this post was submitted on 24 May 2025
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I would go further. Most cars don't belong in places where people live. They injure and kill people on the regular, the noise pollution causes mental and physical health problems, the light pollution disrupts sleep, the particulate pollution causes cardiovascular disease and dementia, as well as damaging ecosystems, driving adds to obesity and issues related to a sedentary lifestyle, the physical space they take leads to sprawl and ecosystem destruction, and the sprawl also bankrupts cities and towns. As well, driving in traffic just plain sucks as an activity, and makes people angry and miserable.
Oh yeah. Cars are bad on like every metric.
Socially they isolate people. You don't interact with anyone when you're driving except to get angry. The micro interactions you have on the train matter. Seeing people that aren't just like you, also annoyed that the train is delayed, or just having a nice time with their kids, matters. More than makes up for when other people are annoying.
Economically they hurt. It's much harder to just pop into an interesting looking shop when you're cruising along at 40mph. All the space dedicated to parking could be used for other stuff- housing, commerce, communal space, whatever.
They make spaces less safe. Other than the direct impact (no pun intended) of people getting hit by cars, or crashing into stuff, a space that has steady foot traffic is generally safer. If everyone was in their car instead, you'd probably be alone on foot with no one to help if something happened.
They're bad for the environment. Air pollution, micro plastics, whatever.
Drunk driving is way more dangerous than drunk "riding the train".
The more non-car options are built out, the better it will be for people who need to drive for whatever reason.
Cars culture is trash and if we ever escape from it, it's going to take years.
Going to disagree with your second point. In the UK at least, there's a lot of friendly "no, after you" type activity. If the road narrows due to an overhead railway bridge or parked cars etc. generally speaking one or both will pull over, flash their lights to signal the other one can go first, and get a friendly wave of thanks when they pass. Letting people in at junctions isn't uncommon either, though tends to be more the exception than the rule.
There is anger too of course, but usually only aimed at people who aren't following the rules of the road, have done something stupid/dangerous, or are hesitating for far too long.