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Comment by lifeisstillgood | Hacker News Reader

Cars work because they solve for the first and last mile (50yards) problem. Public transport is great - but it is coarser than private cars. Even timetabled buses cannot drive down every road

The "right" solution is presumably "sharing" car stack (no not Uber style sharing).

But boy I am not sure the politics or even economics stack up.

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Cars don't really work in Manhattan to solve the last mile problem. There's physically not remotely enough space for everyone to use cars to do so, nor would it even make sense to knock down apartment and office buildings and replace them with the massive number of parking garages that would be required to be able to do so.

Plus there's not enough space on the streets themselves, so the cars just crawl. Anything is better than driving. There's plenty of areas that are so congested during commutes that a brisk walk is faster than driving. Bikes, scooters, etc. are way faster than driving.

Cars might be a good last-mile solution out in Podunk, but they don't work here. The city is too dense for them.

Your legs also solve the first and last mile problem.

Most of the comments mentioned very good reasons were legs were an unsuitable solution - carrying art, cameras or other equipment. All of this produces economic value and cannot realistically be carried 5 blocks.

If you are an able bodied 20-something then public transport already solves the transport of your body.

But it's not just for transporting an adult - it's for children, economics and more

I have a funny idea that, folks cannot carry a camera for 5 blocks may be because cars. Folks used to do things like this all the time.

My Dad used to carry a bushel basket of corn on his shoulder, from the bin to the troughs in the barnyard, with no apparent effort.

I see children on the subway every day. I see folks with camera or audio equipment on the subway every week.

Not everyone has a fit and healthy pair of legs

No, but if we drove less with cars, the amount of people with fit and healthy legs would increase. Also, there are plenty of other vehicles for those, who can't walk, which are allowed in pedestrian zones. As well as exceptions for people being dropped off, who qualify as handicapped.

Motorized wheelchairs? No offense

What percentage of people do not? 1%?

So 1 percent minorities don't matter to you? Good to know.

Probably 10%+ if you include the elderly and others who can’t comfortably walk a mile or two

"Last mile" refers to actual miles of distance which usually requires cars. 50 yards is very walkable. Nobody would have a problem with public transit if it was that close.

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