That doesn’t work for the visually impaired, for those with epilepsy, for the extremely short of stature, for persons without hands, for those who are aged or living with progressive impairments who shouldn’t drive but for whom a $10k-$50k power chair is not an appropriate solution.
Not to mention those who could not afford them even if they wanted them. I won’t even touch social issues related to hierarchies of disability.
You know what works for everyone though? Dropping the pretender that everyone “needs” personal transport and embracing accessible transit and the infrastructure that requires and offers.
When I said disabled people, I meant disabled with respect to walking, not driving. Most of the groups of people you mentioned are capable of walking on their own and so would be just fine in a car-free, walkable neighbourhood.
For those who cannot walk but also somehow cannot use a motorized wheelchair but can use a car? I am not sure who would fall into this group of people, but it has to be extremely small. We should be able to find some form of accommodation for them.
As for people who cannot afford a wheelchair or other accessibility device? I think we should fund these for people, using public funds. It's the most humane thing to do, as it provides for the greatest potential autonomy, which I think everyone has a right to.
> For those who cannot walk but also somehow cannot use a motorized wheelchair but can use a car? I am not sure who would fall into this group of people, but it has to be extremely small. We should be able to find some form of accommodation for them.
Something to keep in mind, the New York City subway is by and large not wheelchair accessible! They're trying to improve it, but there's just a lot of old, small stations. I've also seen wheelchairs physically unable to fit into train cars when it's crowded.
NYC right now is just a really bad place to live if you're not able bodied. I actually think giving partially-exclusive access to the roads might be the best solution.
Not to mention those who could not afford them even if they wanted them. I won’t even touch social issues related to hierarchies of disability.
You know what works for everyone though? Dropping the pretender that everyone “needs” personal transport and embracing accessible transit and the infrastructure that requires and offers.