Psychology, Love, Cars, Trains and Busses
Considering things objectively, cars can be a proper nuisance. They are expensive, take up space, use fuel that isn’t cheap anymore, need cleaning, and need maintenance by some of the most customer un-friendly businesses in the world.
But, we love them. I love them. Cars are great, and I suffer from the typical male fascination with all of its technical ins and outs. I find cars aesthetically pleasing, and must admit that on occasion I have stood outside admiring my pride and joy. Modern cars represent significant human achievements in design, technology and standards of living.
Unfortunately, this love affair with the car is so strong (generally, not just me) that public transport isn’t getting much of a look-in. It sits there forlornly like the guy without a date at the school disco. Whilst billions are spent on improving and refining the car, making them as sexy as possible, the often state owned parents of the train and the bus are investing as little as they can get away with.
Having obviously had too many car lovers on their couches, psychologists have recently taken some time to examine our automotive relationships in more detail, classifying the three main elements of these relationships as passion, commitment and intimacy.
Scary stuff. A recent article in The Daily Telegraph gives some further insight:
Indeed, when you talk to psychologists about the difficulty of prising people out of their personal transport, they believe it depends heavily on the sense of autonomy provided by a car. Or as a relationship expert would say, "It’s all about control". People like to know that they can get into the familiar surroundings of their car at any time and drive anywhere, even if it means crawling along the M25 at 10mph for four hours. At least it’s our car with our music and our funny pear-shaped air freshener dangling from the rear-view mirror. So if our relationship with cars is indeed "all about control" and control is becoming increasingly important in our chaotic lifestyles, how are we going to make the split? And how do we decide who’s going to keep the CDs, the sat-nav, the mobile phone charger and the furry dice?
It is a little worrying that we seem to be so deeply committed to a form of transport which is becoming increasingly inappropriate to the low carbon, high population needs of the future. And public transport isn’t really all that bad when you try it - see my recent experience: Rail Travel in Europe – Racing with Trains, Planes & Automobiles.
What’s needed are public transport options which appeal to our needs in the same way that cars do. Public transport needs to become not just a method of getting from A to B, but a part of our lives which we can truly engage with.
The French railway operator SNCF - one of the only railways in the world that actually makes a profit - seems to be on the right track (pun intended) in this regard. From April, special "iDnight" carriages will be introduced on its overnight long distance sleeper services allowing travellers to drink and dance the night away. You can’t do that in the car.
It is likely that we will eventually be taxed out of our cars and forced kicking and screaming onto public transport, but it would be much nicer if we can find a way to go voluntarily.
What would make you ditch the car for the train or bus?
The automobile is the Lion’s Mane for human males, denoting both prowess and affluence. It is also been decribed as modern knight’s armour, as the quality and adornments denote position and rank.
Sad but true.
For women it is a sense of protection for themselves and their children, and personal freedom from the above mentioned male.
The freedom, not the love affair, in my mind is the main issue. Freedom to go and do on your schedule, not the clock punching rat race of the daily communte that most would gladly leave to public transit if it were more comfortable and flexible.
Public transit requires discipline and is unforgiving as your boss is when you are late because someone decided to end it all at the subway station this morning and the trains were an hour late.
Myself, I use transit 90% of the time, yet in the back of mind is the freedom of the drive to work option. I still dread the 4 train wait and the sardine can ride even though I leave 2 hours early. I have adapted my attitude, but that adaptation is not a good one either.
I simply detach and become oblivious to my surroundings for an hour, it is almost like a coma and all around me are in a similar state, faking reading the local tabloid it a real effort to avoid interaction.
When people are forced together social interaction becomes unacceptable “creepy, lonely, crazy person on the bus tried to talk to me” is a common complaint about the system.
I needs to be much less utilitarian and much more a social venue, plus it has to be more comfortable and safe. A security strip is not a big provider of safety.
So what can we do to increase use?
Topic screens are an idea, I know buildings that have news and other information in the elevators and I have started many a conversation based on the topic displayed. It gives a pretext to interaction, easing the opening.
Less sardine with targeted trips and less full line service. Rider counters to limit overcrowding.
Make the experience a relaxing and comfortable one and the hour spent will be of benefit.
I know people who arrive everyday in a foul mood because of the transit ride. Tensions rise in the afternoons as people rush to make a scheduled train.
So more service, more comfort, an encouraged social atmosphere and ridership will increase.
Of course the trade-off is cost, but with volume comes savings.
Just my opinion.