Is the automobile doomed?

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Even if we find a cheaper and less polluting fuel arethe days of the car numbered? How many more super highways can we build? At some point wont mass transit be better. I know it sure is in NYC. Having a car is just a pain there. So maybe the question should be are the days of private transportion itself numbered or to be limited to those who can get permision . If so how long do you think its got?

[Marcellus]

Hmm. I suspect that the car will be with us for some time yet, due to the privacy and convenience it provides. However, over time, as public transport improves, I think that the use of the car may gradually decrease. Of course, the more people who use public transport, the less congested the streets will be, which will encourage greater car use again.

[Proletariat]

Cars will be where I live, in Fairfax, Virginia for at least another 500 years. This place has absolutely the worst public transportation system for a suburb outside of a major city.

Everyday I think about moving to New York or London and spare myself this frustrating traffic.

[Zalmoxis]

You're thinking of moving to New York so that you won't have to deal with frustrating traffic?

[Kaiser of Arabia]

Mass transit sucks.

[Proletariat]

You're thinking of moving to New York so that you won't have to deal with frustrating traffic?

It was a joke, but if I moved to New York... I wouldn't be driving in traffic.

I'd be eating pizza with Gawain.

[master of the puppets]

mass transit sucks...so i suck for saying mass transit sucks even though it does suck...that sucks.

i think i need cars where i live. rural N.J. half a mile walk to nearest neighbor and at least a hour drive to closest airport or train station. plus for the car to be doomed we would need mass transit and thus development everywhere and i like naure and don't want any more houses in my area, even now my county is fighting those damn brown nosed developers causse i live in beautiful country and don't want a freakin city poppin up.

[Steppe Merc]

People living where I live can't get by on public transportation, since there is no public transportation (or at least I've never seen any). My dad has got to drive to NYC to work each day from central Jersey. He might take a train in, or the ferry, but he still has to drive to them.
For not city people, public transportation isn't much of an option.
Oh, and I hate public transportation. All those people...

[Ice]

The personal automobile will be along for a long time as people like to have their own car. Now gas powered cars are a completely different story. I predict in the next 50-100 years, gas cars will be slowly phased out in exchange for corn alcohol or fuel cell powered cars (Hydrogen would work because when it combusts it forms only water as a byproduct, but its far to volatile)

[Devastatin Dave]

I'd be eating pizza with Gawain.

I think someone has a secret admirer!!!

To all those evil automobile owner, GET A HORSE!!!

[Kaiser of Arabia]

People who don't like mass transit suck.

People who don't like people who don't like mass transit suck.

[GodsPetMonkey]

Even if we find a cheaper and less polluting fuel arethe days of the car numbered? How many more super highways can we build? At some point wont mass transit be better. I know it sure is in NYC. Having a car is just a pain there. So maybe the question should be are the days of private transportion itself numbered

The private car? No, even with perfect public transport, it's unfeasible to deploy it everywhere, so there will always still be someone who needs private transport (along with those that just don't like using public transport). On the other hand, as public transport improves, and the cost of using it against a car widens further, more and more people will use it (causing congestion ON the bus!). Right now, in most cities you can use public transport to get where you want to go faster and cheaper, though the system is often confusing for new users!

or to be limited to those who can get permision . If so how long do you think its got?

Don't know if you noticed, but you already do need permission to use a car... unless you’re unlicensed and driving an unregistered car....

[Strike For The South]

Mass transit in my city is impossible (after 2 feet you hit rock ) but when I went to boston there system was very nice

[PanzerJaeger]

I would never ride on mass transit in America. Its bad enough in Europe. There are some very nasty people in the world.. human trash.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

I bet people were saying they will never get rid of horses also. Man they would have to build roads and gas stations and all sorts of stuff. No one will buy cars. Heck they never even imagined they would be invented. We have grid lock now. Here on LI a trip that takes 35 to 40 minutes takes 2 or 3 hours at rush hour. Any of you ever play sim city? Traffic becomes a real problem. There has to be a better way. What do you think of flying cars? Theve been prediicted forever and in fact have flown.

Remember the Autogyro?



Well now they look like this



Autogyro


Norman Bel Geddes flying car design (concept model), 1945



Aerocar

Heres the newest and the neatest




M400 Skycar

Moller has developed, built, and flown a two passenger prototype model of a volantor called the M200X. The volantor is a new type of aircraft that combines the performance of airplanes and the VTOL capability of helicopters in a single vehicle without the limitations of either.

Using a principle similar to that of the British Harrier jump jet, the Moller Skycar volantor incorporates a patented thrust deflection vane system that redirects thrust, enabling it to hover or to takeoff and land vertically from almost any surface. This capability plus the added safety of ducted fans makes it ideal for a wide variety of commercial and military applications. These include private and charter air travel, express delivery, news gathering, border patrol, police and fire work, and search and rescue, to name just a few.



LINK

[Aenlic]

I remember my class being shown a black and white film all about personal helicopters when I was in elementary school in the 60's. They were the wave of the future. They'd end up in everyone's garage and replace the family car. It made so much sense. It was inevitable. Never happened.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

My problem with them is what happens when theres an accident. What of those on the ground ?

[Aenlic]

If enough rich white people die, then they'll find a way to make it safer.

[AntiochusIII]

If enough rich white people die, then they'll find a way to make it safer.

Warning: THIS IS SARCASM!

[Del Arroyo]

Mass transit in the US is nice. Mass transit in Mexico sucks.

You know how if you completely remove the muffler from an automobile it improves the performance? And how if you strip the chassis down so there's no sound-buffereing but plenty of air to cool the engine down that helps too? Now you've got three chances to guess what happens in a de-facto unregulated environment such as Mexico.

Oh, how nice it must be to not have known the sound of a massive, naked diesel engine accelerating 5 inches from your eardrum....

DA

[bmolsson]

The car will have to change form. The horse was replaced by the car more or less over night, but I don't think that will be the case with the car. What I think will happen short term is that petrol will be replaced by an alternative fuel like ethanol. It's similar so the infrastructure and current technology can be used.
A note on mass transit. It's actually better to use a good mass transit than a personal car. In cities with good and functional mass transit I rather use that than rent a car to my self. Mass transit is a must in large dense cities and individuals can expect to have a choice.

[Mikeus Caesar]

I reckon that eventually something real bad will happen to the US, that will make the country fall apart into lots of little seperate countries, or something similar, which will lead to the fall of the Automobile and the rise of Planes and Zeppelins! It'll be just like crimson skies. It'll be great!



^ New York!



^ The face of a future North America!

[Viking]

My problem with them is what happens when theres an accident. What of those on the ground ?

There`ll be less accidents when you got the whole atmosphere as a highway, don`t you think? Perhaps they could have installed an auto-destruction device in every car that turns the car into powder once the driver\passengers have shot themselves out after an accident. If they don`t, they`re gonna die anyway.

[Steppe Merc]

To all those evil automobile owner, GET A HORSE!!!

I like them better than cars. They are nicer. But after you ride them, you have to shower, because they smell. Oh, and cars tend to scare some of them, and cars never keep enough distance.

[Geoffrey S]

It's pretty easy to speak about public transport in a good light here in Holland; sure, the Dutch constantly complain about the system, but it's generally reliable and can get you anywhere. Anyone can get pretty much anywhere with a combination of trains, busses and bikes. Combining public transport with bikes (your own or rented) means cars can be bypassed fairly easily.

[ah_dut]

The automobile won't be doomed till public transport is sorted out and only in cities. Oh and Prole, there are lots of traffic jams round here!

[Xiahou]

The automobile won't be doomed till public transport is sorted out and only in cities. Oh and Prole, there are lots of traffic jams round here!

And if I remember right, the tubes are usually packed like cattle cars too.

[Idaho]

Good topic Gawain - and you can quote me

I'm a late convert to the private automobile. I didn't drive for the first 30 years of my life, mainly because I lived in cities and towns with good public transport and cars and their accesories and insurance, etc are pricey.

However now I live out on the periphery and have a family I rely on my car. I walk to work, but for fun we get in the car every weekend.

There must me a limit to private car ownership. Levels of car ownership in the UK in my lifetime have risen massively. I can remember in my childhood that residential streets were sparsely populated with cars. We played out in the street with our friends and the pavement (sidewalk) and road were both fine to play on. There were few parked cars and few cars driving past. Now I drive down those streets and cars are frequent and cars are parked bumper to bumper - often with resident parking areas to try and allieviate parking overcrowding.

Can this ownership continue? Of course there is the fuel issue - which overshadows the entire debate. But even if we ignore that there is the simple fact of physical space in our cities. Go to a small city/big town in the UK and see how much room there is for more car use - roads are packed to bursting. Traffic jams are a fact of life daily.

At some point we are going to have to learn to share a resource - space.

[ah_dut]

And if I remember right, the tubes are usually packed like cattle cars too.

Not during the hours I ride on tubes but in rush hours...I'd trade places with the cattle anyday

[Papewaio]

If the trainline went near my workplace I would take it.

Great way to get to work and get some reading or computer games done. Much better then dealing with other drivers.