The free public transport point is interesting, and shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. I'd recommend giving Freakonomics Ep 513 a listen as they covered this in detail. It's been seriously considered by some US cities.
One of the main purported benefits is enhanced social mobility and economic opportunity - the jobs are often not close to where the poorest people live, who also don't have personal transport. The time and cost of public transport can make a lot of jobs unviable.
Then there's the massive improvements in efficiency by public transport being widespread and well used, as well as fewer vehicles on the road, environmental benefits etc.
I can't see how it would be done in a rural setting, and there's definitely flaws - but it also has its merits.
It is a potentially very useful thing, that would have very positive effects in other areas of the economy and environment. It would not be free, in fact quite expensive, as others have mentioned. Funding it is a political nightmare.
On the other hand, the road network doesn’t magically fall from the sky every spring and that is publicly (under)funded.
For very human reasons, I think, the political sell of the road network is a lot easier.
I would posit that in the minds of many:
Road network/car = individual freedom.
Public transport = crowded, dictated, herded.
I’m not suggesting this is “correct” only that THE PEOPLE tm, often react from deep, subconscious, reasoning, that they then construct their “logical”, conscious, beliefs around (castles built on sand etc) and individual freedom is one of the most powerful. Many, of course, don’t seem to feel the need to extend that courtesy or respect that base desire, in any other individual…
Perhaps then, in the interests of “easing people in” to a more collective approach to transportation, cheaper but not free, based on the existing road network, improvements in bus services and active encouragement of hailed personal transport ( Uber type), would begin to shift that base emotion towards the ultimate goal of an extensive, free, ultra low emission, public transport network.
Back to my trains again, sorry, people will not just jump on a speeding train, heading the opposite way. However, a subtle nudge, a small change in direction, can bring on a surprisingly rapid increase in turn rate, as long as each move of the curve doesn’t throw people from their seats.
The UK national grid is a prime example:
Think of the push back against Wind farms, Solar farms, yet see the progress! Once the wheel starts to turn…
How many of you have gone to buy a new car in the last 12 months?
I mean showroom, off the production line, new.
You were offered a hybrid or full E, weren’t you?
There weren’t any conventional cars in the showroom, they might have been out on the forecourt, but they definitely couldn’t be called flagship models.
Aside: Methanol, converting a petrol engine to methanol is “relatively’ straight forward ( not so much in the existing vehicle, I’m thinking at production/design stage). Methanol emissions are much lower than petrol, can be stored at normal temps and pressures, low flash point and less energy dense than petrol but, not too far away. Very, very possible to produce almost completely green. Give it a ten year phase in (look at E vehicle time scales, novelty to market dominance. Ten years from today almost all petrol/diesel vehicles will have been scrapped). I design/buy propulsion systems ( marine, not automotive) I think I have a handle on the direction (if not I’m going to be unpopular and unemployed in five years), interim 10-20 years, methanol, phasing in from 5-10 years time, fuel cells (not going to be energy dense enough for another 10 years for transport applications, several ships are launched or launching this year with methanol + cracker H fuel cell plants for harbour/port generation (ie. Zero emissions in port) but pulling out the big kWs isn’t there yet).
Again, I don’t just keep mentioning this because I get excited about it, my base point is to illustrate how fast change can occur, once a subtle pull on the wheel begins and I’m certain the same psychology applies in political and social matters.
Let THE PEOPLE, have a sniff, then a taste, then add a course into the set menu, in a very few years, it’s the new normal and most of them will have “always said it was the best dish, very tasty. Been saying it for years, haven’t I Mildred?”…
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