We must stop consuming. Eschewing car culture is a radical act. Our economy is all kinds of wrong.
19.02.2025 21:50
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We must stop consuming. Eschewing car culture is a radical act. Our economy is all kinds of wrong.
The GOP and the judiciary seems like a reasonable analog for what democrats have done with housing.
They both just found a technical, boring, wonkish issue, dominated it in plain site for decades, and now use it to wield incredible power.
And, I hate them both for it.
Idea for an article: interviews with Boomers who let their kids take out student loans and 20 years later gifted them house down payments.
I’m staring out of a hotel window in downtown Austin Texas. I’m looking down at a 3 story parking garage, completely devoid of cars. On the roof is a person in a sleeping bag. It reminds me of this book I read to my son.
I feel compelled to recognize this would all be much healthier if we had a plan to shift assets and help the many who will lose jobs.
That being said, it will be pretty infuriating if Trump does more to reduce car dependency than the democrats ever would have.
I read that as why Matt is to blame. Because Matt is trying to split a hair that: the law doesn’t allow, and the activists don’t want split.
We need a plan to manage the assets that have been invested here. But, assuming we had that, it would be very good. There’s way too many cars already.
Right, but that they couldn’t enforce or regulate a distinction (ice cream vs sandwiches) that these advocates find arbitrary.
What about parking requirements?
Another downtown surface parking lot bites the dust!
Seems like this could be a worldwide trend.
Hmmmm, I probably disagree there. I think the presence of cars, moving and parked is a harm to society. To me it keeps coming back to mode share to max out around like 25% private vehicles before society makes good sense.
There is so much theater involved. Dr Phil is just such a farce. The whole thing is horrible.
I appreciate the nuance. For sure, cities can make car oriented transportation systems safe. I doubt they ever pay for themselves. That’s kind of the two variables I was trying to consider.
It strikes me that if we tried to unwind how dangerous driving currently is in the same way we’ve done for aviation, we’d ultimately end up with more buses and trains. I suspect there is simply no way to make a car oriented system safe and cost effective, and that’s why we don’t sincerely try.
So, I don’t like this at all. That being said, I think the penalties for drunk driving, especially when it includes killing someone, are ridiculously light. I understand Canada won’t even let you into the country if you have a DUI on record. But I find something unjust about deportation as a penalty
Some interesting thoughts from an urbanist discussion group last night:
The last nationally unifying concept in America was segregation
We’ve over corrected for community feedback since Robert Moses
Kam Buckner campaigned on growing Chicago’s population
Chicago is calcified with fiefdoms
It’s such a funny thing! We want to make it nice and they’re like “why should it be nice when it could be over as fast as possible?”
Like, holy cow what a disturbing lack of vision. It reminds me of the third place concept. Walking to the coffee shop could be your third place, but driving can’t
That’s cool. I like a the broader variety of voices I know how to access over there. But I’m still not sure I can stomach maintaining a presence there.
You’re one of the few left on both! I might abandon completely
There is this irony to me, that the people who hate the system the most - who reliably want it to be over as fast as possible - they are the ones who fight to keep it miserable! Keep it fast, dangerous, dirty, disgusting.
When we make it nice we force them to see with how miserable it already is.
With same, beautiful and calm streets, this could be everyone’s cycling journey if they wanted it. It could be every walk. Errands could be a joy of life. Having a reason to take the streets could be a lovable moment in and of itself.
But what then when we want to love it? Last summer I picked up a deep dish pizza on a warm summer night. The pizza, my son and my dog in the box bike, riding slowing home through Welles park.
I didn’t want that moment to end. I took as many wrong turns as I could without risking cold pizza.
Has America at large forgotten how to love daily movement? American tourism often feels to me like a movie with slick editing.
Location 1, exit
Shot of car
Location 2, entrance
And driving feels like this: just please get it over with as fast as possible. In fantasy we just edit it out.
A thought about driver’s struck me this week in how much they also hate driving.
True, the occasional person tells you they love it. But how many comments have you read saying “I want my system to be efficient. I just want to get from A to B. Stop slowing me down.”
They dislike for the journey
What event was this?
This feels also terribly akin to our healthcare system. Both terribly expensive and very poor outcomes.
Feels too gendered to be broadly applicable. But then again, as an I had no idea that was a thing and am an older millenial 😂
During the Polar Vortex, here's a little "Chicken Soup for the Winter Bike Rider's Soul," plus tips for others who have been thinking about giving all-season cycling a spin.
chi.streetsblog.org/2025/01/23/b... @chicritmass.bsky.social @curtisblackwell.com @karlynjane.bsky.social @stevevance.net
So they’re assuming that if we make Amtrak nicer higher ridership will make up for the loss of government support? How? If people don’t switch modes then… more expensive fares? Or people just will universally travel more?