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Communities here are largely influenced and based on already existing communities on Reddit. I was subscribed to r/fuckcars there until I dropped reddit completely, but they have a pretty straightforward page explaining their beliefs and opinions about cars and replacing them with various different more efficient transportation methods.
Secondly… Your comment wasn’t hated, so I don’t know where those “angry car haters” come from.
No one actually thinks that you can replace cars entirely, but making more space FOR PEOPLE on the streets and making public transportation more comfortable and more affordable - is only a positive.
so I don’t know where those “angry car haters” come from
Having read those comments… probably because OP already dismissed the legitimacy of the community and therefore interpreted all comments in the worst light. Any hint at even the smallest passion for the subject becomes “angry haters”.
Same as the other commenter who dismissed anyone wanting to go without cars as “paupers”, because they cannot imagine there being legitimate reasons to avoid cars.
Typical car brain. It’s really sad how so many people are completely incapable of even imagining alternatives to car centric design of living spaces.
It’s so wild how absolutely weak some people have gotten honestly. Maybe it’s being lazy, i don’t know. I was sitting on a table with friends and a couple talked about how they go on vacation in a sort of natural habitat or something. There are no cars, you park outside and then walk like 25min. And everyone talked about how insane that 25min walk is, and how it’s possible that they don’t offere rides or someone pick them up on a atv or something. Like the conversation went on for so long that i wasn’t sure if it was just a joke at some point. They googled the resort and looked for ways to maybe uber in or something. 25minute walk is what i do with my dog at night, every night.
Many folks see car culture as connected to other social problems, such as:
- Environmental degradation — pollution, climate change
- Suburban decay — neighborhoods with lots of parking but no public life
- Violent crime — road rage, throwing shit at bicyclists, coal rolling
- Long driving commutes — extending the work day for hours of unpaid labor
- Injury & death — driving & being around cars is the most dangerous thing most people do every day
Folks raising awareness about these issues, or just yelling about them, are probably not interested in having a debate right then.
Cars also make an economic barrier, poor people who can’t afford a car can’t get a job far away, limiting their choices and opportunities.
Even if they find a good job, companies prefer people with a car, so it’s very likeky that they’re rejected.
Also, the expense of a car can decimate their income. I don’t know how some people made ends meet when gas prices spiked during the pandemic.
Have a look in the communities. Reading the community explains the community. Their main problem is that most cities are built and often rebuilt to only work with cars and then people use that to claim that other systems doesn’t work.
It is mostly serious. There is plenty of scientific evidence on how car centric infrastructure, city planning and policies have destroyed walkable cities and require an in proportion extreme amount of space and accommodations. Cars as a means of transportation are wholly inefficient, you could put several dozen daily commuters into a single bus, multiple times that in a single subway train.
The only space where cars are not short term replaceable to great improvement of the general habitability of the area is in rural regions where distances are huge, people are spread out widely and communal infrastructure is simply too inflexible to accommodate the needs of the citizens.
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When people say “fuck cars”, they usually mean “fuck car-centric infrastructure” (though some do really hate cars).
Having a diverse set of options focusing on walkability and public transportation doesn’t mean the elimination of cars. It just means that everyone isn’t forced to use a car to do just about anything. As a car-lover myself, I hate sitting on traffic. Makes the car I carefully chose to be just a glorified AC box. I hate sharing the road with 90 year old geriatrics, kids taking their parent’s car for a joyride, and bar-hopping drunk drivers. In a non-car centric neighborhood, they could all just walk/take public transpo to buy eggs, go to the arcade, or go home safely when they’re drunk.Trains and short range motor bikes or human powered bikes can definitely replace cars. The problem is the city needs to be designed for it. It can’t replace it in most places in the US because all infrastructure has been biased towards cars for more than 100 years. But if you imagine a city built from the ground up with trains and bikes in mind it is completely doable.
It’s going to take another century to undo the car centric society we have built in the US.
With what I’ve seen of the US, I can see why many people over there would unironically hate cars. Car-centric planning has all but ruined the walkability of most US cities to the point of making it almost obligatory to own a car.
Come over to Europe and you’ll be able to see the difference that planning has had clear as day.
Yeah, US cities with their broad, flattened and completely empty plains of undisturbed asphalt always have a dystopian touch in my eyes.
Yes, they’re serious. The problem isn’t that some cars exist, it’s car dependency. Car infrastructure is inefficient, expensive and takes up enormous amounts of space. It’s also ugly and loud. Cities built around cars get very spread out, so walking, cycling or public transport become inefficient or unsafe options. As a result, you have to drive, whether you want to or not. If you want to go literally anywhere, you have to get into your car and deal with traffic. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Cities built around walkability, cycling and public transport are not only more efficient, but also much more pleasant, even for those who still want to or have to drive. Good alternatives to cars are the only way to really improve traffic. The idea isn’t to just get rid of all cars but to make it so you don’t need one.
If you want to learn more about good urban planning, check out the excellent YouTube channel Not Just Bikes to get much better explanations of these concepts. I especially recommend the series about Strong Towns as an introduction.
No they’re real. Some people are just extremely passionate about disliking cars, mostly due to environmental impact vs the greener alternatives although there are likely other reasons too.
Personally, sitting in a seat with plenty of room and casually watching videos, browsing kbin, or eating some food is a strictly superior experience to the constant vigilance of city traffic while not being allowed to move from my place.
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Really interested in hearing OPs response to these explanations
Up until this moment, I was CERTAIN these were nsfw communities.
But yeah, fuck car centric infrastructures. People owning cars and driving cars… You can’t blame or hate the individuals who are just trying to survive. But you can absolutely hate how shitty the availability and maintenance of public transport often is (I hear it’s especially bad in the US?) and the car lobbying, which I hear is especially bad here in Germany. Profits are always prioritised, and the car industry is considered more profitable than providing good, affordable public transport.
The folks agreeing with you in that thread were much more toxic than the folks who offered legitimate rebuttals to your comment. Honest question, but what about any of those responses set you off?
Yes. They hate cars a lot and prefer bike riding.
