this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2024
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Fuck Cars

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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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[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

insane that the bus gets its own lane \s

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Depends if it's full or not. I live in a city with decent public bus transport. Outside of rush hour those buses are just mostly empty and sometimes we have a grid lock of empty buses.

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[–] [email protected] -2 points 3 weeks ago

From my experience bus is carrying just the driver

[–] [email protected] -1 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Walk > Cycle > Tram > Train > Car > Bus.

Buses always seem like the worst possible option from a personal standpoint.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Walking is easier than driving for you?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

I much prefer it. I don't have to worry about parking or vehicle security. Fewer concerns about careless or asshole drivers.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

And you get time to appreciate where you're at, both physically and in life. Stop and smell the roses sometimes.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

In my experience (lived in four countries, ~30 cities / towns), public transport just feels unsafe. It’s always a choice between crazies shouting, groups of teenagers playfighting and blasting their mobile phones on full volume or just the good old rapey stare from strangers. I’d rather not be exposed to all the worst elements of society at close quarters in a metal tube I can’t escape from.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

City seems to have some bias, if mostly the worst elements drive public transport.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Isn't that a bit self-fulfilling, though? If more people rode the bus, then it wouldn't be all creeps and teens.

For my part, having lived in Philly where the people on the busses are actually quite pleasant, it was still too inefficient to make it work. A ten minute drive would be over an hour on the bus, and god help you if the bus was running late (I'm kidding, the bus was always running late). That's a problem that gets worse when there are more riders. As soon as it got too cold to ride a bike, busses would be completely full and unable to take more riders, which meant you'd have to wait for the next one.

Employers aren't very understanding about being late. Even if you had a direct route from your house to your job, you'd still need to account for extra time for delays. Taking the bus means you pack on two extra hours onto your commute every day, which even at minimum wage is $3,770 worth of time every year. At a living wage, it's over $10,000 per year. Even with upkeep and insurance, anybody getting paid enough to live practically needs a car. And that's if you live and work in the city, which is the ideal situation for public transit. Move to the burbs, and that bus ain't going where you are.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

It seems like it would be a self fulfilling prophecy, you are right.

At the same time, having lived in London for 10 years... This is from today: https://red.artemislena.eu/r/london/comments/1fprfcy/i_cant_even_take_the_bus_in_peace_due_to_sexual/

The argument that more people taking public transport would somehow fix this makes no sense in a place like London. It’s a gigantic city with public transport permanently bursting at the seams.

A bus through a dodgy area at midnight won’t feel safe unless it’s policed somehow. I don’t know where the resources for that could possibly come from.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Hi, which countries did you live in? I've also lived in several countries throughout my life and only experienced what you're describing in the US (at least in the city I live in, maybe it's a bias)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Public transport in London was probably the worst. Case in point: https://red.artemislena.eu/r/london/comments/1fprfcy/i_cant_even_take_the_bus_in_peace_due_to_sexual/

The argument that more people taking public transport would somehow fix this makes no sense in a place like London. It’s a gigantic city with public transport permanently bursting at the seams.

A bus through a dodgy area at midnight won’t feel safe unless it’s policed somehow. I don’t know where the resources for that could possibly come from.

[–] [email protected] 161 points 3 weeks ago (6 children)

people should be reminded that posts like these aren't really critical of people for not taking the bus. they're critical of systems and planning that don't make you want to take the bus.

if the bus is always packed people will not want to ride it. that's not on you.

if the bus is unreliable, that's not on you.

if there's no bus or public transit that goes where you want to go out somewhere of a reasonable walking distance, that's not on you.

if where you're going is not walkable in the first place, then taking the bus is pointless since once you arrive you'd need a car anyway.

demanding change however is on you.

it's not like cars are awesome by the way. they're inefficient, pricy, troublesome, there's traffic, parking... it's stressful and it's deadly to boot. if people are not taking the bus, the city has work to do.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (7 children)

I'm critical of all the people driving over sized SUVs by themselves in NYC when I'm trying to get a loaded box truck though a gridlocked intersection. Even if the city instruction doesn't have mass transit, you do not need Escalade over a commuter car.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Valid complaint, but not really the focus of this post imo

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago

yeah just because you're not riding a bus doesn't mean you should get around with a Gigantus Pollutinator 9000 or a private jet, obviously.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Semi solve by carrying passengers. Become the bus you wanna see.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

piggy back rides for $1.99!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Pfft. But for real. I'm getting this feeling this is not normal in USA. Meanwhile where I live people routi ely pick each other up on the way ti save o fuel and/or time.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

Carpooling is totally a thing, but in my experience doing it for years, unless the people in the group were punctual and lived close enough, it never works out.

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