There is also basically no public transit in my state, city or not.

And yet you still choose to live there. That’s the problem.

Hard to believe if all you’ve known is big city privilege,

And as hard as it is to believe with terminal carbrain, I grew up in the suburbs and lived for a while in rural Appalachia before moving to “the big city”. And it was a sacrifice to move here, it sucked for a few years. But now I don’t have to destroy the environment to get to and from work. You should try it. When nobody is willing to stay and pay taxes in car dependent shit holes, the assholes who run them will start “footing the bill” for decent transit infrastructure. Til then, staying just means you value your convenience over a habitable planet just like every other carhole on Earth.