One difficulty in switching away from entrenched car culture is that businesses are too few and too far apart. My e-bike can easily carry a week’s worth of groceries. If I didn’t have one, I’d either need to be lucky enough to live near the supermarket, or pay for a ride (cargo carts and such are not allowed on the bus). And, refilling my 3 and 5 gallon water bottles at a water station or someone needing a laundromat? Same problems. Gotta pay for a ride or pay for delivery, pay pay pay. In a car-centric city, you’re either paying to have a car or paying to not have a car. Whereas walkable cities have smaller stores that are close by.
Instead people (quite understandably) walk the carts home and then ditch them. So they have companies that drive around collecting shopping carts to return to stores.
Yeah you understood correctly. Personal carts. Only folded up carts allowed on the bus. I can see I invited confusion, my bad. I was blaming grocery carts being taken from stores perhaps as a result of that bus policy.
I just realized I skipped the thought that led to my monologue: even if there are open parking spots, they aren’t very useful if they’re not close by, because people don’t want to walk.
That was my takeaway. In downtown Pensacola the historicity of it all has construction mostly on lockdown. The area has blossomed since I moved here 20-years ago, but parking isn’t just a matter of walking a bit. Everything’s either private, taken, or you can park 10 blocks away on a busy night and still find yourself in a private area.
But I get it. “People won’t walk.” sounds like the issue with most of these areas and projects. We Americans are truly spoiled on this topic. :)
This is all so very logical and agreeable, but the argument always leaves out people like me. I have no desire to live my one life, that I was stupendously lucky to get, packed in like rats with other humans. As an old friend used to say, “I don’t want to look out the window and see my neighbors eating breakfast.” I want to step into the surrounding woods and find running into another human an unusual encounter.
I’m in a lower-middle class hood on the bleeding edge of Milton, the redneck suburb of Pensacola. I like it though! I can walk off into the woods, though they’re privately owned by several different people, gotta watch one’s step. There’s a perfectly clear creek I can skinny dip in. I can tote my kayak 3-miles to the local swamp, which is gorgeous. On the way there, I can stop off at the military base and take the 2-mile hike around their trails and not see a soul.
Nothing wrong with living in a rural area without much public transit where cars are necessary. I grew up in the middle of absolutely nowhere, and it was great. But I don’t remember many parking lots in the small towns. Often parking was the dirt in front of the store. I think the article is more focused on urban areas.
However, my vacation in Japan, and Tokyo in particular, reminds me of something. There I was in the largest city in the world, and certain places certainly were very busy and packed full of people. However, at the same time, there was a feeling of freedom of movement. Cars are supposed to represent freedom and independence, but being able to get places without needing to drive there at least for me felt way more free than being trapped in a car. We were walking everywhere, shopping, riding subways and trains and buses, and most of that was completely new to me (even the buses felt different because they were so much more competently run). Yet, at the same time, getting around felt completely natural and instantly comfortable. The stress of a busy train station doesn’t even come close to the stress of driving in rush hour traffic, and I don’t even live in that big a city. I’m mindful that I was a tourist and I wasn’t trying to get to work on time, but there is a human element and feeling of unity that just doesn’t exist driving in a car. And I never had to care about finding a parking spot.
And this might just be cultural, but even in a packed train completely surrounded by people on all sides, there was somehow a sense of privacy and ability to relax. It’s very hard to explain and it may just be one of those things that a person has to experience to understand.
The available greenery and parks were also enhanced and even in some ways felt more accessible because we would just be walking by and there one was ready to be enjoyed.
Again, not to try to take away from the rural experience, I get it. Just my thoughts that switching a dense urban area from cars to public transit, bicycling and walking can also greatly improve one’s experience.
The Netherlands and Germant have a a similar lifestyle. In small towns, you can live exactly as you mention. And I personally completely agree. I like quiet life too.
The difference is that when you inevitably need medical care, you can take a train to a bigger city with a hospital.
One difficulty in switching away from entrenched car culture is that businesses are too few and too far apart. My e-bike can easily carry a week’s worth of groceries. If I didn’t have one, I’d either need to be lucky enough to live near the supermarket, or pay for a ride (cargo carts and such are not allowed on the bus). And, refilling my 3 and 5 gallon water bottles at a water station or someone needing a laundromat? Same problems. Gotta pay for a ride or pay for delivery, pay pay pay. In a car-centric city, you’re either paying to have a car or paying to not have a car. Whereas walkable cities have smaller stores that are close by.
Holy mother of anti-poor policies
Instead people (quite understandably) walk the carts home and then ditch them. So they have companies that drive around collecting shopping carts to return to stores.
Ah sorry, I thought we were referring to personal carts, like a shopping trolley.
Obviously you can’t take the store trolley on the bus, that would be insane
Yeah you understood correctly. Personal carts. Only folded up carts allowed on the bus. I can see I invited confusion, my bad. I was blaming grocery carts being taken from stores perhaps as a result of that bus policy.
I just realized I skipped the thought that led to my monologue: even if there are open parking spots, they aren’t very useful if they’re not close by, because people don’t want to walk.
That was my takeaway. In downtown Pensacola the historicity of it all has construction mostly on lockdown. The area has blossomed since I moved here 20-years ago, but parking isn’t just a matter of walking a bit. Everything’s either private, taken, or you can park 10 blocks away on a busy night and still find yourself in a private area.
But I get it. “People won’t walk.” sounds like the issue with most of these areas and projects. We Americans are truly spoiled on this topic. :)
This is all so very logical and agreeable, but the argument always leaves out people like me. I have no desire to live my one life, that I was stupendously lucky to get, packed in like rats with other humans. As an old friend used to say, “I don’t want to look out the window and see my neighbors eating breakfast.” I want to step into the surrounding woods and find running into another human an unusual encounter.
I’m in a lower-middle class hood on the bleeding edge of Milton, the redneck suburb of Pensacola. I like it though! I can walk off into the woods, though they’re privately owned by several different people, gotta watch one’s step. There’s a perfectly clear creek I can skinny dip in. I can tote my kayak 3-miles to the local swamp, which is gorgeous. On the way there, I can stop off at the military base and take the 2-mile hike around their trails and not see a soul.
Nothing wrong with living in a rural area without much public transit where cars are necessary. I grew up in the middle of absolutely nowhere, and it was great. But I don’t remember many parking lots in the small towns. Often parking was the dirt in front of the store. I think the article is more focused on urban areas.
However, my vacation in Japan, and Tokyo in particular, reminds me of something. There I was in the largest city in the world, and certain places certainly were very busy and packed full of people. However, at the same time, there was a feeling of freedom of movement. Cars are supposed to represent freedom and independence, but being able to get places without needing to drive there at least for me felt way more free than being trapped in a car. We were walking everywhere, shopping, riding subways and trains and buses, and most of that was completely new to me (even the buses felt different because they were so much more competently run). Yet, at the same time, getting around felt completely natural and instantly comfortable. The stress of a busy train station doesn’t even come close to the stress of driving in rush hour traffic, and I don’t even live in that big a city. I’m mindful that I was a tourist and I wasn’t trying to get to work on time, but there is a human element and feeling of unity that just doesn’t exist driving in a car. And I never had to care about finding a parking spot.
And this might just be cultural, but even in a packed train completely surrounded by people on all sides, there was somehow a sense of privacy and ability to relax. It’s very hard to explain and it may just be one of those things that a person has to experience to understand.
The available greenery and parks were also enhanced and even in some ways felt more accessible because we would just be walking by and there one was ready to be enjoyed.
Again, not to try to take away from the rural experience, I get it. Just my thoughts that switching a dense urban area from cars to public transit, bicycling and walking can also greatly improve one’s experience.
The Netherlands and Germant have a a similar lifestyle. In small towns, you can live exactly as you mention. And I personally completely agree. I like quiet life too.
The difference is that when you inevitably need medical care, you can take a train to a bigger city with a hospital.
Which argument were you referring to when you said you had been left out?