The neatest trick motordom pulled off was convincing people—mostly in developed economies—that widespread car ownership was a triumph for the "working people" of the world.
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The neatest trick motordom pulled off was convincing people—mostly in developed economies—that widespread car ownership was a triumph for the "working people" of the world. 12 comments
"Cars promise people freedom—highways aren't called 'freeways' for nothing—yet they act like traveling cages...the human workday continues to lengthen year after year and so does the time required to get to work...You live in your car, and it won't let you go." How did things get so crazy? I dig deeper into what some experts call "Motonormativity" in my weekly #Straphanger dispatches. You can sign up for more here: @kudra @straphanger I haven't driven a car to work for a very long time. I took ferries, trains, buses and my scooters for years and it worked well. Now I work from home. Yet, I have kids and they sure have stuff, and places they need to be with that stuff. I don't know how to get to a softball field 60 miles from home, at 7am on a Sunday morning, with all the gear needed to play without using a car. @Bluedonkey @straphanger yep, that unfortunately seems to only have the solution of car, or don't do it at all... and here's where we have a genuine use case for EVs. @Bluedonkey @kudra @straphanger I use my car very infrequently, either for shopping or kid activities as mentioned. I keep wondering if a communal set of cars would work for a neighbourhood, with essentially a low monthly fee for all and a management service, but I always imagine I'm an outlier in car use. @PossiblyMax @kudra @straphanger We have something like that here, called Get In & Go (GIG) cars. They’re essentially by the hour rentals, but you just find one using their app. They can be left parked on most of the streets here & in some car parks. Might be better if they had fixed pick up/drop off locations - there isn’t always one that close - or were for a smaller community perhaps (GIG are city-wide). They seem to be used a lot - see them driving around all the time. @straphanger I got the chance to start working at 5 minutes walking distance from home about a year ago. I have never been so happy with a job and full of energy when ariving home. Would never again get in a car for commuting if it is up to me. @straphanger There used to be a term "Car poor" for people who show off in an impressive car but can't afford fun. Is that just everybody now? |
"The road has been degraded from a commons to a simple resource for the circulation of vehicles."
-Ivan Illich on Mexico City. #CDMX