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giscard78 t1_j3lpnz4 wrote

Reply to comment by Old_Distribution9636 in Car owners are always made to be a villain. by [deleted]

> Taking more responsibility doesn’t explain why people hate cars.

A couple thousand pounds speeding, running lights or stop signs, going the wrong way on a one-way, getting too close to cyclists or pedestrians, cutting each other off, etc. hits hard. I see all of this with one block of my home, including in front of an elementary school. Have you ever seen a car crash up close?

DC is one of the few places in the US where you can do anything other than travel by car. That “outsized” portion of the population who don’t want to be ran over are vocal here, that may be why you think car drivers are victims.

It’s also not just cars, it’s the entire infrastructure system. People lose their shit over one bike lane, they then drive obnoxiously around any non-motorists. Why can’t pedestrians or cyclists have infrastructure, too?

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Old_Distribution9636 t1_j3lqdrp wrote

Cool. So screw everyone else who needs a car because there’s are so few of them right? This SCREAMS I don’t leave NW

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giscard78 t1_j3lrl75 wrote

I’m from the area, not NW, and drive to care for a family member who can’t bike and honestly is beyond public transportation at this point. I do plenty of things outside of NW that require a car.

I can still separate the fact that not all infrastructure needs to be car-based. As a driver, the best place for cyclists and pedestrians to be is on a grade separated sidewalk or track. When I go places to shop, I realize not everyone can fit at curbside so using a garage is fine. I don’t think all trips should require a car, people should be able to get downtown or to other major employment centers without a car, or do their grocery shopping, or pick up kids from an elementary school - all without a car.

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Old_Distribution9636 t1_j3lvzr7 wrote

Should be, I agree. I can separate my ideals from reality. I can work towards a better future while not bashing people attached to the current system. Cars are clearly needed to make this city work, no matter how much bad they bring. You need a car and I need a car. I’m someone with a kid who goes to school across town because the in boundary school could not meet their needs. I miss waking them to school, but a car is needed now. A car makes it possible for me to take care of an elderly loved one while working full time and only 24 hours in the day. Neither of our stories are unheard of. They’re quite common. A lot of those people just aren’t on Reddit. And before you ask, no, I don’t live east of the river.

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