this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2023
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Fuck Cars
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Nah, we should make life more liveable without cars. Cars in themselves aren’t bad, but our over-dependency on them is.
I literally had this conversation at lunch today. We were talking about EVs and someone said the batteries are bad for the environment and I said, “yup! We’d be better getting a nice electric transit system to replace roads and cars.” I feel like most people know we’d be better off with a good transit system but rich people 80 years ago solidified our lives.
Yeah it’s brutal. We used to have electric busses in my city that ran on power lines. They didn’t take them out until the 90s. They’d come off every now and then and the driver would have to get out and put them back on with a long stick, but whatever.
Those busses were the best. No battery, no gas. If the electricity source is clean we’re golden, baby.
Also the seats were super squishy benches, not the hard individual seats we get now. They’d be covered in graffiti and it was awesome. However, the weren’t wheelchair accessible, but I’m sure it could be done now.
Trollybuses
Hell yeah
"We should improve society somewhat"
"Have you considered that the improvment will have drawbacks? I am very smart"
I would argue that the rise of the car over transit has made life worse on average for people.
Define "good". Can it take People to a bespoke location at the time of their choosing, door to door, with sizable cargo? If so, sweet, but I haven't seen that
No you see, you have to have an extremist opinion that you haven't put any level of thought or attention into because it makes you feel like you belong.
Rationality and coverage of EVERY SITUATION WHERE CARS AND PERSONAL VEHICLES ARE USEFUL, is a waste of time and effort because uh duh - cars bad
Gotcha
Exactly. Every time I go out of my home I insist on carrying a range stove and a shed, just in case. And taking the bus is very inconvenient.
I don't use my car every time I leave my house
Thank you for the more practical take.
Carrot will likely work better than stick anyway. Instead of shaming people for using what seems to be the best and only way of getting to the city, show them what a nice pedestrian area looks like, remind them what it’s like to watch videos or play games while in transit, and get them to really consider the gargantuan size of classic American parking lots.
When finished, we’ll have people voluntarily voting at city council meetings to block cars from downtown, and revamp the long distance train station going to the next city.
Right, I only passed my test 5 years ago. I know how pleasant public transport is, I was on it every day for 30 years. live in a city that has a pedestrian center that I can walk to from my house. I still need to go to the tip, the supermarket, take my children to my grandparents. I'm going to Hampton court on Saturday, the south coast to pick up a boot full of my dead father in-laws belongings the weekend after and camping the weekend after that.
How is what you suggest helping me.
The reality is "dont do that stuff" is the real answer
Cars kill more people than drugs, and "drugs are bad, m'kay"
Cars, in of themselves, are super-expensive luxury toys to be used on race tracks. They are bad.
The over-dependency is directly correlated with production and sale of cars, but it's not just a correlation.
You - Noooooo the invention of a machine to allow easier access across the nearly 3,000 mile long country is so terrible!!!! They should be limited like super yachts for the rich!!!! Don't innovate and make tools more efficient and safe!!!
Also you - fucking delusional
Trains
Trains can't deliver me straight to my house 20+ miles away from the centralized depot. Nor can they allow me the freedom to visit my family if they live in a remote area. Not everyone wants to live in a shithole city because everything is 'in walking distance'. I'm content with life in a village, but cars are necessary for day to day. Instead of throwing a blanket on the entire industry and saying it needs to be torn down like some extremist weirdo, accept you can keep the design as intended and increase the overall friendliness of the tool.
No
Cars produce CO2 emissions that are ending life as we know it on earth. Cars also produce PM2.5 emissions that give little kids asthma. Cars are bad.
Cars don’t have to be bad. Cars can run on clean energy and make our lives incredibly convenient. However, we’ve crossed the line where convenience and sustainability find balance.
We shouldn’t ban cars, we should incentivize not using them. I drive, but I live in an area where I can take transit fairly easily so I do. My city has terrible transit, but I’m fortunate enough to live in an area where it’s one bus to downtown, so I never drive down town. By the time I find parking then walk to wherever I actually need to be, the bus would have been faster. I’m sure more people would do this if transit weren’t crap. I also ride my bike and walk when I can because I recognize this.
Fuck cars.
I got really drunk on night and got arrested for that. I don’t think I’m going to go for round 2.
Can confirm, the other night I saw a car holding a knife and approaching a child in a dark alley.