Absolutely! We are all pedestrians
What I mean when I say #BanCars
by
James
I drafted this at my local Honda dealership, getting my car serviced. For someone with a #BanCars plastered on the back of their bike, owning a car might seem a bit hypocritical. But it’s not.
When people see the sticker, they assume I think we should ban all cars. But that’s not exactly what I want. Let me explain.
Outside of our homes is the public. The public is owned by all of us, from newborns to centenarians, people of all fitness and physical abilities. Cars take the public and privatize it.
Toddlers can’t walk around the public least they get run over...by a car. Riding your bike becomes difficult because you’re worried, not about the weather, but about getting hit by a 2-ton pickup truck, something that is only going to get worse with electric vehicles as they are heavier and quieter.
I don’t want to ban all cars. No, I want to reclaim the public for people as much as possible. Reduce the number of lanes dedicated for cars and increase the lanes dedicated for other modes of transport, like bikes. Make dedicated lanes for public transit. Remove free car storage from the sides of our roads. Reallocate the roads of our cities to be human centered, not car centered.
It’s not a ban. But it will feel like a ban to some people in the same way that some white people feel oppressed when there's racial equality.
This is what I mean when I say #BanCars, it just doesn't fit on a bumper sticker.
When people see the sticker, they assume I think we should ban all cars. But that’s not exactly what I want. Let me explain.
Outside of our homes is the public. The public is owned by all of us, from newborns to centenarians, people of all fitness and physical abilities. Cars take the public and privatize it.
Toddlers can’t walk around the public least they get run over...by a car. Riding your bike becomes difficult because you’re worried, not about the weather, but about getting hit by a 2-ton pickup truck, something that is only going to get worse with electric vehicles as they are heavier and quieter.
I don’t want to ban all cars. No, I want to reclaim the public for people as much as possible. Reduce the number of lanes dedicated for cars and increase the lanes dedicated for other modes of transport, like bikes. Make dedicated lanes for public transit. Remove free car storage from the sides of our roads. Reallocate the roads of our cities to be human centered, not car centered.
It’s not a ban. But it will feel like a ban to some people in the same way that some white people feel oppressed when there's racial equality.
This is what I mean when I say #BanCars, it just doesn't fit on a bumper sticker.
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Almost get hit by enough cars, bound to get emotional 🥲
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See, I almost agree with you but you are pitting one thing against another. There is emotion tied up in your statement which in the end will blind or limite your decisions/solutions. So close.
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Yeah. You can still get around by car, it’s just not given absolute priority over people like it is now. Raise crosswalks so cars are clearly guests in the environment and not vice-versa etc…
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Good piece! 👍
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“…reclaim the public for people.” I can almost get onboard with this. Almost. I want to rearrange cities to: - look nice - be pedestrian friendly in some parts - be effective at moving people from one place to another via various methods - allow people to get around by car
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💯
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