Road width is an issue because it inherently encourages fast, not uncommonly reckless, driving. There's a science to this which is implemented in places like the Netherlands, but it gets totally ignored by people who are excessively pro-car.

I'm sure that works well for a country the size of the Netherlands (33500km²). The 48 contiguous US states, on the other hand, comprise an area of 8 million km², and people need a way to travel and travel quickly. The alternative to accessible transportation (and affordable housing) is de facto segregation, and I was raised to believe that's a bad thing lol

How about both? Let’s fix street design AND throw all these people in prison.

HN draws in a large urban audience. A small, but vocal subset of urbanites absolutely hate car transportation and suburbia. It's a fast growing subculture with many adherents. They favor bike and rail transportation, "complete streets", and removal of surface parking lots.

The /r/fuckcars subreddit, for example, would absolutely turn this thread into an anti-car talking point.

I personally don’t hate cars, but I hate that we let them park anywhere for basically free. If we built more high-volume garages and then banned street parking in city cores, our sidewalk cafes and restaurant culture would improve dramatically. Remove parking, expand the sidewalks.

They do have a point though. It’s pretty hard to do donuts in a train!