If we want a shift to walking we need to prioritize dignity

Re:If we want a shift to walking we need to prioritize dignity by xyzelement on Saturday July 29, 2023 @08:10PM (#36926249)

I didn't have a car between college and my late 30s. I thought I was a pro-walking chauvinist but turns out I was just a single guy living in NYC. Within a year of our first kid, I was living in the burbs with a large SUV.

Anti car people tend to be single or at least childless and they fail to understand that the majority of Americans aren't like them. About 40 percent of households have kids under 18, ie 60-80% of American adults have kids of the age where having a car is immensely helpful. So while these people also recognize that it's annoying to press the button to turn the light green or to walk around a parked car, those are nowhere near the top of their life's concerns.

So I think the "we want" is a bit presumptuous in the headline. The guy who wrote the article is a city councilor and an avid biker but what he doesn't seem to be is a parent, so his concerns are skewed a certain way vs the mass of the population.

Like I said, I get the love of walking and walkable spaces, but I see now that this is way more interesting when you are single. As a parent you also get excited about things like tossing all your groceries into the trunk.

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Re:If we want a shift to walking we need to prioritize dignity by Kuinox on Saturday July 29, 2023 @08:15PM (#36926286)

That's because you live in a car centric place. In a well designed city, a car is optional. I recommend watching Not Just Bikes videos on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/@NotJustBikes/videos

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Re:If we want a shift to walking we need to prioritize dignity by xyzelement on Saturday July 29, 2023 @08:25PM (#36926354)

You might have missed or forgot the start of my post where I told you I lived in NYC (an immensely walkable city) without a car for 20+ years.

And that I gave it up quickly and gladly for a more car-based life once kids came.

The whole point of my post is a shift in perspective. Just curious, how many kids do you have?

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Re:If we want a shift to walking we need to prioritize dignity by Kuinox on Saturday July 29, 2023 @08:44PM (#36926485)

I did not missed it, but you describing it as a walkable city was funny. I don't have kids, but you also watched 0 video of the person I sent. They do have kids. Also, lots of inhabitants of Paris, Amsterdam have kids, yet a lot simply don't have a car.

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Re:If we want a shift to walking we need to prioritize dignity by xyzelement on Saturday July 29, 2023 @08:49PM (#36926515)

Sure. I grew up in eastern Europe and most people didn't have a car - because they couldn't afford it.

The few lucky ones that had one used it all the time. I can totally imagine having a kid in NYC or Paris or whatever without a car it's just a pain in the ass.

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Re:If we want a shift to walking we need to prioritize dignity by Kuinox on Saturday July 29, 2023 @09:02PM (#36926582)

An appartement in Paris for a family is at least a millions dollar, you are telling me they can't afford a car? No, moving in car is simply inconvenient here. You can walk or take the public transit to get where you want, it's just faster. Lots of parisians have a car, often in a parking spot far from their home, and rarely uses it. Someone commuting to Paris with a car instead of public transit is seen as someone mad loosing their time in bad transit. Again, watch the videos of the person I sent, you prone bringing a new point of view while it's the same carbrain arguments that is unable to even imagine an alternative, that already exists.

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Re:If we want a shift to walking we need to prioritize dignity by xyzelement on Saturday July 29, 2023 @10:37PM (#36927259)

Again I don't understand your point. Obviously it's possible to live in a city without a car and with kids and some percentage of people will chose to do that for a variety of reasons. Nobody is disputing that.

Both US and other counties have cities where you can live without a car and some people do that. If that's all you are claiming then sure I agree.

My point is simply that the likelihood of someone wanting/needing a car goes up as they have kids. Are you telling me that the likelihood of a Parisian family moving out of the city and/or getting a car doesn't statistically increase with every incremental child? I'd find that hard to believe.

I would also bet that there are very few Parisian families having 3+ kids while it's more likely outside of the city, same as in the US.

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Re:If we want a shift to walking we need to prioritize dignity by Kuinox on Sunday July 30, 2023 @06:06AM (#36929608)

> Again I don't understand your point

I linked a YouTube channel. Watch one of his videos. He explain it very well.

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Re:If we want a shift to walking we need to prioritize dignity by mlrtime on Sunday July 30, 2023 @07:36AM (#36930116)

I'm 100% with OP. Also lived in NYC for 10 years without a car. I had everything I needed within a 10 minute walk including my commute to work. Have you ever seen a family struggle to get two strollers down to a subway?

After having kids , a single family house and a car is 100% better.

After reading most of the replies in this thread I'm guessing it is mostly filled with younger people without kids... notice I'm saying mostly, not all.

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Re:If we want a shift to walking we need to prioritize dignity by Kuinox on Sunday July 30, 2023 @08:01AM (#36930300)

It would be nice, that you watched the content I linked with my reply, before replying. Both OP and you didn't.

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