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Taras Grescoe 🚇

"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."
—Eduardo Galeano, Upside Down

8 comments
Taras Grescoe 🚇

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:

straphanger.substack.com/p/mot

Kudra :maybe_verified:

@straphanger I have always gravitated toward car-free spaces and life, got my car license much later than most, and only began driving regularly once I had a child and began living somewhere not accessible by public transport. I have never driven a car to commute on a daily basis and never plan to. My favourite places to holiday are walking only, especially festivals and tropical islands.

But I admit to loving the freedom to travel. I hope we manage to turn the corner with carbon emissions, and still allow travel, as it has always been one of my great joys. I have ridden #ebikes for over 15 years, and now have an #EV, and yet hope we continue to transition away from cars as our primary transport. I would love some kind of modular system that would allow us to travel using some kind of PT mix, but carry more stuff with us. I have an EV minivan because it's so damn useful, and I can combine trips rather than always need things delivered - and that problem isn't going away, it's not just about moving people: it's also about moving stuff.

@straphanger I have always gravitated toward car-free spaces and life, got my car license much later than most, and only began driving regularly once I had a child and began living somewhere not accessible by public transport. I have never driven a car to commute on a daily basis and never plan to. My favourite places to holiday are walking only, especially festivals and tropical islands.

John Gordon ⚡️

@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.

Kudra :maybe_verified:

@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.

Max

@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.

John Gordon ⚡️

@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.

DELETED

@straphanger is that why they call car drivers "cagers"

vfranken

@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.

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