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app_priori t1_j3lhoh7 wrote

I don't think the frustration is against cars generally. It's the crappy car-first infrastructure that pits cyclists/pedestrians against cars and resulted in numerous deaths over the years. I think over 7,000 cyclists/pedestrians were killed in the United States last year alone, along with over 40,000 motorists? Absolutely huge number of people are dying on our streets due to our poor infrastructure.

We have the highest traffic fatalities of any developed country. The Europeans realized this and have segregated a majority of their roads from sidewalks/bike paths as much as possible.

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Old_Distribution9636 t1_j3ll59g wrote

Your idealism is great. I would love a society that wasn’t car dependent as well. I wish America invested more in rail instead of highways forever ago. However, that’s not reality. I don’t see how hating reality and bashing people on the internet helps us get to a less car dependent society.

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Trash_Scientist t1_j3lnk1d wrote

Except in this city it is a reality. We have a great metro and bus system that can get you nearly anywhere in town. Yet, people still insist on driving, many recklessly. Plenty of Assholes driving around cars stopped at crosswalks nearly killing my toddler. Whenever I walk down the road I always wonder where these people are driving to/from and why the heck didn’t they just use the subway/bus or walk. I have a car, but only use it to get out of the city. Many I assume are lazy or just scared of the people on the metro. If that’s the case move to the burbs and stay there.

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mastakebob t1_j3m8yhu wrote

>why the heck didn’t they just use the subway/bus or walk.

  1. origin and/or destination aren't convenient to public transit

  2. public transit duration is excessive compared to a private vehicle duration

  3. on a deadline and don't want to risk delays associated with public transit

  4. transporting large items that aren't easily carried on public transit

  5. it's rainy/cold/hot/humid out

  6. plenty of other reasons.

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Trash_Scientist t1_j3mixdk wrote

  1. You might be close to a park and ride, or some other option for getting into the city.

  2. I’d rather sit on a train for an hour than drive for 20 and find parking. Plan better, and plan to arrive early.

  3. See 2.

  4. This happens so infrequently that it’s one of the reasons I think it’s okay to drive in the city. Remember we’re trying to get to less drivers, not 0. The idiots sitting alone in a car on Columbia Road just to move their body from one place to another are the problem.

  5. You’re a human on a planet with weather. If you’re not ready for that stay inside your A/C. Driving in rain is dangerous too. Ask the NOVA thread.

  6. Plenty of excuses.

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mastakebob t1_j3mlomw wrote

shrug, you asked the question. Sorry that people have different priorities and/or comfort levels than you.

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Formergr t1_j3nqvyi wrote

> I’d rather sit on a train for an hour than drive for 20 and find parking. Plan better, and plan to arrive early.

Congrats. Not everyone would rather, and MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY, some literally do not have that luxury. People work second jobs, have day care arrangements complicating things, and have employers that are shitty and will fire you after being late just twice.

Not everyone gets to just "plan to arrive early" when they are rushing from one shift to another, and/or trying to hit their kid's daycare before it closes and they start being fined for being late.

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Old_Distribution9636 t1_j3lqml7 wrote

It’s not a reality for a lot of people. People in Themis group really don’t understand that. All you have to do is travel outside your community and talk to people.

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Trash_Scientist t1_j3ltafp wrote

The F*ck you mean need to get out of the community? I grew up in a suburban, car dependent, dystopia and cherish not having to drive here. Unless you have odd hours or some other very specific situation, I don’t get driving.

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Old_Distribution9636 t1_j3lu3vm wrote

I mean exactly what I said. Did you read it? Go to neighborhoods that you don’t usually frequent and see how they’re living. Shoot even look up the wall scores of different neighborhoods. This city is NOT what you think it is.

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Rugrats-theme-song t1_j3lph9q wrote

Fam I work in multiple hospitals throughout the week and sometimes in the same day. I leave my house at 3:30-4AM everyday. Some of us absolutely need cars here

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DestrosSilverHammer t1_j3lqpqo wrote

Of course a car makes sense in your case. You do understand that your situation is atypical, though, right?

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MrDickford t1_j3mohmk wrote

If you need to move a family around, move cargo, travel a long distance, or travel between points that public transportation doesn’t connect very well, then a bike doesn’t work and public transportation is often inadequate. The case of the single traveler who needs to get between two locations downtown and has time to burn is also atypical.

Improving public transportation is a worthy but long term goal that also involves increasing the density of the city to the point where mass public transportation is sustainable. In the meantime, insisting that everyone immediately ditch their car and start biking is unreasonable.

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DestrosSilverHammer t1_j3ncfi7 wrote

I’d agree that car ownership makes sense in most cases for exactly the reasons you’ve listed. What I oppose is superfluous, near-daily use that is more for convenience than necessity, and I’m pretty sure such cases are widespread even acknowledging your point about city density. (I’d also add that car commuters from MD and VA are more problematic along these lines than those staying within DC.)

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Rugrats-theme-song t1_j3lra5q wrote

Yes, but there are multiple people here, including the person I responded to, that are not being realistic. To say that less than half of the thousands of daily drivers actually NEED their vehicle is pretty disingenuous. But this sub acts like NO ONE needs a car while also complaining about the state of public transit. It’s silly to me

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Macrophage87 t1_j3lnpei wrote

Only about a third of DC residents drive on a daily basis, so to argue that you need a car is rather silly. It's not car dependent, you just want to drive one and damn the consequences.

https://ggwash.org/view/86455/how-much-does-dc-drive

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Rugrats-theme-song t1_j3lpgpb wrote

Fam I work in multiple hospitals throughout the week and sometimes in the same day. I leave my house at 3:30-4AM everyday. Some of us actually do need to have cars

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Macrophage87 t1_j3mhikv wrote

And you deserve better 24/7 transit to be able to do so. There are always edge cases that require cars, but even those can be reduced substantially. You wouldn't likely need to drive everywhere if you lived in NYC where the subway runs 24/7.

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Rugrats-theme-song t1_j3mhppx wrote

Yes but people will read your comment and echo that sentiment everywhere like it’s any more reasonable than saying everyone needs cars

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dataminimizer t1_j3m93gr wrote

“I would love a society that wasn’t car dependent”

/Drives a car in a city rife with alternatives.

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SSSS_car_go t1_j3ls5a1 wrote

The posts or articles you’re seeing are exposing you and others to a legitimate point of view you might not have considered. Evolution can make people uncomfortable because it implies that something is not working as it should. In fact, that is the case here: society is evolving away from fossil fuels. Reminder that even electric cars use fossil fuels. Most of the electricity in the US comes from natural gas (which is considered to be a fossil fuel), nuclear energy (not a fossil fuel, but with its own problems), and coal (shudder).

Despite the power of the automakers forcing cars down our throats over the past 100+ years, they are (a) not necessary, especially not in urban centers, and (b) a massively negative drain on society. Pollution, destruction of neighborhoods (especially low-income or non-white neighborhoods) to make way for roads, lifelong injuries, and death, death, death.

I’m not going to curse at you as you drive past, spewing invisible glacier-melting particles, but I will silently judge you if you’re using that car to take a trip you could have managed on public transportation or on foot.

Think of it this way: A person driving a car is damaging the environment for everyone, and is creating risk for everyone. In an ideal world, we should do all we can to reduce, and not increase, our negative impact on society.

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Old_Distribution9636 t1_j3lttj7 wrote

I have been for car free areas for some time. It’s not a matter of understanding. I’m realistic enough to know it not reasonable to just shun cars and ban them overnight.

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