> Why do people insist on lowering the standard of living?
As someone who lives in a dense city, other people's cars are lowering MY standard of living. Can't cross in the middle of the street. Can't enjoy that nice terrace to the fullest because of the traffic noise. Can't have room to bike safely because of the long line of metal boxes littering the curb and which are apparently more important than I am. These drivers don't even pay fully for the damn space, I'm subsidizing them with my taxes.
You have to look beyond your own comfort a little bit and realize there are externalities to it. Cars require a ton of space that could be used for nice things like trees, terraces, bike lanes, gardens or extra housing. They cause a lot of noise pollution and they just make it a lot less pleasant for those of us who actually want to walk or bike.
As someone who lives in a dense city, other people's cars are lowering MY standard of living. Can't cross in the middle of the street. Can't enjoy that nice terrace to the fullest because of the traffic noise. Can't have room to bike safely because of the long line of metal boxes littering the curb and which are apparently more important than I am. These drivers don't even pay fully for the damn space, I'm subsidizing them with my taxes.
You have to look beyond your own comfort a little bit and realize there are externalities to it. Cars require a ton of space that could be used for nice things like trees, terraces, bike lanes, gardens or extra housing. They cause a lot of noise pollution and they just make it a lot less pleasant for those of us who actually want to walk or bike.