Towards sustainable transportation: public transportation not only replaces the existing private transportation trips, but also increases the ability and freedom of movement

Many people, including the government, imagine public transport as a replacement for existing private transport trips. This is actually a very limited imagination of people who do not often use public transportation. The value of public transport doesn’t stop there.

Ordinary people use private vehicles to move between a few customary fixed points, all scripts have been automated, and parking problems are usually solved. So you say that public transportation should be able to replace these trips, it is difficult for people who are used to using private transportation to understand.

They usually reply “I’m not used to it, it’s not convenient enough”. Cheap monthly traffic passes are certainly not attractive. They already decided that they “do not need” public transport.

Therefore, “traffic monthly pass” should not be narrowed into “commuter monthly pass”. On the one hand, commuting by private vehicles that has been automated and even optimized in efficiency is originally the most difficult trip to replace. On the other hand, when the price of a monthly pass is low enough, it will not only be used for long-distance commuting, but will go deeper into all aspects of life, bringing more freedom of movement and fun of exploration.

It’s a bit like “place surrounds the center”. Even if people still use private transportation to commute, if the cheap monthly pass gives them the motivation to use public transportation in other situations and begin to feel the value of public transportation, they will naturally be willing to switch to public transportation for commuting over time.

The superiority of public transportation over private transportation is actually easier to demonstrate outside of regular commuting.

Consider the limitations of private transport. No matter where you drive or ride, you have to stop. Whether parking is convenient or not, you will eventually return to the place where you parked. So you just keep dropping anchors and tying yourself down. Your movement is actually very inefficient. You might think there is, but that’s just an illusion.

The risk of moving is also a cost to consider. The traffic in Taiwan is really messy. Most people drive and ride motorcycles too casually. The cumulative risk of using private transport every day is actually quite staggering. But most people underestimate the cumulative risks.

Even if you are not fully aware of the cumulative risk, you may still realize that “this road is tiring to drive and ride a motorcycle.” That “tiredness” comes from the cognitive load of driving a private vehicle in a high-risk environment.

This also highlights the value of public transport. You don’t need to “turn back” wherever you go. You don’t need to go back to the parking lot. Where you are is a new starting point. You’ll have more freedom of movement.

By choosing public transportation, the risk of moving and the cognitive load are also reduced. You have more cognitive resources to enjoy the process of moving, and to explore the people and things in the process of moving. Your life becomes richer.

Many people, especially those who are not used to using public transportation, don’t like or don’t know how to face the “waiting” in the process. By the way, share my waiting script here:

• Do your homework for the next leg of your trip (if any)
• Visit the station and nearby settlements and record observations
• Sort out what you saw and felt during the previous trip

Moving and waiting are fields. My understanding of traffic and township textures has been accumulated bit by bit. And these understandings are difficult to establish using private vehicle movement.

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