Ah yes, the car: the pinnacle of freedom. Except no, it’s the opposite. It’s like being addicted to cigarettes. Once you’ve become fully dependent on them, and built your routine around them, and literally your whole schedule revolves around them, you forget how much life was before you decided to pick it up.
Freedom of mobility is being just as able to get from point A to point B as anyone else despite being physically unable to operate a motor vehicle. Freedom of mobility is not being stuck in endless traffic jams, burning the planet to the ground to stay cool in the middle of a 12 lane asphalt heat trap. Freedom of mobility is being able to hop up to the corner store without ever setting foot inside a car.
I moved somewhere I can leave the car at home for most trips and it’s amazing. I get a day pass for the train and I dont have to worry about where I parked. I don’t have to worry if I’ll have a place to park. And my wife and I can decide when to go home separately if one has more energy than the other. Sure I need to be aware of when the trains slow down, but it really is freeing
I would love to be able to just take the bus to work. Even that would be great. Instead I have to drive and deal with traffic. I could be browsing lemmy or checking my schedule for the day, or taking a damn nap. But no, I’m “free” to take literally the only transportation option I have: my car. Walk? Nope, way too far. Ride the bike? If you like unprotected bike infrastructure and people passing you at 60mph, sure. Take the bus? Sure, just drive 10 minutes to the closest stop and take two different buses to get there on time.
God forbid we spend money on infrastructure that benefits us all. No no, let’s build asphalt oceans so we can ply the open road with our Ford F-9000 Pedestrian Pulverizer Special Edition with the CUMmins My Ass v8 9.0 liter Diesel. Because you wouldn’t want anything fuel efficient, then you can’t bitch and whine about gas prices of course.
But it’s cool, I guess. It’s not like we’re slowly cooking the planet with our shit box cars and stupid obsession with rugged individualism.
I felt like that for so long before moving and I kept trying and failing to convince people it could work there and that life would be better. Ohio is owned by the auto industry, I know, but also the fact that the 3CD corridor keeps being rejected and the fact that Columbus and Cincinnati dont have a light rail is insane to me. Like yeah it’s longer to ride than to drive (except during peak times) but if you build your society’s expectations around a reasonable train commute it’s not an issue. A half hour drive is mentally draining in a way that public transit isn’t. With a train about every 10 minutes I’m not leaving anything early to take the train, I’m just taking for granted the fact that anything in the city within a reasonable distance of a train stop is reasonably accessible. I’m sure it’s a real schlep from end to end but that’s not the default, that’s going between two distant suburbs, which is always a pain in the ass.
I will say this has lessened my freedom in one way: I don’t want to live far from a train station again.
Ah yes, the car: the pinnacle of freedom. Except no, it’s the opposite. It’s like being addicted to cigarettes. Once you’ve become fully dependent on them, and built your routine around them, and literally your whole schedule revolves around them, you forget how much life was before you decided to pick it up.
Freedom of mobility is being just as able to get from point A to point B as anyone else despite being physically unable to operate a motor vehicle. Freedom of mobility is not being stuck in endless traffic jams, burning the planet to the ground to stay cool in the middle of a 12 lane asphalt heat trap. Freedom of mobility is being able to hop up to the corner store without ever setting foot inside a car.
We, citizens of the USA, are slaves to the car.
I moved somewhere I can leave the car at home for most trips and it’s amazing. I get a day pass for the train and I dont have to worry about where I parked. I don’t have to worry if I’ll have a place to park. And my wife and I can decide when to go home separately if one has more energy than the other. Sure I need to be aware of when the trains slow down, but it really is freeing
I would love to be able to just take the bus to work. Even that would be great. Instead I have to drive and deal with traffic. I could be browsing lemmy or checking my schedule for the day, or taking a damn nap. But no, I’m “free” to take literally the only transportation option I have: my car. Walk? Nope, way too far. Ride the bike? If you like unprotected bike infrastructure and people passing you at 60mph, sure. Take the bus? Sure, just drive 10 minutes to the closest stop and take two different buses to get there on time.
God forbid we spend money on infrastructure that benefits us all. No no, let’s build asphalt oceans so we can ply the open road with our Ford F-9000 Pedestrian Pulverizer Special Edition with the CUMmins My Ass v8 9.0 liter Diesel. Because you wouldn’t want anything fuel efficient, then you can’t bitch and whine about gas prices of course.
But it’s cool, I guess. It’s not like we’re slowly cooking the planet with our shit box cars and stupid obsession with rugged individualism.
I felt like that for so long before moving and I kept trying and failing to convince people it could work there and that life would be better. Ohio is owned by the auto industry, I know, but also the fact that the 3CD corridor keeps being rejected and the fact that Columbus and Cincinnati dont have a light rail is insane to me. Like yeah it’s longer to ride than to drive (except during peak times) but if you build your society’s expectations around a reasonable train commute it’s not an issue. A half hour drive is mentally draining in a way that public transit isn’t. With a train about every 10 minutes I’m not leaving anything early to take the train, I’m just taking for granted the fact that anything in the city within a reasonable distance of a train stop is reasonably accessible. I’m sure it’s a real schlep from end to end but that’s not the default, that’s going between two distant suburbs, which is always a pain in the ass.
I will say this has lessened my freedom in one way: I don’t want to live far from a train station again.