The man has eaten the earth

[GuyGadebois]

The film explains well the passage between abandoned electric trams in favor of the car and the reasons: to allow the tanker to take control of transport. Moreover, in the US this abandonment would be done in part through political-financial shenanigans and by appealing to mafia organizations.

When I was a miner, in Nice there were trolleybuses (but before there were trams). No noise (no rails but tires, electric motor). They deleted everything and switched to diesel buses, noisy, ultra polluting; to finish, 50 years later, to rebuild an expensive and noisy tram (ah, the rails!) ...

[Did67]

I have no doubts about replacing the electric tram with the car. But I still have a little trouble with this Manichean way of presenting it as pure capitalist logic. But that is personal. Anyone can "theorize" facts. I am by nature more adept at complex systems analyzes.

My question to ahmed was clear: in Europe there was a buyout of tram companies by companies related to oil to make them die ... I have no reference and I just want to know.

[Ahmed]

Excuse me DidI had partly skipped your question. My previous answer is based on a complex systemic approach rather than on psychologizing aspects. However, I do not have data on Europe, but a priori, there are not too many reasons that the same logic * does not apply, especially as our continent copies ** willingly, with a delay ...

* Even if this logic is not well perceived, since it requires an overview rarely present for the public.
** Reproduction is favored by the interests of large American companies in Europe, who have an interest in importing the model.

[Did67]

Except that precisely, the "old Europe" has certain aspects, peculiarities. Especially for public services. Especially for health. Especially for education.

But if even in these areas, a certain "Americanization" (liberalization / privatization) cannot be denied, I would be more careful and would not necessarily "trace" American (or capitalist) mechanisms in certain areas.

But that's just my opinion.

I wanted to know if I had skipped a moment in the history of our public transport.

[Ahmed]

Of course, there are also forces that sometimes oppose these "Americanization" tendencies. *
With regard to transport, what is currently being pursued is the intensification of flows; in this sense, efforts in the field of bicycle lanes or tramways should be interpreted as adding to the automobile and not as a progressive substitution. It is a saturation principle that is also observed in the field of energy.

[Exnihiloest]

Of course, there are also forces that sometimes oppose these "Americanization" tendencies. *
With regard to transport, what is currently being pursued is the intensification of flows; in this sense, efforts in the field of bicycle lanes or tramways should be interpreted as adding to the automobile and not as a progressive substitution. It is a saturation principle that is also observed in the field of energy.

Hi Ahmed. I do not see how it would not be a substitution attempt when we reduce the traffic lanes for cycle lanes.
In two agglos where I drive regularly, areas where we drove a car not too bad on 2 lanes were put in a lane where we travel very badly, while on half an hour of observation pass only three peeled and one mowed on the bike lane.
This amounts to a confiscation of the public space for the benefit of a small minority, while the penalization of the circulation of the majority results in more over-pollution! It is thus a counterproductive ideological disposition, like almost all of those called ecologists.
Pragmatism is to respond to the need of people, we must stop taking for idiots (if they take the car is that they have good reasons), and to promote the fluidity of the circulation, which reduces pollution and, more importantly, saves people's life time that they can spend more use at work or with their families than in traffic jams.

[dede2002]

... saves people's life time that they can spend more use at work or in the family rather than in traffic jams.

In the traffic jams, you can listen to music, or chat with your (possibly) co-drivers

Otherwise, yes, there is an attempt to "educate" users in certain town centers, to dissuade them from using their car, by giving priority to public transport.

[Janic]

Otherwise, yes, there is an attempt to "educate" users in certain town centers, to dissuade them from using their car, by giving priority to public transport.

example Holland and his worship of the bicycle.

[dede2002]

Yes, it's easier when there are no climbs!

With the electrification of the bikes it changes the situation