Decades of pandering to drivers has resulted in feelings of massive entitlement, where any move towards equality of transport is seen as an attack on their fundamental rights. It’s going to be difficult (if not impossible) to shift. Round here the prospect of lowering speed limits causes such angst and wailing and anger that you would think they were being asked to poke their eyes out with a stick, rather than add an extra 30 seconds on to their journey time. When you take a step back and view it with open eyes, it’s utterly ridiculous.
I guess we’ll continue having these sorts of battles over transport infrastructure until the generation with this panicky car-centric entitlement dies out.
I think if the city council and government stick to this plan and not reverting it, people will sooner or later adapt to it as they grow. Or at least majority of people will. Kinda like when the city decided to change the road and people will whine initially, then sooner or later they will stop. For bike path, people will eventually see how not having to overtake a bicycle do make their commute smoother, and people who join bike commuter will take off car from the road. It does take time for those bitchy attitude to drop though.
Exactly. The main reason behind so many U.S. states not taking advantage of the medicaid expansion was simply “People will like it, and once they get used to it, they won’t want to go back.” People growing up with safe cycling… will continue to want it. Easier to nip it in the bud before people realize that bicycling is healthy, fun and a great replacement for short car trips!
Decades of pandering to drivers has resulted in feelings of massive entitlement, where any move towards equality of transport is seen as an attack on their fundamental rights. It’s going to be difficult (if not impossible) to shift. Round here the prospect of lowering speed limits causes such angst and wailing and anger that you would think they were being asked to poke their eyes out with a stick, rather than add an extra 30 seconds on to their journey time. When you take a step back and view it with open eyes, it’s utterly ridiculous.
I guess we’ll continue having these sorts of battles over transport infrastructure until the generation with this panicky car-centric entitlement dies out.
I think if the city council and government stick to this plan and not reverting it, people will sooner or later adapt to it as they grow. Or at least majority of people will. Kinda like when the city decided to change the road and people will whine initially, then sooner or later they will stop. For bike path, people will eventually see how not having to overtake a bicycle do make their commute smoother, and people who join bike commuter will take off car from the road. It does take time for those bitchy attitude to drop though.
Exactly. The main reason behind so many U.S. states not taking advantage of the medicaid expansion was simply “People will like it, and once they get used to it, they won’t want to go back.” People growing up with safe cycling… will continue to want it. Easier to nip it in the bud before people realize that bicycling is healthy, fun and a great replacement for short car trips!