frostbiker @ frostbiker @lemmy.ca

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2 yr. ago

The article does not justify why a carbon tax would not work, or at least be an important part of the solution. If we are missing our current targets, what measures can we take to do better? For example, how would increasing the carbon tax by 50% affect our emissions? Despair doesn't get us closer to our goals.

Until people develop a workable alternative

The alternative will not appear out of thin air. More people need to have a sense of the long-reaching consequences of car-dependent urban planning and that's what propels them to vote for better planning in their cities.

Nothing is going to change without a shift in political leanings, and that's what this sort of advocacy is doing.

Many years ago we got lucky and a recently-graduated doctor took us under her roster. Not losing that is one of the reasons we hesitate to move to a different place, even though our doctor is pretty much only doing phone appointments since the pandemic began.

Is it so hard to paint "RESCUE TRAINING" on props like these with big letters so that confusion can be avoided?

Don't leave us hanging! Are you still stuck sitting on the toilet browsing Lemmy?

the dockless rent-a-scooters need to go

Yeah, I get it. Private vehicles everywhere on the side of the street are an eyesore and take a ton of valuable public space. If at least e-scooters were as small as a car it wouldn't be such a big deal to see them parked everywhere.

Plus, some people have kids under 5

Yup, that's us. We walk, use transit, or the kid rides on her bike child seat.

E-bikes exist if you don't have the legs to tackle those hills yet.

I wish i could also move more people with me on the bicycle

Depending on the size of those people: bike child seat, bike trailer, or they can ride their own bicycle. Cargo bikes can easily carry two kids or one adult without even using a trailer.

It would also be great if there was some sort of heater/AC in it as well

That is called "dress for the weather". Even snowflake pinko commies like me can do it.

I rode in all weather for years

Same. And that includes snow and ice, for those at the back that think that riding a bike in winter is only possible in LA. If people can walk in that weather, people can ride a bike even more easily as the exercise keeps you warmer.

IMO, this money should go directly back to consumers

It nearly does. The government collects the fines, which reduces public deficit, which allows the government to either lower taxes or spend more relative to what it would do otherise, which means money ends in the pockets of citizens either way.

That is a good point. If they are not in a car, they must be either poor or stupid, which means they don't really deserve the same rights as regular people (i.e. drivers).

Riding a bike doesn't necessarily mean owning a bike.

Places like Toronto or London have bicycle sharing programs where for a small monthly fee you can go to one of many stations around the city, pick a bike and leave it at any of the stations near to your destination. The maintenance staff ensures that all stations have some bikes available and that the bikes remain in working condition.

Vehicle safety needs to expand to the other side of the windshield.

I would take it further and day that regulations should prioritize the safety of the people outside the vehicle over the people inside, for the simple reason that the people buying the vehicle already have a strong incentive to maximize their own safety, while they currently have zero concerns about the safety of pedestrians.

Pedestrians, on the other hand, don't have the freedom to choose which vehicle runs them over, so it is up to regulations to advocate for them because nobody else will.

Whatever is most pleasant/convenient for the trip I'm trying to make, as long as it is not a car, because cars are disproportionately noisy, polluting and a danger to my neighbors, and I don't want to contribute to that.

If all the options were equally available and convenient, then for me walking > cycling > streetcar > train > bus.

I would like to understand what you are saying.

The "crabs in a bucket" idea refers to:

The analogous theory in human behavior is that members of a group will attempt to reduce the self-confidence of any member who achieves success beyond the others, out of envy, jealousy, resentment, spite, conspiracy, or competitive feelings, to halt their progress.

How does it apply here? She is not "achieving success beyond the others" and we are not trying to stop her from doing so. Quite the opposite! We are trying to help people who find themselves in a similar position make the best out off the budget they have so that they can make ends meet like we do.

In other words, we are crabs who have gotten out of the debt bucket and are trying to help others come out as well.

The other analogy you seem to be alluding to is the "frog in a pot":

The boiling frog is an apologue describing a frog being slowly boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.

What I can tell you from experience is that during periods of hardship, the ability to adapt makes a huge difference and puts you in a much better position mentally and financially when things inevitably get better. Because this too shall pass.

In any case, it’s too easy for people to say that they aren’t making enough money when it’s their spending habits that really hurts them.

Yup. It happens at all income levels, too. There are surgeons out there with nice homes, new cars, vacations and everything, but still living paycheck to paycheck. If you don't prioritize saving, guess what? You don't have savings.

She would be living a safe, healthy and financially functional, but it would not be a sustainable, happy, and enjoyable life

As somebody living modestly, I'm laughing at this. It seems like people either overestimate how much satisfaction they get from their expenses, or they underestimate the peace of mind that comes from living within your means. I suspect it's mostly the former.

She lives in a college town. The vast majority of people in Canada live in urban centers. So, for most single people in Canada, spending less than $200/mo in Internet+phone is trivially simple.

The differences are everywhere.

We live in a small apartment and I personally can't see how a single person having budget constraints is living in a house. College towns have plenty of apartments suitable for single people.

We use transit, walking and cycling instead of having a car. She could probably do the same since she lives in a college town.

Our internet & phone bills are much lower because we shopped around and went for a basic plan and cellphones. We don't have pets or other luxuries.

Ultimately, if you have trouble making ends meet you have to start from scratch: what are the bare minimums that you need to be healthy? Housing, transportation, etc.

I understand that some people have trouble accepting that their generation's standard of living is worse than their parents', but their inabiliy to adapt isn't helping them. Most people around the world live much more basic lives than what is common in Canada, and they are able to thrive. They could learn from them.