Yes, quite a bit, but my better-half's job requires it for now. Also, I like a lot about a big city, I'd just like it so much more without private cars.
Valid questions and a real issue for some. I’m originally from Alaska thst had horrendous public transit. I’d have loved to use it, but in some places it’s sadly just not practical yet.
No, this is false, I have NPD and it’s contributed to my struggles with getting a license. I’d rather have the independence of a bicycle and the rail system to help me manage my disability
I think you are overstating the value of your personal anecdotal experience. It’s important to acknowledge that how disabilities affect people is usually pretty individual but your experience doesn’t negate (what is likely) larger scale research.
Eh, not a massive fan of driving either. I still have a car, as my town’s bus network isn’t entirely bulletproof (though it is really awesome), and of course for going between towns when necessary.
Cars are not the problem. People are. 95% of drivers shouldn’t even have a license. Just bump up the requirements until only 5% of people attain driving license.
Well, first and foremost, I guess the main benefit is saving a lot of money. If you use your car everyday to go to work and go shopping it can cost thousands of dollars where I live. Between the fuel, insurance, parking fees, mandatory yearly checkup (with possible repairs which are even more costly), the bill climbs pretty fast!
And it can be such a pain to drive a car in the city. Traffic jams, Red lights every 2 minutes (we all get that unlucky day), finding a free parking spot, waiting at gas station when there’s a penury (they are bound to happen!).
Using a bike or simply walking is comparatively hugely cheaper obviously, but also quite less frustrating in urban areas at least.
“Not having to feed and shelter a cow for her milk” If i use expressionism. Car taxes , fuel prices and traffic is a huge problem where i live and i can use buses, metros and my own legs to go anywhere reliably.
Well, by not having a car, I have almost enough money left over for a place to sleep, food, and internet.
People say you “need” a car to live, but really, you just need a car to maintain your lifestyle. But when something happens to your income, the first thing to go is the car. When you cannot afford to drive a car, suddenly your “needs” look completely different. Funny, right?
No need to concentrate when traveling. Public transport is nearly "brain off" time while I get whisked away to another place. Sure, it could be better and faster, but at least I don't have to pay a higher subscription to let my vehicle stand outside for 99% of its life.
I’d much rather make my own coffee at home. It’s pennies on the dollar compared to this shit, and I’m not spending an extra half hour or more out of my day for something I’ll consume in minutes once it reaches optimal drinking temperature.
I use an aeropress, which allows me to make concentrated coffee that I can store in the fridge. I pour a little into an insulated travel cup and just add hot water when I want to drink it - either just before going on a drive, or after I get to work. I take a proper mug with me to work along with it and pour into it out of the travel cup. It’s one of the highlights of my day.
I hate drive-through culture and am glad to not have anything to do with it, but I’m also not a big fan of sitting in public spaces amongst a bunch of strangers who actually like slurping down sugary caffeine drinks out of paper cups.
I know I'm not answering this question persay, but I do certainly touch on some benefits of not owning a car, and why this isn't true for everyone.
I don't want anyone dismissing this as some "pro-car" post. It's not.
I live in the northern most city in North America with over 1 million people (Edmonton, I technically live in an outlying community, but still). Edmonton is unique in a few ways.
The temperature ranges are huge, regularly on a yearly basis we range from 32 C (90 F) each summer to -36 (-33 F) each winter. I have seen it in my life reach 36 C (97 F) and -46 C (-51 F). There's not many places in the world whose extremes of temperature cover such a wide range, and not many in general that get that cold, In the winter, snow starts in late October, and is usually around until until early April, and it is typical to see a week straight or two of -30 C (-22) and basically from December through February it's often below -20 C (-4 F) for months straight at the warmest.
Edmonton is also one of the least population dense major cities around, even for Canada which is already spread out. Addis Ababa, Baghdad, and Brussels are all close in size (actually all slightly smaller) than Edmonton, and have 5, 6, and 2 million people respectively. Edmonton has 1 million people.
I work with people with autism, and visit over 30 different locations, and 20 different families across this big city, and our public transit systems are known for being bad.
So simply what are the advantages? I would die in the winter first of all. That's not an exaggeration, if you don't live in a climate like this in the winter, you just don't understand. Being outside for upwards of 15 minutes is dangerous.
Moreover, families in my line of work would suffer. Even with amazing public transit, the weather here is bad enough, and the city is spread out enough, that it would not be doable to safely visit everyone in a day or make it on time since they're often across the city. Notably since Edmonton is so spread out (unlike say, a Toronto), traffic and getting around quickly on roads is pretty good and we don't see the same level of slow moving traffic as most major cities.
Now with that said, for the naysayers out there, who think I'm biased: first of all, we all are in one direction or another. Secondly, if you suggested reducing how spread out my city is, and massively increasing public transit and train funding (which again, remember is tricky here, because just hanging out in a train or bus shelter, if not heated here is genuinely dangerous to your life), I would be all for it! I think the biggest thing is city planning, zoning rules that make living places so far away from your purchasing needs like grocery stores is the real bane here and in many areas in North America. But the fact is that, again in my (admittedly unique) situation, even if the city suddenly didn't become dangerously cold in the winter, magically more dense, and amazingly more transit friendly, I need a car for my daily employment, and many do (you can't haul construction equipment, bring large medical devices, etc.) on a bike or bring it onto a train or bus with you.
I think the "fuckcars" argument is simplistic and WILDLY privileged. This attitude towards places in difficult climates, with limited funding for public transit in poorer countries, where taking any job, even one that needs a vehicle to drive around is a necessity, when coming from a European metropolitan perspective if wildly biased. Should all cities be as bikeable and transit centric as it is in Europe, again, YES, I agree with this wholeheartedly. But such an aggressive stance as being angry at car owners, making arguments that it indicates some political leaning (I've literally seen in the subreddit that cars are inherently right wing, like get over yourself and politicizing EVERYTHING), and literally naming a subreddit "fuckcars" is not exactly solution focused, and doesn't take the complexity of the living situation many are born in, into account. While I am priveleged in my own country and city, my whole life is here and I would challenge anyone saying "just bike" to make the 50km bike ride across sheet ice in -40 (-40 F) here and not also argue for necessity of a car here.
For the record for anyone who might otherwise dismiss my view on some erronious basis, I am a left wing environmentalist, vegetarian for environmental reasons, have owned a Smart Car and other "eco" vehicles, detest the giant truck and SUV culture that is awful to basically everything here (while understanding that a fairly small minority actually do need a truck), I own an E-bike and love in my small outlying town (population 4000) that I can bike to everything I need here, and would also use this when I lived in Edmonton at times.
Being able to look at your children in the eyes and knowing that you aren’t contributing to the pollution they are breathing, to the traffic noise they hear while they are trying to rest, or to the traffic that puts them in danger every time they go out.
Future generations will judge us for the shitty legacy we have left them.
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