I hate cars. Ban them!

[Neesika]

*snip*

No point in getting into trouble over someone who is flat out wrong about my position, and has been shown a number of posts to prove this. Let it be. If he wants to keep pretending, it really doesn't matter.

[Kisia]

What about people who have to travel for a living? (like social workers, 18 wheeler drivers etc.)

[Natapoc]

A lot of us around here are too out of shape to ride bikes. Me because I'm out of shape and never learned how to ride one. Most people around here because this is a town of mostly retired old people.

Bicycles are useful in that they actually provide exercise when you use them. Most have gears on them so that people with very low leg strength can still use them.

This is yet another very sad fact about car culture: It can render whole areas of people dependent on cars as a result of the physical disabilities associated with being so out of shape that one cannot move ones own body.

I blame car culture for UnhealthyTruthseeker's town being physically handicap.

[Tekania]

He said something to the tune of "I believe cars should be banned outright in his OP."

He then changed his mind at the bottom, stating that we should begin to move away from cars.

He pointed out in a previous post that he never stated he wanted to ban cars. I posted that to debate his claim.

So how about you read where I was coming from before you pander about like a fucking idiot?

You're not coming from anywhere, it's the same god-damn fucking post, you're just trying to side-step the fucking issue that you were too much of a fucking re-re to read the fucking OP before jerk-posting like a fucking euthanized dog convulsing in death and shitting all over itself...

[UnhealthyTruthseeker]

This is yet another very sad fact about car culture: It can render whole areas of people dependent on cars as a result of the physical disabilities associated with being so out of shape that one cannot move ones own body.

I blame car culture for UnhealthyTruthseeker's town being physically handicap.

You don't think osteoporosis and other problems caused by being over 60 has anything to do with it? Seriously?

[Natapoc]

What about people who have to travel for a living? (like social workers, 18 wheeler drivers etc.)

A lack of cars does not imply a lack of travel possibilities: On the contrary many people unable to drive now would have the ability to travel as a result of expanded public transit.

And grats on page 40 Neesika. Awesome thread

[Neesika]

He said something to the tune of "I believe cars should be banned outright in his OP."

She. And yes, I want cars to be banned outright. That is my dream.

He then changed his mind at the bottom, stating that we should begin to move away from cars.

Including the qualifier that "I realise this isn't actually possible" at the end of the OP is in no way 'changing my mind'. It's stating my wish, and my understanding of the reality of the situation. That I even have to explain this to you suggests that you are entirely too literal minded to be engaged in what is meant to be an exercise in hypothetical thought. You may wish to go elsewhere, since this sort of thing is apparently too difficult for you.

He pointed out in a previous post that he never stated he wanted to ban cars. I posted that to debate his claim.

She was quite clear on her desire being impossible to achieve, therefore a new way of organising our transport is needed. And the topic of this thread.

Now get over it. Being wrong happens. You can go ahead and admit it, and either involve yourself in the discussion or go away.

[UnhealthyTruthseeker]

Okay, hope you feel better in the morning.

Common, haven't you ever gotten tired of fighting and just given up on humanity?

[UNIverseVERSE]

What about people who have to travel for a living? (like social workers, 18 wheeler drivers etc.)

Bicycles, good public transport networks, freight trains.

Deals with most such cases.

[Tekania]

This is yet another very sad fact about car culture: It can render whole areas of people dependent on cars as a result of the physical disabilities associated with being so out of shape that one cannot move ones own body.

I blame car culture for UnhealthyTruthseeker's town being physically handicap.

You don't think osteoporosis and other problems caused by being over 60 has anything to do with it? Seriously?

Well, before cars we didn't have the problem! (We also didn't generally have the problem of making it into our 60's either... but that's besides the point! Honest!)

[Neesika]

Step one: get as many cars off the road as possible by providing more efficient mass transportation.

Step two: ensure all transportation runs as pollution free as is technologically possible.

See these two steps I can advocate I wouldn't go as far as saying to ban cars though.

Neither would I, no matter how hard certain people want to wish I would.

[Neesika]

*snip of excellent lesson on the history of car culture*

But just as the car culture was invented and sold, so another culture can be invented and sold. And I propose to support such an effort -- because I think the car culture is shit, and I'm sick of it.

This is why I don't just give up. The fact that some people can see beyond the right now, and imagine what things could be like in the future, is the only thing that sustains me.

[Natapoc]

This is yet another very sad fact about car culture: It can render whole areas of people dependent on cars as a result of the physical disabilities associated with being so out of shape that one cannot move ones own body.

I blame car culture for UnhealthyTruthseeker's town being physically handicap.

You don't think osteoporosis and other problems caused by being over 60 has anything to do with it? Seriously?

Sorry I did not realize you and your town were mostly over 60 and had osteoporosis and other age related problems. The elderly and disabled often use motorized wheelchairs and the elderly frequently find themselves unable to drive currently due to physical limitations.

An increase in public transit and a decrease in car culture would have positive benefits for the elderly. Not negative.

[Muravyets]

Yah, and what about the 1000's of people who'd lose their jobs?

Well, all those people could probably seek jobs in the transportation-related industries that would be replacing the car-related industries. You know, just like they would if their industries disappeared or downsized for any other reason.

Also, if you banned cars, my whole fucking neighborhood might as well disapear. We live ot of zone, and thus, we cant get city buses out into our areas.

Right, because the fact that your local authorities don't run transit out to you is somehow proof that they can't run transit out to you.

I cant (nor want) to bike 6 or seven miles into the city, and go to my job, pick up and drop off my kids, and things like that.

False dichotomy. It's not a choice of car or nothing. It's a choice of sticking with old thing or developing new thing. Also, the bolded words indicate that your entire argument is bullshit and that you are merely objecting because you don't want to change what you like.

More eco-friendly cars are staring to come out (like the Nissan Leaf,) But really, if theyd make a eco friendly car that looks like a car, NOT something 25-30 years down the line, I'd buy it. For now, I'll stick with my polluting truck.

And following the bolded words, above, these remarks are just more BS indicating that you have no intention of supporting any change in technology or transportation systems, and thus, you are part of the problem, not part of the solution, and need to be kept out of the way of the people who are working to develop and modernize the world.

[Blouman Empire]

A lot of us around here are too out of shape to ride bikes. Me because I'm out of shape and never learned how to ride one. Most people around here because this is a town of mostly retired old people.

Bicycles are useful in that they actually provide exercise when you use them. Most have gears on them so that people with very low leg strength can still use them.

This is yet another very sad fact about car culture: It can render whole areas of people dependent on cars as a result of the physical disabilities associated with being so out of shape that one cannot move ones own body.

I blame car culture for UnhealthyTruthseeker's town being physically handicap.

Indeed the car has made people age and frail not them getting older.

[UnhealthyTruthseeker]

Sorry I did not realize you and your town were mostly over 60 and had osteoporosis and other age related problems. The elderly and disabled often use motorized wheelchairs and the elderly frequently find themselves unable to drive currently due to physical limitations.

An increase in public transit and a decrease in car culture would have positive benefits for the elderly. Not negative.

I'M 21. The majority of this town is old as dirt.

[Natapoc]

Sorry I did not realize you and your town were mostly over 60 and had osteoporosis and other age related problems. The elderly and disabled often use motorized wheelchairs and the elderly frequently find themselves unable to drive currently due to physical limitations.

An increase in public transit and a decrease in car culture would have positive benefits for the elderly. Not negative.

I'M 21. The majority of this town is old as dirt.

Okay. But you also are to out of shape to ride a bike right? (or did I misunderstand you)

[Neesika]

And since when were cars faster than trains? A bus to New York from Washington DC would take much longer than an Amtrak ride.

You can't compare a car to a bus, though. Traveling by bus takes at least three times as long, in my experience.

Only if it's making a lot of stops. If you've ever taken a non-stop bus, it doesn't take any longer than a car ride.

They must be fast buses you have in Canada, wish we had those buses in Australia.

Actually that only applies for inter-town buses where they are slower I do find those travelling in the city take about the same time as a car if it makes no stops.

Unless of course it has to take side streets and go around various roads rather than directly to your destination.

Are you talking buses that go outside the city or within?

From my experience, if you take a bus for a long distance ride, you can usually choose to get an express, which means no stops other than for refueling (if needed). You can also get buses that stop at every town along the way, which is good if you're just going two towns over.

For buses as transit in the cities...well it's hit and miss. Again, Edmonton set up a system of express buses too...you have to get them at the right terminal, but they don't stop till they get to the end of the line. With the addition of the dedicated lanes for passing snarled up traffic, you can really get around faster. The problem is there aren't enough of these kinds of express buses (yet).

If you took the private cars off the road and the roads were dedicated to public transit, you would have even less time wasted trying to get through all the SOVs blocking the way.

[Neesika]

Okay, hope you feel better in the morning.

You too.

[Kisia]

Yah, and what about the 1000's of people who'd lose their jobs?

Well, all those people could probably seek jobs in the transportation-related industries that would be replacing the car-related industries. You know, just like they would if their industries disappeared or downsized for any other reason.

Also, if you banned cars, my whole fucking neighborhood might as well disapear. We live ot of zone, and thus, we cant get city buses out into our areas.

Right, because the fact that your local authorities don't run transit out to you is somehow proof that they can't run transit out to you.

I cant (nor want) to bike 6 or seven miles into the city, and go to my job, pick up and drop off my kids, and things like that.

False dichotomy. It's not a choice of car or nothing. It's a choice of sticking with old thing or developing new thing. Also, the bolded words indicate that your entire argument is bullshit and that you are merely objecting because you don't want to change what you like.

More eco-friendly cars are staring to come out (like the Nissan Leaf,) But really, if theyd make a eco friendly car that looks like a car, NOT something 25-30 years down the line, I'd buy it. For now, I'll stick with my polluting truck.

And following the bolded words, above, these remarks are just more BS indicating that you have no intention of supporting any change in technology or transportation systems, and thus, you are part of the problem, not part of the solution, and need to be kept out of the way of the people who are working to develop and modernize the world.

...Meh, fine. I'll restate that post. Im not in favor of banning cars outright, but try and find a way so we can have less cars on the road. Mass transit, rail, etc. I dunno, we've had cars for so long, It be sorta hard to give it up. Like having democracy ever since the US was founded, then being replace with a dictatorship. (It wont ever happen, but you somewhat get my point, right?)

[UnhealthyTruthseeker]

Okay. But you also are to out of shape to ride a bike right? (or did I misunderstand you)

I'm out of breath going up two or three flights of stairs. And before you think that I use a car a lot, not really. I stay locked in my room most of the time. I rarely leave to do anything but go to school.

[Natapoc]

So I grew up in a non privileged family. My parents could not afford a car and they rode their bikes. They would ride miles every day with my sister and I (we were under 5) in a little wheel thing that straps to the back of a bicycle.

My mother worked 2 jobs while going to college. My father worked full time.

People should stop pretending that riding a bicycle is so difficult and stop pretending that this is somehow bad for the poor or elderly. The poor ALREADY go without a car.

Many of the elderly have lost their licenses because they are physically unable to drive.

Getting rid of car culture while increasing public transportation options would be a net benefit to both the poor and to the elderly.

[Muravyets]

What about people who have to travel for a living? (like social workers, 18 wheeler drivers etc.)

Are people simply incapable of reading threads? Many posters, including me and the OP have discussed the massive environmental and safety improvements that would be made simply by REDUCING the use of single-occupancy vehicles. That does not require a ban -- notwithstanding the fact that so many posters seem completely unable to realize that the OP's title is hyperbole (they probably don't realize it because they never read the OP itself). If you don't have every single person driving around in his/her own private carbon fuel burning vehicle every single day for every single trip or errand, then you can far better support the MUCH LOWER NUMBER of cars that would actually be necessary, such as for people like social workers, shippers, emergency responders, bus drivers, etc.

As for 18-wheeler drivers (aka long-haul truckers) their jobs only exist because of the artificially created and imposed monster that is the car culture. Gosh, sorry, but when the world changes, their jobs will slowly, slowly, become obsolete. They'll be just one in the ages-long history of jobs that no longer exist. Oh, well.

[Ashaven]

Okay, hope you feel better in the morning.

Common, haven't you ever gotten tired of fighting and just given up on humanity?

Yeah, but I tend to get better. Of course, you're doubtlessly older than I, but still...

[UnhealthyTruthseeker]

Yeah, but I tend to get better. Of course, you're doubtlessly older than I, but still...

I'm only 21, you?