Am I the only one here who doesn’t cares about cars? I prefer the train, the bike or my feet over the car any time. And where I live you can discover every corner of the country with the public transport.
My only problem is that I’m a bit more limited when it comes to traveling in other countries. So far I didn’t have any problems at all. But I can’t just go drive all the way through Scandinavia for example. Well, actually I did. It just involved a bit more planning and it might have been a bit more expensive. But even that could be reduced if one is better at traveling than I am.
21 replies on “Who cares about cars?”
I am currently “between cars.” After a city street sweeper swiped the driver’s side if my car and totaled it in October of 2919, I had a rental for a while and then no car at all to date. I don’t miss it.
To get around my city (Allentown, Pennsylvania) I mostly use buses or my bicycle. If I have to get somewhere more quickly, I call for an Uber. If I need to go to several places in a day, if I need to transport something large, or if I need to drive long distances, I rent.
I haven’t found not having a car to be a problem.
Like the others said. You can do a lot of useful things with a car. But with the population density the alternatives increase. In a densely populated area a car still has the feeling of owning your own car. But if you don’t value that feeling then the alternatives can be just as useful and cheaper at the same time.
Many good responses here, but one of the added benefits of personal car ownership is in the form of a pickup truck. It’s a tool used for many tasks that a self-reliant individual will perform — specifically hauling, pulling and tractoring. It is a multipurpose vehicle that many of us cannot live without.
No bus or train will suffice.
In case you haven’t noticed yet I wrote that blog to provoke my new American friends a bit. And it worked.
I do actually look at a car as just another tool. And since I live in a place which can’t be called countryside I don’t actually need a pickup truck. The only time where one would have been useful was when I moved out from my parents. There a bit of a larger car helps with moving. But I managed just fine without one. If I were to live on a farm then I do completely agree with you that a pickup truck is useful.
Yup. Got it. I was just contributing to the thread cuz it’s fun.
Until the government puts checkpoints on roads (I wouldn’t put anything past them at this point), cars provide unencumbered freedom of movement. At this time, no one is demanding that you put a mask on or get a useless PCR test prior to you getting in your own car. This is not so for airplanes or trains (probably not for ships either).
Excellent observation. This is likely the biggest motivator for leftist tyrants to prefer mass transit over private transportation. If you don’t have a high enough social score, then you cannot travel — thinking about China.
It is always amusing to me when I see people driving in their car alone and having a mask on. Yes, trains have a mask mandate. I look at this like I do with other social settings. I enter the home of someone and therefor I follow the rules of the home owner. And this is just as much true to the home of my friend as it is to the “home” of a company. That’s why I put on the mask in a store and in a train. Our train companies do have a general mask mandate on their property. Since almost everything is indoors I don’t mind. There are only two places where I do think it is nonsensical. On the railway station if it is not indoors (and there are few people around) and on ships with an open deck. They could have made exceptions for those two, but at least they are consistent. I prefer one stupid rule which is enforced equally and with leniency over one which is not possible to enforce and they still do punish some people, while ignoring other cases.
And I see your worry with people not being allowed to travel by public transport. Since I live in a country where that isn’t a risk I didn’t think of it. But now that you mention it I agree that travel by car is (currently) not tracked.
I’m a backpacker and bushcrafter, so I love to walk. However, for main transportation, I would chose a car over public transit just because I like having options. My car is a mobile office, dry shelter for sleeping, lockable storage, and it runs on nobody’s schedule but mine
I only do hiking and things like this a few times a year. And it isn’t to the level of backpacker and bushcrafter. It is still in reach of the European civilization. But I can totally see how a car can help being flexible when someone goes close to and beyond the borders of civilization. I’m just a bit too spoiled for going full out with exploring the nature. A big part for that is is the way my parents raised me. But it is also not that helpful when you live in a country so small that you are always on someone’s property. That is the bad side of a country where almost every valley is accessible. The more people there are, the more rules are necessary that the resources are still usable.
I understand your position. I used to live in Portland, Oregon and they had a great mass-transit system of buses and trains. I had a car, but only used it for trips or going to places the transit system didn’t go.
I am convinced you would change your mind about cars if you were to, say, drive a Corvette on the Autobahn or Autostrata, melting into the butter soft leather seat, stereo on blast with your fav music, and feeling the power of the engine as you red line your KPH and RPM.
Ah! Sometimes it’s not even about getting somewhere. It’s about the experience. 🙂
Possibly. But I assume it would be like in other similar cases. It is fun for the first one or two times and then it gets boring. It is way more fun to go hiking or canoeing than to sit in some car and feel the acceleration. And if I like to melt into the butter soft leather seat I also have a good alternative. It is called bed.
My point is, you have to “assume” because you’ve not experienced it. You have experienced hiking, canoeing, and your bed.
To each his own. Not everyone has an interest in such things.
I like to hike too, but how I get to my hiking spot could be invigorating as well. 🙂
You are right in that I have to assume if I like driving cars or not. But what I don’t have to assume is that I don’t like traffic. I also don’t like searching for a parking space. I also know that I’m not as adapt in steering motorized objects as my peers. I also know that driving for the sake of driving is not what I like. For example I like hiking over biking. I like cross-country skiing over downhill skiing (I mention that because you said the acceleration is something enjoyable). I don’t like the feeling of freefall (which is a exaggerated form of acceleration). I think racing games are boring.
Sometimes you don’t have to experience something to make an good guess if you could find it enjoyable.
But I accept that a car is useful in certain situations. Just like a forklift is. But I don’t need to have a forklift license until I actually need a forklift. I feel exactly the same for the car.
“Am I the only one here who doesn’t cares about cars?”
Yes. Yes you are. Well, I’m kidding a little. A lot of it reflects where you live. In Europe, there is a much better infrastructure for public transportation; and there is much less land, so much shorter distances between destinations. And petrol is horrifically expensive, and driving is actively de-incentivized by European governments, which control and support mass transit.
America is big. Really, really big. Railways got you from one coast to the other, and among largish cities, but until the automobile got a foothold, Americans couldn’t really go anywhere. Unlike anywhere else in the world, really, America is uniquely suited to the automobile over any form of mass-transit, once you leave the urban areas. There just isn’t a way to make any other point-to-point method feasible with the distances involved. That’s why Americans have their ‘love affair’ with the car.
Scandinavia is also suited for cars. They have some public transport, especially around the more populated areas, but the rest is not that great.
I would say that trains and busses to a certain extent only really work in certain environments and cultures. I don’t think it is surprising that both Switzerland and Japan are at the top when it comes to trains. It’s partially because of the culture, partially because of the geology and partially because they can afford it.
I’m in a suburban area where it’s also not practical. I do see a future where there is a lot more (autonomous) ride-sharing with single-car homes though! That’s not too far down the line…
In Switzerland around half the people use public transport and half go by car. At least when it comes to work (this is a personal guess and not based on statistics). But the majority still own a car or are at least capable of driving. But a growing number of people just don’t learn to drive a car anymore.
We do have a car sharing company called mobility. They basically have certain parking spaces with cars and you can just rent them for however long you need them. And they have a decent number of customers. I don’t know their spread in other countries, but from what I’ve heard they are in all the cities and major villages within Switzerland. And if you provide a good service then people will use it.
Perhaps I do wait long enough until the cars are self driving. I would still choose a train over a car though.
Texas here. The nearest grocery store is 20 miles away. The nearest city is 30-40, and that’s where the nearest train station is. Thus, I have a car and would be unable to do jack without it. As for cross country, I say it’s a product of our history, like our love of guns, mostly stemming from self-reliance. Many of us would rather deal with the extra hassle that a car or truck might bring to simply be unbound by schedules and passenger limits.
And then some of us just wanna drive fast. Simple as that.
It was more of a tease. I’m fully aware that public transport is not realistic everywhere. I would also learn to drive a car as soon as I need it. But since I don’t need it I don’t learn it. I have about as much enthusiasm for a car as I have for a forklift.
I know, it’s all good. It’s just a matter of personal freedom here. My wife is from Poland and it was much the same as the rest of Europe there, we mostly used buses to get around the city. But I wouldn’t trade my car in for a transit bus for nothing, even if it might be harder to find a parking place in downtown. xD