and practical, then you have to use advertising and marketing to change faulty perceptions. But most of all, I think, you have to get people to actually try the alternatives so they can see for themselves.

Dave Cutter

Are you really sure that it's possible? What would be even one possible strategy to alter the paradigm of a (undefined) group of people? Where has that ever been done before?

In my experience.... no one has ever been able to deliberately alter even one human paradigm. At least not without a very desperately willing subject, or long periods of incarceration. These "try harder", "work harder", "want-it-more" strategies have always been recognizable failures in the making.

Certain scams, ruses, and/or waste of resources.... should be recognizable to every adult. Don't buy-in to plans that are less than fully prepared. Car-free living has ALWAYS been an acceptable choice. Bicycling has been a great choice for the last four generations. Yet never once has the American population considered it as an option. At this point changing that perception would be a monumental paradigm shift. I can't see how "wishing" can cause that shift/change.

Roody

Anti-littering, seat belt use, colored toilet paper, ozone depleting products...there are dozens of examples of human behavior changing through media campaigns.

Actually, the entire advertising industry is based on this. They don't spend all that money on ads and commercials because they don't work!

So billions are spent to persuade people to buy cars, obviously with some success. But can you point me to ANY large ad campaign designed to get people to drive less?

ThermionicScott 

Same here. The results ought to be highly encouraging, unless the author of the article was directed to write with a pessimistic slant. As well as to use "hone in" when they should have used "home in".

Dave Cutter

Being native American I've never littered in my life. I started buckling-up right after I was pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt. I've never heard of colored toilet paper. And wasn't that ozone scare all just a big mistake?!?!? We've got plenty of ozone now.

Actually.... you're wrong. Apparently you don't understand paradigms. Advertising is based on altering wants. Paradigms are based on views (the short version)

Which is it now.... are you trying to alter peoples views... or desires? You can sell people ANYTHING... even an idea. But how do you plan to sell (persuade is your word) people to alter a "view" when those views aren't even within their own span of control? It doesn't make any sense to me. It still sounds like the: "Let's want it real bad and wish really hard plan" . You sound (read) as if you're a victim of your own paradigm. You just fail to see the logic of having an actual plan.

Roody

You're a walking contradiction, Dave Cutter.

Mobile 155

Just a thought, we as a society tend to live in a constant state of "what if" when it comes to what we by and what we want. (At least I do at times.)

As mentioned the number of people using bicycles for commuting in the U.S. Hasn't changer 5 percentage points in 50 years. I think a lot of it has to do with with what people perceive as normal and desirable. But I was interested in the number of non car users that were left in New Orleans after Katrina. The mass transit never came, not to debate the reasons. The people that had their own transportation left.

What does that have to do with my "What if" theory? I am sure some people thinking about that earth quake, tornado, hurricane, massive snow storm or most recently wild fires in the west wonder about, "What if there is a disaster?" Can they evacuate? Will anyone come get them or are they on their own?

Dave Cutter

Walking (and jogging) is OK for winter. THIS... is cycling season. No walking now!

After 150 years of well know and widely used human powered transportation.... the world-wide use of bicycles for transportation is finding band new lows. Flying Pigeons (the Chinese premium bicycle) that was once the center of a Chinese family pride.... are now rusting away from lack of use.

This could all change! But no change is ever created by whining and wishing. In all the posts like this I've read.... never once has anyone offered anything near to a plan. Just wishes, hopes, and complaints.

gerv 

That's odd. You can find lots of information indicating otherwise. Have a look: Statistics Library - Participation Statistics Archives | PeopleForBikes

gerv 

Could you cite some source for this?

I found one source.
https://www.globalsherpa.org/world-bi...al-development

Dave Cutter

Oh yeah! I mean who doesn't respect the report of the famous respected.... "JASON".

gerv 

So you don't have a source? Are you just inventing your little factoids on a whim? Then someone quotes you...

Mobile 155

Gerv, I am pretty sure you knew before you posted it that the total U.S. Cycling comuter numbers are no where near 5 percent per population. Not even a gyroscope can spin that much.

hillyman

I believe its going to get better just from what I see. More bike lanes, paths and more casual wear cyclists are wearing. More bikes are being sold to haul cargo and designs other than than roadbikes and mt bikes. Electric bikes will get better and cheaper. I just hope the world wakes up before conditions force us to make changes.

Mobile 155

By 2008–2012, the share of bicycle commuters reached 0.6 percent. 2008–2012 are not statistically different from one another. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2008–2012. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census, 1980, 1990, 2000; American Community Survey, 2008–2012.
Modes Less Traveled- Bicycling and Walk to Work in ... - Census.gov
Census.gov (.gov) › prod › acs-25
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Dave Cutter

Apparently "JASON" isn't a civil servant.

I both admire and respect those that do "good works" for cycling (I volunteer some myself). As well as those that just share a love for bicycles. But why kid ourselves. Cars have come and someday cars will be replaced with something... much better than what cars are today. But bicycles failed to replace the horse... and has failed to replace car as well.

Bicycles are singularly unique as a human powered transportation device. Maybe... that's enough.

gerv 

I am trying to get a citation for Dave Cutter's previous statement. I didn't make any claims about US statistics as a percentage of the population.

gerv 

Please stop dallying around my request. Either you know the source of your earlier numbers or you made them up.

Mobile 155

If you are like me then you love bicycles for their freedom and simplicity. However like you I have seen where people want to go and why. I should have helped and reported the decrease in the production of the Flying Pigeon in China but I didn't think it would matter. It is the attitude of a developing economy and people that show the direction people want to move in. Cycle ban on China?s trains | Shanghai Daily Doesn't sound much like the Kingdom of the bike as it used to be. I too believe there will come a time when cars with ICE are replaced. But I also believe it will be with something perceived as better and easier.

I think if people would just look at what their neighbors do with their time and how they travel they will see where the future of personal transportation will be going. I rather doubt if we will ever see 10 percent of the population nation wide will ever take up bicycles to commute. Not when most of them would rather ride an escalator that walk up a flight of stairs.