People who say driving is freedom have never lived within walking distance of the amenities they need. You think driving to Costco/Walmart is convenient? I’ve left the house 5 minutes before the grocery store closes. When I want to make a recipe, I don’t check the fridge for what I have until literally right before I need to start making it because forgetting something adds at most 15 minutes to the prep time. I’ve never had to haul ten grocery bags from my car because I never need to buy that much at one time and then watch half of it go bad in the fridge. I can go get snacks when I’m high as a kite on weed without killing someone on the road. True freedom for me is never needing to drive or own a car.
Carbrains don’t understand the true freedom that is taking transit on a night out. I never have to worry about a Designated Driver or dragging my hungover ass back to wherever I left my (hypothetical) car. As long as my drunk ass can find my way to the train station I can get home no problem
Same with living close to a grocery store, I basically never check what I actually have on hand since it’s less than a block away. I can easily pick up whatever I’m making for supper on the way home or dash out if I forgot something. I can think about what I want to eat on the train home, pick up any ingredients I need on the walk to my place, maybe stop by a liquor store for a bottle of wine for supper, it’s wonderful. I’d really struggle with planning meals if going to the store involved packing up a vehicle
I think that USians live in a state of constant, subconscious anxiety due to how incredibly atomized they are. There will need to be major cultural shifts before we’ll ever have the wherewithal to build needed public transportation infrastructure.
Things will have to get a lot worse before they get better. I am hoping that gas prices will rise enough to provoke some changes; the next six months will be telling.
People who say driving is freedom have never lived within walking distance of the amenities they need. You think driving to Costco/Walmart is convenient? I’ve left the house 5 minutes before the grocery store closes. When I want to make a recipe, I don’t check the fridge for what I have until literally right before I need to start making it because forgetting something adds at most 15 minutes to the prep time. I’ve never had to haul ten grocery bags from my car because I never need to buy that much at one time and then watch half of it go bad in the fridge. I can go get snacks when I’m high as a kite on weed without killing someone on the road. True freedom for me is never needing to drive or own a car.
Amen, Driving is dependance.
Carbrains don’t understand the true freedom that is taking transit on a night out. I never have to worry about a Designated Driver or dragging my hungover ass back to wherever I left my (hypothetical) car. As long as my drunk ass can find my way to the train station I can get home no problem
Same with living close to a grocery store, I basically never check what I actually have on hand since it’s less than a block away. I can easily pick up whatever I’m making for supper on the way home or dash out if I forgot something. I can think about what I want to eat on the train home, pick up any ingredients I need on the walk to my place, maybe stop by a liquor store for a bottle of wine for supper, it’s wonderful. I’d really struggle with planning meals if going to the store involved packing up a vehicle
I think that USians live in a state of constant, subconscious anxiety due to how incredibly atomized they are. There will need to be major cultural shifts before we’ll ever have the wherewithal to build needed public transportation infrastructure.
Things will have to get a lot worse before they get better. I am hoping that gas prices will rise enough to provoke some changes; the next six months will be telling.