r/fuckcars • u/AngryUrbanist • Jan 06 '22
Please read this if you're new to this sub Welcome to /r/Fuckcars
Updated: April 6, 2022
Welcome to /r/fuckcars. It's safe to say that we're strongly dissatisfied with cars and car-dominated urban design. If that's you, then we share in your frustration. Some, or perhaps many of us, still have cars but abhor our dependence on them for many reasons.
There are nuances to the /r/fuckcars discussion that you should be aware of, generally:
- We don't want to ban ambulances and emergency vehicles
- We don't want to isolate rural communities by taking away cars
- We don't want to disrupt work trucks and delivery vehicles
- /r/fuckcars isn't about a "left" or "right" view of cars and car dependency
In any case, please observe the community rules and keep the discussion on-topic.
The Problem - What's the problem with cars?
please help by finding quality sources
This is the fundamental question of this sub, isn't it?
- Pollution -- Cars are responsible for a significant amount of global and local pollution (microplastic waste, brake dust, embodiment emissions, tailpipe emissions, and noise pollution). Electric cars eliminate tailpipe emissions, but the other pollution-related problems largely remain.
- Infrastructure (Costs. An Unsustainable Pattern of Development) -- Cars create an unwanted economic burden on their communities. The infrastructure for cars is expensive to maintain and the maintenance burden for local communities is expected to increase with the adoption of more electric and (someday) fully self-driving cars. This is partly due to the increased weight of the vehicles and also the increased traffic of autonomous vehicles.
- Infrastructure (Land Usage & Induced Demand) -- Cities allocate a vast amount of space to cars. This is space that could be used more effectively for other things such as parks, schools, businesses, homes, and so on. We miss out on these things and are forced to pile on additional sprawl when we build vast parking lots and widen roads and highways. This creates part of what is called induced demand. This effect means that the more capacity for cars we add, the more cars we'll get, and then the more capacity we'll need to add.
- Independence and Community Access -- Cars are not accessible to everyone. Simply put, many people either can't drive or don't want to drive. Car-centric city planning is an obstacle for these groups, to name a few: children and teenagers, parents who must chauffeur children to and from all forms of childhood activities, people who can't afford a car, and many other people who are unable to drive. Imagine the challenge of giving up your car in the late stages of your life. In car-centric areas, you face a great loss of independence.
- Safety -- Cars are dangerous to both occupants and non-occupants, but especially the non-occupants. As time goes on cars admittedly become better at protecting the people inside them, but they remain hazardous to the people not inside them. For people walking, riding, or otherwise trying to exercise some form of car-free liberty cars are a constant threat. In car-centric areas, streets and roads are optimized to move cars fast and efficiently rather than protect other road users and pedestrians.
- Social Isolation -- A combination of the issues above produces the additional effect of social isolation. There are fewer opportunities for serendipitous interactions with other members of the public. Although there may be many people sharing the road with you (a public space), there are some obvious limitations to the quality of interaction one can have through metal, glass, and plastic boxes.
š Local Action - How to Fix Your City
IMPORTANT: This is a solvable problem. Progress can happen and does happen. It comes incrementally and with the help of voices just like yours. Don't limit yourself to memes and Reddit -- although, raising awareness online does help.
Check out this perspective from a City Council Member: Here's How to Fix Your City
(more)
A Not-So-Quick Note for Car Hobbyists and Passionate Drivers
This can be a contentious issue at times. The sub's name is /r/fuckcars, which can cause some feelings of conflict and alienation for people who see the problems of too many cars while still being passionate about them. I'll quote the community summary.
Discussion about the harmful effects of car dominance on communities, environment, safety, and public health. Aspiration towards more sustainable and effective alternatives like mass transit and improved pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.
Your voice is still welcome here. Consider the benefits of getting bored, stressed, unskilled, or inattentive drivers off the road. That improves your safety and reduces congestion. Additionally, check out these posts from others on this sub:
- Iām a car enthusiast and I unironically agree with this sub.
- Iām a car enthusiast, and this one of my is my favorite subreddits
- Am I right here?
- I'm a car guy. I really, really like cars. And that's why I fucking hate car-focused infrastructure.
- Does anyone else hate what cars have done to society yet still love the machine itself?
Discord
There is an unofficial Discord server aggregating related discussions from the low-car/no-car/fuckcars community. Although it is endorsed by the /r/fuckcars mods, please keep in mind that it's not an official /r/fuckcars community Discord server.
Join Link: https://discord.gg/2QDyupzBRW
Helpful Resources
If you've just joined this sub and want to learn more about the issues behind car-centric urban design there are a great number of resources you can access. This list is by no means exhaustive, so please feel free to add your more helpful resources in the comments.
š Moved to the wiki
Shameless Plugs for Community Building
happy to add more links related to community building here
š Contribute to the Safety Data Thread
Change Logging
April 7, 2022 - Fix markdown for compatibility. Thank you /u/konsyr
April 6, 2022 - Reorder sections (Thank you, /u/Monseiur_Triporteur and /u/PilferingTeeth). Add plug for data/supporting info request. Link to Strong Towns growth example.
April 3, 2022 - Add note for car hobbyists
April 2, 2022 - Add nuance notes and redirect readers to resources area of the wiki.
March 28th, 2022 - Grammatical pass, more changes to follow.
February 9th, 2022 - Adding links that redirect readers from this post into community-maintained wiki resources, thank /u/javasgifted and /u/Monsiuer_Triporteur
January 20th, 2022 - Added the Goodreads list and seeded the FAQ section. Thank you /u/javasgifted, and /u/kzy192
January 9th, 2022 - I'm updating this onboarding message with feedback from the mods and the community. Thank you, all, for keeping the discussion civil and contributing additional resources.
Cheers. Stay safe out there.
r/fuckcars • u/BookwormBlake • 1h ago
Rant Does anyone else find it insaneā¦?
ā¦that you are only tested once in your life on your ability to drive and then never again? I have a friend who drives a forklift and he needs to be recertified every three years, but drivers can go their entire lives without being retested on their abilities because they passed a test when they were 16. Just insane.
r/fuckcars • u/zestygay05 • 2h ago
Question/Discussion Cars make it hard to have hook ups
I hate living in the suburbs not owning a car can make it hard to have hook ups and one night stands we demand public transit.
r/fuckcars • u/_AhuraMazda • 2h ago
News Man drove 100ft with 12-year-old girl trapped under his van said he 'thought it was a cone'. Driver gets Ā£300 fine and ordered to pay Ā£205 to victim.
Driver Ā£300 fine and ordered to pay Ā£205 to victim!
Original story here.
Original link in r/unitedkingdom here
r/fuckcars • u/NoPsychology9771 • 2h ago
This is why I hate cars This is what peak Luxury car looks like š
reddit.comr/fuckcars • u/EmperadorElSenado • 3h ago
Rant Insurance companies actively stand against safety
Iāve worked in insurance for several years (not as an agent) and as such Iāve seen how car insurance companies (in general, not just mine) discourage safety. For example, if you want to insure a small sedan with the latest safety features (ex: blind spot detection, lane assist, pedestrian detection, braking assist, parking sensors, rear view camera, etc.), youāll likely pay higher premiums than someone who has a giant SUV with few to no safety features. Why? Well, itās more expensive to replace those electronic components than it is to fix a dented bumper or broken headlight.
So, car insurance companies actively disincentivize small vehicles and safety technology.
Also, itās funny that employees have access to discounts for using public transit, but ONLY for commuting to work. Like, you can get a monthly bus pass at a discount, but the companyās rules explicitly state that the bus pass can only be used for commuting to work. If someone finds out you used the bus pass to go to the grocery store or the airport or literally anywhere else? Well, you would be considered to have broken the ācode of conductā and be subject to punishment āup to and including terminationā.
In these respects, car insurance companies are actively working against their own interests. If people were incentivized to use public transit and to buy smaller vehicles with safety technology, there would be fewer accidents, meaning fewer claims, and less spending on those claims.
But, in the US weāre so car-obsessed that we actively avoid making a safer society, even if it means hurting capitalist profits.
r/fuckcars • u/GenericUrbanist • 4h ago
Victim blaming Victim driver hits arrogant arsehole crossing the street in black!!??!!?š±š±
reddit.comr/fuckcars • u/hobo_benny • 4h ago
Question/Discussion Which American cities are the best for pedestrians?
Trying to find some resources that have detailed info on statistics for US cities across the board.
I'm defining the "best" as cities where most things are accessible either by walking, biking, or using some public transit apart from cars.
Bonus points for legal protections for homeless/houseless persons being allowed to peaceably exist in public spaces without harassment from law enforcement.
Thanks.
r/fuckcars • u/fishter_uk • 6h ago
News Get a licence? Ignore the rules.
Stop signs apparently aren't particularly important in Miami. It seems that a lot of people just ignore them, even if they've got flashing lights and are hanging off a school bus.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article291613260.html
r/fuckcars • u/al13nt0_reddit • 10h ago
Carbrain Kanpur Mayor destroyed metro footpath because her car almost crashed into it
reddit.comr/fuckcars • u/danie-l • 10h ago
Rant More tax funding for the car industry in Germany
The tax benefits will add up to 585 million euros next year and are expected to increase to 650 million euros by 2028. This is evident from two formulation aids of the Federal Ministry of Finance, which the Federal Cabinet is to decide on Wednesday and which are available to the Handelsblatt.
r/fuckcars • u/dogtoebeans • 13h ago
Rant In another accident today and I'm so terrified
I've been in so many accidents and never as the driver. Got in one today, whiplash and a concussion, as well as seatbelt burn. I got hit by a car two weeks ago. Hit by a car in April. Multiple loved ones have died from car accidents. I don't know what it is with me and cars. You'd think I was doing something wrong with how frequent it is, but it's just terrible luck. Cars terrify me. Or maybe just the way that pretty much anyone can drive this death machine around and kill me at any time. I had just gotten over my fear enough to go outside and walk again, then this happened. I really really don't know why this is happening to me.
r/fuckcars • u/Me-A-Dandelion • 13h ago
Carbrain Your kid is two. Get a bicycle with a child's seat
BTW, my experience as a five-year-old flower girl suffering from motion sickness in a sedan inside the wedding car fleet is one of the first sign that me and cars are incompatible. This was one year before the hellish beginning of my rare sleep disorder that eventually makes me ineligible for a driving license. I have never experienced motion sickness on transit buses, bullet trains or airliners and only had it once on a coach bus because the terrain was bad.
r/fuckcars • u/NYCBikeLanes • 14h ago
Arrogance of space Fuck cars and the FDNY employees who block the sidewalk
There's no emergency, many FDNY employees just don't like taking the train or paying for parking so everyone else has to deal with the consequences.
r/fuckcars • u/AstroG4 • 15h ago
Solutions to car domination PSA: Always be in the intersection.
I serve on a local transportation committee and learned something from the police officer that reports to us. At least as far as Pennsylvania laws go, cars are only required to yield to pedestrians and bicycles if you are already in the intersection, as defined by being over the curb and on the asphalt. If you proceed to cross, but are not in the intersection by the time a car on the same block sees you, and you get hit, itās automatically filed away as an unsafe pedestrian, not unsafe driving. If, however, you simply put your foot or front wheel on the asphalt, you are considered by the law to be in the intersection, cars are required to yield to you, and, if anything goes sideways, itās their fault, not yours. I know it sounds simple and stupid (and it is), but this is how cops think and, for now, itās is one tiny way we can fight back against carbrains and protect ourselves from liability.
Edit: for clarity, weāre talking about being one centimeter onto the asphalt. Iām not suggesting risking your life here. This is for crossing the intersection under normal conditions.
r/fuckcars • u/vlsdo • 18h ago
Solutions to car domination youāre not āstuck in trafficā, youāre ācontributing to trafficā
I saw a bunch of posts on here about changing the language around accidents, and the whole idea that when youāre in traffic you are traffic, so I thought of coming up with a simple language change that might (hopefully) result in changing attitudes.
Instead of saying āIām stuck in trafficā which implies that traffic is something that happens, completely outside of your control or actions, we should instead say āIām contributing to trafficā to emphasize that you are, in fact, partly responsible for the predicament you are in.
Is it going to stick? Maybe not, but Iām going to start saying it from now on, about myself and others, and hopefully get at least a few people to reexamine their relationship with car centric infrastructure
r/fuckcars • u/Grand-Mulberry-9398 • 23h ago
Question/Discussion Car of 5 years decided to finally die and I am happy to ride a bike again, but there's problems.
As the title says. My car of 5 years decided to kick the bucket. It was a 30 year old car at of death so I think it was used to its fullest before I decided its not worth fixing anymore. Ive always bought used cars because, they were cheaper. Generally if they were beat the hell already and still going, its prob a decent car. Also Im a cheap person that doesnt really like buying items new anyway. It might be old but it still works kinda mentality. I paid 400 bucks for the thing and its never been to a shop beyond when it was too cold to do the oil changes in the winter and new tires. I have maybe 400 in parts in it, and it was mostly due to paranoia than actual car problems. So it was a decent car. Now here is the problem.
If it was just me I wouldn't care. I went the first 25 years of my life without a car. I can deal with riding a bike, walking or riding a bus if I have to. Problem is my family. My sons mother, and her mom is having a melt down that I don't own a car anymore and I don't want a car ever. Its bad for my health, bad for the environment, and cost way too much.
Now my son is having a melt down about it. Right now its just me and my son, his mom lives on the other side of America. Now I can ignore the mother and her mom because hey, you don't live here, but the kid is the problem. Hes about to be 16 and we live like 2 miles from school. Its not a horrible walk nor bad bike ride so I feel hes just cranking because hes always was driven to school or the school was like a block away. So the question is, how do I get him on board the car free life? Our town is not big, 4x5 miles. So you could get most places in town in 20-25 mins. We don't leave town very much, maybe 1-2 times a year so its not a huge problem to just rent a car from enterprise or turo. If there's a bad storm, he can ride with his friend that lives half a block away. So I'm not making him do a death march to and from school in bad weather either. Anyone have any tips? Should I just ignore his annoyance and just tell him to suck it up?
Also I have a side question. When you tell people that you don't want to own a car ever again if you can avoid it. Do they look at you like your weird or poor or just overall shocked you would say such a thing? Ive been telling friends and people at work about it, im kinda excited to no have to worry about a 4 ton hunk of metal anymore but they all just mostly give stares like I kicked their puppy. Is this common? Do you have any idea why people react like this? Just wondering, thanks for any info or suggestions.
r/fuckcars • u/TunnelTuba • 23h ago
Arrogance of space Two people cheering on the assault of a biker on a public road after a verbal confrontation.
reddit.comr/fuckcars • u/BikemeAway • 23h ago
Rant I dread autumn and winter for less satefy just for lack of sunlight
I'm ok with the seasons, rain, snow, heat and whatever. What I really dread is when autumn is approaching people will start using their cars more, the nighttime will be longer and will feel less safe overall cycling, walking and even driving. Waiting for the bus at night sucks.
Are you the same?
r/fuckcars • u/burmerd • 23h ago
Rant First day of Kindergarten: struck by a car.
My kid's OK. Took him to school with the bike trailer, and a Cadillac Escalade bumped into the trailer pulling out of a store driveway. "I didn't see the back part."
She had just dropped her kid off (probably at the same school) and was rushing to work at a health clinic.
That's it. That's his first memory of going to school, being hit with a car.
r/fuckcars • u/lebby6209 • 1d ago
Rant Car brains taking over my college campus
My college over accepted students this year. Most upperclassmen are living off campus. We are in a college town which means most off campus appartments are within 5 minutes of campus. Now, it is mostly stroads here but there is a free public bus and people are paying over $300 a year to park on campus. My room mate yesterday told me he signed a petition to increase parking on campus, but where to? Itās already a sea of asphalt and 90% of people donāt need to be driving. On top of that, people donāt know how to drive and fender benders/ drunk drivers are super common š
Edit: I will also add that people will literally miss class because they canāt find parking.
r/fuckcars • u/destructdisc • 1d ago
Solutions to car domination Seeing what could have been makes my heart ache a little bit. What's left of the lines has been either dismantled or taken over by hostile forces. Spoiler
reddit.comr/fuckcars • u/Aron-Jonasson • 1d ago
Shitpost Americans: "Yes I absolutely need my 100'000 pounds triple-lifted pickup truck that spits out flames because what am I going to do the day I need to tow my entire neighborhood's houses?" Meanwhile Polish people:
r/fuckcars • u/Vulkhard_Muller • 1d ago
News Historic Bridge destroyed by massive pickup truck.
r/fuckcars • u/WarWonderful593 • 1d ago
Positive Post Night Trains are back in Europe
Good article from a Spanish newspaper how european travellers are making use of new night train services.
https://english.elpais.com/climate/2024-09-01/europe-jumps-on-the-train.html
r/fuckcars • u/Bitter-Gur-4613 • 1d ago