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Gen Z is choosing not to drive
(www.newsweek.com)
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this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2024
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Ah, so it's not just my kids (I'm Gen X). Neither has expressed any interest in driving. One's a starving student, so I guess there's that. But the other's graduated and scored a cushy job where he could certainly afford wheels if he wanted. I asked him about it and he's like nah. I'll just take a lyft or whatever if I need it. And he's a software dev so he spends the time on his laptop. I guess if he were driving, his time would be less productive? I dunno.
We actually went to the same tech convention last fall in Denver and shared a hotel. I knee-jerk rented a car thinking Denver sounds like a driving town. But parking at the convention was exorbitant and we wound up ride-sharing there anyway, so I am beginning to see the merit in his way of thinking? The only time we got any use out of the rental was the last day when we had a little free time before the flight and drove up to Red Rocks. But seriously, for that one trip, the rental was hardly worth it.
There's been a big boom in interest in urbanism in recent years and increasing awareness of just how the US got so car dependent. Toss in a quick trip to Europe at some point, add in people explicitly saying "the reason you liked these old cities so much was because of transit and lack of cars", and it's an idea that spreads itself.
Yeah I hate urban sprawl and how the city planners where I live keep wanting to perpetuate it. I commute most days on an ebike and try to drive less. The only major exception is in my side-gig as a musician in a band. Just too much gear to carry around without 4 wheels.
Adding a trailer to your ebike let's you have 4 wheels and the ability to carry gear without having to use a car.
I have actually thought about this. In the worst case, I would need a fairly large flatbed that could accommodate heavy bulky items like amps, PAs, and boards along with awkwardly long gear like mic stands. At least my new ebike has a fairly capable motor.
One possible advantage to biking to a gig might be that you could get closer to the venue for loading/unloading? What sucks hard is when you have no choice but to park at a lot several blocks away and haul everything over. This can be the case in old-town touristy areas with little vehicular road access.
For out-of-town gigs, we often carpool. If someone else is bringing the stage gear, I could possibly ebike with fairly minimal equipment to where they're loading the van?
Of course if the venue has a proper stage with sound provided, much is this hassle goes away. At that point, I'd just need my instrument and a small pedal board.