02-11-2015, 10:07 AM
(02-11-2015, 09:20 AM)clasher Wrote: I'm not really buying the idea that we can't discourage automobile use. Society tries to discourage all sorts of other behaviours that have negative costs for everyone and driving is definitely something that costs non-drivers money and affects their health in many ways.
Again a "discouraging" program only works if there is an alternative. If we have an alternative I don't mind programs encouraging drivers to take public transit. But lacking those this just creates enemies without reducing car use at all.
For example Toronto has had a minimum $10 downtown parking fee since the early 90s and since people cannot take non-existing subways or live in non-existing high rises downtown (back then there were none) traffic commutes into Toronto pretty much remained unchanged. The high rises next to the Skydome have done more for getting people into public transit that twenty years of previous disincentives ever did.