this post was submitted on 08 Jun 2024
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Fuck Cars

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[discussion] This is what walkability means for me (lemmy.world)
submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Living in a walkable city means my weekly shop is a few hours of walking or biking instead of being stuck in traffic, and I'm only mildly tired afterwards since I use a bike with pretty large pannier bags. Since I have no car related costs I can afford more fresh food, a healthier diet, and I can afford to be more choosy about the ethics of what I buy. There's a twice weekly farmers market about a ten minute walk away, and quiet walks through parks to get to the shops. Living somewhere with car centric infrastructure, as I used to, this lifestyle was far less feasible.

Have your experiences been different with moving to walkable/bikeable cities? Any questions or points to be made? I'm not very up on the theory side of city planning, but my experiences line up with the whole "fuck cars" thing.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

I'm coming over for dinner!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I'm blessed with a recently priced grocery store within 1-2 minutes walking (less than 200m/ 0.1mile). I have some nice large reusable bags, so no car needed for daily stuff.

However, due to this, I also shop there every single day instead of making weekly trips. In weekly totals I still spend 10-20 minutes transport and probably a lot more spontaneous purchases than I would from just one weekly trip.

Whenever we do plan weekly shopping, we usually use the car to go elsewhere because one shop doesn't have all the things.

However, I recently found an app that can plan the cooking recipes based on this one store, so I could potentially use a handcart and get everything in one walk. I haven't done this yet though.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

There's a balance to be struck between freshness and structure for sure.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

A few hours for your weekly shopping??? Bruh, you are throwing your life away

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago (1 children)

A few hours!? I live in a walkable city and the nearest store is 3-4 minutes and 3 others within 20 minutes.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 5 months ago (3 children)

is a few hours of walking

Hmmm, I dont think people want to walk for hours to complete a grocery shopping trip? Walkable means you’re done in 20mins max, that’s a reasonable standard given what some urban areas already have.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Fucking hell… I’ll walk all day for fun but I HATE grocery shopping, I’m not walking an hour each way and carrying shit… I’m so lucky to have a little bodega about three minutes away from me, where I can pick up a bunch of dope stuff. But actual grocery shopping? I noticed the community I’m commenting it (I only browse /all/) but I’m driving a few minutes, not hauling all that back over a 30+ minute walk.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

I can walk endlessly in dirt trails, even mid to advanced hiking trails while hauling shit in a huge backpack, but the moment I touch pavement I can only manage a couple minutes.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I assumed they meant the travel walk was probably within that time then they spent the other hours walking around the shops/market stalls etc. Which is pretty standard where I live! We're not a "walkable city" but we get the bus into town and then spend a few hours walking about buying stuff before getting the bus back. Like OP its doable by bike too, both methods work depending how lazy you're feeling and how many shops you want to go in.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The travel of 2 trips was closer to 2 miles. The long time quoted was just because I'm a lazy ass who meanders through the shops in a dissociative fugue, deep in the reverie of some unspeakably horrible podcast.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

It sounds so weird to call "a few hours of walking" lazy but I completely get what you mean, and I'm all for it!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

I double checked the stats. It was more like 1.5 hours total walking over 2 miles, though I was out and about four 3 hours. I wanted to go to a bigger shop outside the city centre and the farmer's market in town, had to stop at home to empty the cart. If I was less choosy I could do it in 20, but the shop near me is a little depressing.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I think it’s cool you’re doing what you like. I walk long distance for urban hiking, which can take up to six hours with breaks. I am not sure I’d like a routine walk for groceries though, if it’s not 20ish - 30ish total. To each their own 🤷‍♀️

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

Your grocery store sells just loose Pokémon cards? The ones around here have people fist fighting for them.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Did you drink half of the hot sauce on the way home?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago

Got thirsty on the trip home and drank a third of the Sriracha and most of the soy sauce? We've all been there

[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Not that you posted to be judged on your weekly shop, but given you're on this sub and interested in social issues, thought you might want to know that brewdog are kinda arseholes to their staff:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jun/10/brewdog-staff-craft-beer-firm-letter

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

Immediately the first thing I noticed too. I also work at a brewery and the fallout from brew dog sent shockwaves through many breweries.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Also, their beer is terrible.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

I'm discovering this. And yeah, I was out of the loop. I think I'd better just go back to making my own. At least then when I drink bad beer I'm technically learning something.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Ever since I first lived in the city center during nursing school I always make it a priority to live somewhere walkable with public transport. But I do sacrifice apartment space for it.

Right now I have several supermarkets (including Aldi) and a tram stop in my immediate walking distance. I do all my shopping by foot and I guess I would have to go twice for that amount OP carried home on their bike.

But I have to say, that I mostly drink tap water (+Tea/Koffee) which is very good quality at my location. If I had to carry crates of water and other beverages it would be much harder. Not everyone has that choice unfortunately.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

That’s one thing I missed when I lived within easy walk of a grocery. I’d generally drive, just for carrying the drinks. I noticed people taking taxis, but that didn’t seem useful ….. until many years later when I got hit by the obvious that I could have walked one way and taken a taxi back. This was before cargo bikes

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

@norimee @Gradually_Adjusting Another problem of the politics of austerity and obsession with low taxes at any cost. We’ve defunded water infrastructure almost as much as we’ve defunded public transit. There’s no excuse for a wealthy society to create an environment where many of its residents don’t feel safe drinking tap water and access to any tap water in major cities is periodically cut off by 100 year old pipes predictably breaking.

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