this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2023
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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] 46 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

So, the answer is basically "Because the city government decided they didn't want pedestrians to die, and acted accordingly."

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Yes it's really that simple.

When Oslo and Helsinki achieved the same thing, it didn't start with people asking for visible crossings or bicycle lanes. It started with people voting in a government that promised to get rid of pedestrian deaths. The actual plans and design followed.

People might dismiss and argue for or against specific solutions, but I think we can all agree that pedestrian deaths are bad, so it shouldn't be difficult to get started, regardless of who is running the government.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The problem I’ve experienced in the US is that the local governments will voice support for this goal, claim they are pursuing it, but then just not implement really easy and basic solutions because of their fear of backlash.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes, that's not US specific though. Politicians everywhere will promise everybody what they ask for and do nothing about it. Stuff like this is very localised, so it is a good idea to pay attention or even get involved with local politics, even if it's less exciting than the presidential election.

[–] Danksy 3 points 1 year ago

It is somewhat US specific since the US is more dependent on cars than a lot of European places for example. That makes it harder to make changes that impact car owners negatively.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago (1 children)

With a title like this, it's kind of disappointing that the answer is just "good infrastructure planning" and not something like "the land is cursed such that all who walk upon it shall rise again forever more."

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Haha I think it’s kind of exciting that it’s something so simple. It’s also something that I’ve been complaining about in my city for years, even before I got into urbanism. It’s just such an obviously good idea to ban parking on the corners.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Welcome to Europe