this post was submitted on 12 Oct 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] 83 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Walking on them is literally the entire purpose of sidewalks. I mean its right there in the name. This picture is exactly why - so they're safe from cars and don't obstruct drivers. Your opinion of cars is completely immaterial when determining who is being reasonable in this context.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

You can fit like 3-4 cars on there. Why not half that space and extend the sidewalk then? You could not walk next to each other on those or pass others, let alone someone in a wheelchair or with a stroller. Or better, have all the cars park outside of the residential areas and use the space for parks, playgrounds, and other leisure stuff.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Sounds great but not really applicable to the photo, where a driver and pedestrians are trying to use the space, "today"

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I don't disagree with you on a rational level, but on a human level, it just sometimes feels nice to walk a different route, to not be forced to walk in exactly a straight line, especially with a ridiculously narrow sidewalk like that.

And that's then where the opinion of cars comes in. I'm not supposed to do what I feel like, because some guy with a car decides to head on through. If I think cars are vital to humanity, I'll gladly do the rational thing. If I think cars are killing humanity, then sincerely fuck that noise.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 4 days ago (4 children)

Holy Entitlement.

"Yeah, there's this whole path for pedestrians, and that whole path for cars, but sometimes I just want to be on the car one for no reason, so cars should be inconvenienced for that."

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 days ago (2 children)

TBH I think that the demeanor of „why can’t I have 80% public city land for me“ sounds way more like entitlement for me. That is for me the reason why I found the original post so interesting.

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

But for the current day driver trying to drive safely, the die is already cast.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago

It's shitty no matter who is doing it.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Do you have any idea how often pedestrians are inconvenienced by cars? We have to beg to cross streets and only where it is designated, busniesses are farther away and hidden behind vast parking lots, we are subject to their exhaust noise and fumes just about everywhere, and in many places we neglect nearly every form of travel that isnt a car.

It isn't like the car can't still get down the road, they just have to do it at a safe speed and be aware of the pedestrians. This is a neighbourhood not a highway.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 days ago (1 children)

These people aren't crossing the road, they're walking along it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

So they are road users? Pedestrians are not excluded from residential streets.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Are you really trying to sound like the sidewalk and the street are equal? The car has enough space for 4 of it to be side by side. The pedestrian has enough space for 2 of them to be side by side, touching. You sound entitled to me.

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

So maybe we need bigger sidewalks. Fair enough, that's a reasonable discussion. Taking over the entire road is not.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Man the fucking moment a pedestrian steps onto the street they live on it's "taking over the entire road" but roadside parking on both sides is normal. Fuck off.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

From a safety perspective, pedestrians in a road is already a huge issue.

Like, the area should be changed. I totally agree with the idea of vastly increasing DESIGNATED pedestrian space.

But for this driver on this day, they are using the infrastructure as designated. The street pedestrians are not, and are putting themselves at risk in the current system. A driver not wanting a high risk pass with a pedestrian, while a sidewalk exists in the current system is not entitled.

It's the same as if someone was uphill hiking on a designated downhill mountain bike ONLY trail. It isn't wrong for the cyclist in that equation to be mad if they come across a hiker on a non shared trail.

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

This is how a neighbourhood street should look like. Note the sign saying "auto te gast", meaning "cars only as guests", basically meaning, you can drive here, but rolling footballs and kids skipping around, and people just walking have right of way, you can't disturb people living their lives.

I get that's not how it's set up on the OP, but hell, why is this not the case?

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

From a safety perspective, pedestrians in a road is already a huge issue.

Olympic level mental gymnastics are required to believe that the pedestrian is the safety issue in regards to the hunk of rust flying past family homes.

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

Lol how is that your takeaway from what they said? They clearly meant it in the opposite way smh

This community has some of the dumbest takes bolstered by "righteous fury," it's like being in church all over again

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Lol what? It's a safety issue FOR THE PEDESTRIAN

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

Because of THE CAR

THE CAR causes the safety issue

Ma'am

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

Obviously cars are more dangerous than human bodies. We all acknowledge that.

The point is the space is already designated for cars. That should change, sure, but for today, that's how it is.

So a human on the proverbial train tracks is the one in danger. It's not a safety issue for the car, but the person. Which was my point that you are trying to dodge.

Also not sure what the ma'am was for, were you suggesting something?

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

I'm not dodging your point, I'm rejecting it. It's victim blaming. I'm sorry you can't see past your nose, I'm gonna stop replying

[–] [email protected] -1 points 3 days ago

Probably best as you closed your last with a potentially gendered insult and didn't clarify.

Back on point: it's not victim blaming when someone uses an existing system definitively wrong. If you sunbathe on a train track and get run over, you are the only one to blame.

A more interesting topic for this community would be how to remap the traditional US suburb to establish more safe space for pedestrians, specifically how sidewalks out front of existing properties could take up some of the pavement, with traffic calming measures, and dedicated bike lanes.

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

I’m excited for the day I’m coming home from work at night, coming over a hill I can’t see over, and then BOOM a human is in the middle of the road and I run someone over, because they “deserve to use the road as a pedestrian”

Cool. I’ll tell that to my therapist for the rest of my life while I try and cope with the fact that I’ve ended a life.

It’s one thing for someone to walk down the street and put themselves at risk.

It’s an entirely different deal to force an unsuspecting person into a dangerous situation. That’s fucking selfish.

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

Totally agree.

Let's make more spaces for pedestrians, but let's not joust with cars.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 day ago

Yes. Driving the speed limit and cresting a hill is dangerous.

Walking on a road where a hill hides you from drivers isn’t. How could I mistake those.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 4 days ago (2 children)

MLK argued that change requires agitation. Since cars should be mostly banned from pedestrian areas I fully support any effort to retake space and to inconvience cars. Any effort to make driving more painful for others chips away at car dependency

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

The road is not a pedestrian area.

The infrastructure should be changed, but the driver is not in a pedestrian area.

Further, risking your safety and potentially setting an innocent person up for an accident is a dick move.

Advocate for change. I'm into that. Smart towns and cities are making progress and I'm all for it. Don't put people at risk.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 4 days ago

What a gross ideology.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Y'know what? You're right! Sometimes it's nice to drive a different route too, I think I'll drive on the sidewalk all the way to the store today, thanks for the encouragement!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago

Always glad to be of help.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 days ago

I couldnt disagree more with you. If there are pedestrians nearby you drive slow and keep your distance regardless of where you drive.

The same goes for pedestrians, though. Don't walk where it's not safe, for everyones safety. Like the interstate. It's a shared responsibility.

This, however, is in the middle of a neighborhood where a ball and a kid could come flying at moments notice...