Indeed, public transportation is the worst option when it comes to sanitation.
A car is also the "solution" to an individual problem -- "how do I get safely from A to B?" -- but this is a societal problem: "how do we as a society overcome this disease while causing as little damage as possible?". Solutions must be oriented towards the community, not the individual. Everyone using their cars, if they even have them, is not the solution.
I live in SF and don't own a car. It's never been more tempting for me to get one. I live alone, far from family, and now seemingly can't see my friends or significant other. It's already getting incredibly lonely. A car would enable me to at least go straight to my gf's place without being in contact with anyone, or to the pharmacy for meds without taking public transit.
Well, I didn't mean to. In fact, I'm advocating for the community at large. An individualistic "solution" ("if only I had a car, I would be able to [...]") is not the best solution for the problem at large. Everyone fending for themselves, driving their cars, is obviously not the answer, and in fact it might make things worse.
That you, and many others, are feeling pretty lonely and isolated is part of the reality of this outbreak. It's obviously going to be very hard for a lot of people. Many people's livelihoods are at stake here, regardless of the seriousness of COVID-19. Unfortunately this is going to have some big consequences regardless of individually owned cars.
update: it seems the city of SF has an advisory, and is mandating (among other things) against taking "unnecessary" trips in public transportation, car or motorbike: https://sf.gov/stay-home-except-essential-needs
Some excerpts:
"You cannot have dinner parties. You cannot invite friends over to your home to hang out.
[..]
You cannot take unnecessary trips on public transport or in your car or motorbike."
"Can I leave home to visit friends or family members if there is no urgent need?
No. For your safety as well as their safety, we need to help each other fight the spread of COVID-19 by staying at home."
Public transit, walk, bike, or... rent a car.
Since last week I have been driving 100% & not using transit. Now is not the time for reusable mugs & public transit. Right now we optimize for distancing & isolation, not resource conservation.
Mine wasn't an argument about pollution or the environment, but about individualist vs collective solutions.
I don't see this as a poor solution to my particular needs, but I do look forward to it being electric and charged from solar panels on my roof.
It's not that unusual in desert communities like mine.
Our food will be more expensive and it should be but all those other parts of rural living are just this horrendous climate abuse.
EDIT: Oops, I mean the costs should be baked in. Obviously governments should provide food aid.
Urban populations have their own fair share of climate related problems.
Sounds to me like you just want people to starve in order to solve your precious climate ‘crisis’.
Without a car it's incredibly difficult to fulfill even a trip to the pharmacy with only a compromised public transportation system.
Some people stocking up on supplies, to the detriment of their neighbors, is also a "solution"... to those people. Not to their neighbors. A "solution" must scale, otherwise it's selfish. Even worse, if a lot of people think "cars are the answer!" they are compounding the problem.
Fighting coronavirus requires a societal response, one that works for most people and where people don't take individual actions that seemingly benefit them (and only them).
> Not everyone has 24-hour public transportation available.
I don't think public transportation is the safest choice at this moment either. In fact, everyone should avoid it if at all possible (in some cases and parts of the world, it's not possible at the moment).