Fuck Cars
A place to discuss problems of car centric infrastructure or how it hurts us all. Let's explore the bad world of Cars!
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And you focus solely on the inner city to inner city traffic. Which only makes up a certain segment of the overall traffic. As long as your start or destination is outside the city, bikes and public transport (in it's current form) won't cut it.
I have done quite a lot of kilometers by bike (For some time I did 350km commute per week on the bike!), and I can tell you with certainty that there is weather for which you won't find appropriate clothing, at least not for such distances.
Do you really expect me to somehow put my handicapped wife on a tandem and drive 20+km (one direction) to a medical appointment in the city this afternoon, just to appease some peoples car hate?
This is a very american thinking. Public transport do and often reach out to destination outside the city in other country, you just really need to solve the last miles. Having frequent train that goes from city to a few station in the suburb, and then have feeder bus to serve as a last mile solution is often done in places with okay to good public transport. The station often have parking space for car, motorcycle, and in place with good bicycle infrastructure, a bicycle parking.
This not only help people who prefer not to drive and face the traffic in the city, it also help people whose car and motorcycle needed a repair that can take a long time to do*, and also people who can't afford car or motorcycle, or those have their license temporarily revoked. It's called park and ride, and iirc some american city have this at one point.
No we don't expect you to do that, but we do expect you to allow it to happen so it can help other. It's really not about you or your wife.
If you want to have your mind change, do check out some of the Not Just Bikes video, particularly this one, it did change my perspective.
*note: i know this because i'm a mechanic in a city with horrible public transport. Often time, when someone's car broke down, they're basically stranded with no transport to go to work or do literally everything, so more often than not, the repair have to be delayed. I also often visit the capital city of my country with somewhat good public transport, multiple train line that serve millions per day, and people tend to have easier time moving around, even between city and small town within that state. Not owning a car there is also a thing.
I am European. Public transport that sucks is not a US exclusive.
Your pro arguments solely apply to the inner city transport, where I already agreed that this is absolutely OK.
Leave the inner city, where bus services drop to once an hour during the rush hours and less outside, and a car quickly gets unavoidable, despite all the car-free world fantasies of some.
I said american thinking, not american problem.
Not really, that's why i provide solution, and i never demand it to be car free, because it's unavoidable. Do give my comment another read, i mentioned car parking at the station, bus and bicycle as an alternative last mile solution for people who prefer that. Also your perspective really just based on now, not how it can be.
I too live in a country with horrible public transport, and i have to drive 24km to work, yet i can imagine a world where this is possible. It's really just about perspective.
Except that I frequently use bicycles and public transit outside the city.
I think that's a pathetic excuse to justify a carcel mentality.
Eh, I did similar commutes and that's not a problem. Even if the distance is an issue, there's always an electric bicycle.
I expect people to bend their regional lack of good public transit and bicycle pathes, into a fostering of it, rather than turning into a criticless, soulless cynical praise of a vehicle of pollution and danger. When we face situations as yours, should the answer not be to deflect criticism of the car, but to support bicycle paths and public transit being common and affordable, even in sparse areas?
There are disability-friendly bicycles, ranging from wheelchair bicycles to riksha-like ones, and laying bicycles, and so on. Electric as well, if needed. Did you assume I wouldn't be aware of these options?
Nice strawman, assuming I'm young when you don't know how old I am. Maybe you could try ceasing to invent excuses for not bicycling and using public transit, and instead foster support of both?
Don't you care for your wife? Oh, now you say you need it... but some of these bicycles I mentioned are of the types that your wife could use yourself. Also, yes, it's cheaper. A car might cost €10k per year (petrol, maintenance, paying off loan, etc...) while the handicapped bicycle cost you €3k in total, if not free if you can get it subsidised. Maybe you are part of the problem thinking you're part of the "oh my glorious car" minority? It is hard, but you must face it: that your mindset IS part of the problem.
Frankly, it's more and more clear that you actually haven't gotten the faintest of how cars ruin lives, and are trying to cope inventing excuses to not improve your own life and that of others. Either you support good and affordable public transit + bicycle paths everywhere, or go commit some actual research and actually trying it, instead of lamenting and doing nothing.