[eqdw]

Every time I see one of these articles, I get confused. I have to wonder what mysterious world they live in.

There are many reasons I don't use a car (I own one; I rarely use it). They're all touched on in here. But beyond a shadow of a doubt, the number one reason: fuck. traffic. FUUUUUUUUCK. Traffic.

Traffic infuriates me. It's filled with people who drive unsafely. It's filled with people who drive too fast. It's filled with people who drive too slow. It's filled with people who don't understand left hand vs right hand lanes. It's filled with people who can't read street signs or don't know where they're going. It's filled with pedestrians who think they can dart out between parked cars whenever they feel like it. It's filled with cyclists who ride too aggressively. And, most importantly, it's filled with a billion other cars.

I went on a day trip to Berkeley -> Monterey last Saturday. Google maps said "116 miles, 2 hrs 10 minutes". Door to door it was 4 hours 15 minutes. An average speed of 25 mph. On a fucking freeway rated 70. This is insanity.

Even ignoring the fury, how does anyone plan their life when traffic can swing so wildly. How does anyone get to work on time and not get fired when LOL TRAFFIC YOU'RE NOW AN HOUR LATE.

Public transit might be dirty and smelly and crowded and out of the way. But I also know that, pending someone suicidal, I will always get to work at the same time.

Is traffic that much different everywhere else in the country?

[ggchappell]

> Every time I see one of these articles, I get confused. I have to wonder what mysterious world they live in.

I think part of the problem is that the questions they ask ("Why don't millenials want cars?") come with an unstated context: millenials' parents and grandparents did want cars. The question is not so much why millenials behave as they do; it is why different generations have behaved so differently.

Saying, "Because we're sensible, and our parents were idiots," isn't really a good enough explanation. So the questions keep being asked.

[hyperbovine]

Corollary: fuck parking. It's not as bad in the East Bay, but I've easily spent one minute trolling around in the city searching for parking for every two spent stuck on the 880.

[madcaptenor]

But I also know that, pending someone suicidal, I will always get to work at the same time.

This is not true. In my experience BART keeps to schedule pretty well but buses don't. Back when I had the option of a walking commute in Berkeley I chose that option because my walking speed was more consistent than the buses. Also, it was not that much slower, and I didn't risk running into people I knew on the bus and finding myself stuck in awkward conversations with them.

Also, I live in Atlanta now, and I'm finding that "there was traffic" is a totally fine excuse to be late.

[omni]

I'd imagine traffic variation increases drastically with higher population densities. It's really not much of a problem in rural areas or smaller cities.

Source: Grew up in fly-over country

[boyaka]

Check Google Maps right before or when you leave for your trip. The Navigation app is nice, but you could always just hop on your computer right when as you leave or check a while before you leave too. Just figure out the times when you aren't going with traffic. In general that is towards SF evening and away from SF in the morning. Also aim for off hours (9am-Noon, 1pm-3pm, night time). Socal traffic can be exponentially worse and probably not nearly as predictable (haven't lived there but have heard stories).

It is going to take a long time for public transit in California to beat the efficiency of well planned driving on most occasions besides major events. It would be nice if everywhere had trains as punctual and ubiquitous as Japan!

[panglott]

In a mid-sized American city, I prefer to cycle since downtown and the inner-ring suburbs have 15-20 minute bicycle trips. My wife and I split a car.

Traffic is not as bad as the worst places: you can drive most places in town within about a half-hour. But when you have to run a couple of errands in the car-centric suburbs, that time piles up quickly. Try to run 2-3 errands in the suburbs and you're spending hours driving. It's horrible.

Of course, we have no light rail and the buses are really slow. Cycling is the main viable alternative.

[restalis]

Unfortunately, cycling gets you sweated and crumpled, and that makes itself a non-starter for a lot of jobs, unless at the destination you have access to showers and a change of clothes. Cycling is however an option for many other mobility needs.

[jeffasinger]

Yes, traffic is far different outside of the most congested cities. I live in a "city" of 250k with about 1.2M including suburbs and surrounding areas. Bad traffic might add 20 minutes to your commute.