stop driving

We should really be investing more in public transit, it's way better than electric cars and could be way more convenient if implemented properly

It all starts with fixing the zoning code. Cars will always be "more convenient" if we keep destroying our cities to make space catering to them.
Design a city around electric wheelchairs and you’ll have a system accessible to everyone.
- Conveyor belts everywhere ♥️ no need for electric wheelchairs.
- What about people with a fear of wheelchairs?
  Checkmate atheists!
- Dunno of you're being sardonic, but that would actually be smart.
Go start a public transport company. If you're right the market will reward you :)
- That's not really how that works.
  When it comes to public transportation, they rarely pull a profit on their own. What they do is drive the economy in the places they go, make a city more accessible to everyone (further driving the economy), and cut costs for the city in other places. They're a loss leader to save money and improve quality of life in a multitude of other areas by huge margins.
- Market forces don't work for every industry. Car transportation included, think how roads exist.
- Im just gonna ignore the overall stupidity of going "The market will solve it" and instead point out the fact that a public transit company would almost definitionally be under the umbrella of the government. Private transit company is the term youre looking for.

Okay done. Now that I have eliminated this here my contribution to CO2 emissions, what do we do about the 100 companies that cause 70% of global CO2 emissions? Or is that no longer an issue once my car is taken out of circulation?

Transportation is a quarter of global emissions, with passenger vehicles making up half of that number and is only getting larger as more people in the world decide they need a car.
The number you're looking for is 20 companies making up 30% of emissions. They're almost exclusively oil companies, with more than half of them being state owned enterprises. Reduce the need for oil and you reduce the amount they pollute.
So, how do you do that?
Personal vehicles are the most flexible in terms of emissions. Increasing the usability of public transportation has a direct correlation with the number of vehicles on the road. Sure, people out in the middle of nowhere need a vehicle and nobody is looking to take that from them, but you could HALF the number of people in the US with a car if cities had proper public transport or were as walkable as they were barely 80 years ago.
The private sector is more difficult. We'd need to rebuild our train infrastructure that has been gutted and raided by our rail companies in order to get trucks off the interstate. Coincidentally, that would get MORE people off the road since you wouldn't need a car to go between cities.
Additionally, you seem to be under the impression that we're incapable of solving multiple problems at the same time. We can make cars unnecessarily (not GET RID of them) while also cutting emissions in other areas.
Make no mistake, we do need to address other areas, but cars are an easy target that would reduce tons of emissions and increase people's quality of life as well. Cars are a massive waste of space and a huge ongoing drain on taxpayer dollars for very little benefit when you compare it to the alternatives.
- I am not saying that we are incapable of solving multiple problems at once, I am saying that we are incapable of solving the main problem.
  I was not joking when I said that my car is not a factor. My individual part in this regard is done. But the point remains that by considering the main sources of pollution too "inflexible" to tackle, it seems that we are debating about which colour to best repaint a sinking ship here while being utterly, completely powerless to address the big hole in the hull.
  So in conclusion, I'll now pat myself on the back for having done my part while sailing this doomed (but [for some at least] highly profitable) planet to hell in a handbasket.
While we're in cycles, the elites are riding in their luxurious car, and flying in their private jets producing all the emissions the world needs.
Yet! We have to deprive ourselves from vehicles, and they be enjoying life.
- Private aviation is basically nothing in terms of emissions. Is pretty gross though.
I mean.. they're making things for us generally. I don't think they're emitting recreationally. Look at a pie chart of total emissions and figure what you could cut to hit 50%. Do away with all transportation.. Boats planes etc and you're not even close.
- If the average person cut out 100% of their carbon emissions for the rest on their life, they'd save, on average, the amount of CO2 that industry creates in ~1 second. Our personal emissions are but a drop in the ocean in the grand scheme. Change is best brought about by voting both metaphocally with our wallets and literally with our ballot papers.
But now you can ride around on your high horse and look at all the scum ruining our planet with their cars.
We are never gonna have a chance against climate change if we try to plead to the individual to live a "greener" life.
- Well, we are also never gonna have a chance against climate change if the individual didn't help.
  Both need to put in effort.
Which companies are those? Coca Cola, who make your drinks that you drink? Ford, who make the car you drive? One of the oil companies who fuels your car? A company that makes the clothes you wear?
It all comes down to consumers in the end - we are the end point of the chain and these mythical 100 companies exist for us. Stop ducking the issue.
- You're both right. We need massive systemic change, but that's not an excuse to not do what you can in your own life. It's really easy to get disillusioned (hell, I am half the time) but defeatism gets us nowhere.
- sort of, but also not. Sure, those companies are funded by us, but they lobby governments and shit so we NEED to buy their stuff. I wouldn't think GM would be such a big company if they didn't get rid of all the streetcars for example
Now stop consuming animals.

The problem is that citys are built around cars.

The first question is not how people can reach shops by foot, or with public transit. The first step is always to build streets to stuff and later figure out if you can might fit in a bus route, or maybe a cycling lane.

In the USA at least. In Europe it's everything but perfect, of course, but at least we have some public transport in cities and between them.
But yeah, the bike paths here in Austria are just getting bigger since some years again - and every cm seems to be a hard fight...
Cities were not built around cars, they were bulldozed for the car.
Cities were built to be walkable, and had trams for everything else. Then we invented the car and General Motors essentially took america by the balls and forced everyone in americs to become dependant on the car
- And Goodyear.
  Fuck that blimp.
- You're whining about something that happened decades before any of us were even born.
  US cities are built around cars now and that is the only life most Americans have known their entire lives. You have to fix that problem first to get what you want.
The problem is that destinations are spread too far apart for walking, viable transit, etc. because the zoning code forces developers to build low density and massive amounts of parking.

I can spend 17 minutes driving to work, or 1.5 hours catching buses. Easy choice for me.

Right, that's why we need to stop subsidizing streets and roads, make users pay the cost of them, and put the tax money toward transit. It's really impossible to ask anybody but the most devoted to make extremely inconvenient choices. Certainly, there are some lunatics who'd drive a car even if it took 1.5 hours, but most people would choose the 17 minute bus.
Cheaper, sustainable, safer, better for mental health, better for non-drivers (children, elderly, disabled). It just makes sense.
- I really underestimated the effect on my mental health. My commute takes double the time now but that's alright because since switching to public transit, I'm getting to work and back home much calmer.
- You are right, if a bus ride was 17 or even 30 minutes to work I would take the bus. But in my area a bus ride is 2 hours one way.
I also had a commute of about 17min with car. The same route with an electric bike takes me 35min. I'm not out of breath with it and I still have some exercise. I still take my car when it rains.
Alot of people forget that just becuase a bus commute works for them doesn't mean it works for everyone.
Alot of people have a legitimate reason for owning a car, and if we want then to use public transit then we need public transit to fit their needs in travelling.
"The only factor I care about is my own personal convenience. Nothing else will influence my choices that affect others." That's you.
- Literally no one is going to quadruple their commute as a good deed. Right or wrong.
  People are struggling for free time from capitalistic slavery as it is.
But if there was more demand for public transport, don't you think they would increase the supply?
And if there are more bus lines, you would only need like 30 minutes instead to get to work.

You don't have to replace your commute, if its not feasable. But you could try replacing other smaller trips with a bike if you can. Like trips to the grocery store or doctors appointment.
Truthfully if the infrastructure to do these things doesn't exist for you, then don't endanger yourself.
- I'm trying to figure out how to fit a month's worth of groceries onto a bike? Or even a week's worth?
40 minutes is a long ride, true. Maybe buy a foldable bike or a bike rack for your car, park your car outside of the city and reduce car traffic by riding from there to your workplace by bike? It sure would make this city a better place.
- park your car outside of the city
  I like this kind of scheme, it should be promoted more maybe if it's not being pushed much
I used to do a 40 minute bike commute twice a day. Once it becomes part of your routine those 40 minutes are easy to conquer. Now I do the same distance by speed pedelec in 25 minutes. I'm faster at work now than when I used to go by car.
If you can't make the trip safe though, than you shouldn't. But you can, like me, start out on nice days and incorporate into your days as a workout just to try an see.
You're allowed to drive if there's no other infrastructure connecting point A to point B. This post is dumb because it lacks nuance. There are some cases where driving makes sense. If you live in a city where other options are safe and reliable, you should use those instead. And if you live in a city where there should be safe and reliable options but there aren't, well that's what you should be really upset about.
Nobody is trying to get rid of cars for those in rural areas, as that's unfeasible. The ONLY place people genuinely care about cars existing is in cities where they can be built and changed to be walkable. I shouldn't NEED a car to get to a grocery store. I shouldn't NEED a car to get to work. I should NEED a car to get to anything fun to do. This is a feasible goal.
It's about choice. I have no choice but to have a car. I don't want a car. I am forced to have a car because the alternative is... There is no alternative, right now.
It's about the freedom to have the choice to not drive.
Doesn't you rural area come with horses or donkeys?
"How am I supposed to maintain all my privilege and continue a lifestyle that emulates a landed aristocrat?" Fucking move to the city like the rest of us exploited working class assholes. If you can't afford to live in the country without externalizing the expenses on other people, then you can't fucking accord to live in the country. Suck it up.
By forcing your elected officials to work on a public traffic infrastructure that could get you to the city in 30 minutes.

Sure, I'll just take the...

Oh wait, I'm in the US and they would have rather destroyed the planet than set up public transport

Oh wait again...

They're just trying to get to work, what is this attempting to accomplish

Lmfao, this is a completely nondisruptive protest, it literally does nothing to stop people from getting to work.
In the UK, we've been having protests which actively disrupt traffic, which gets people going "why can't they protest in ways that affect oil refineries/politicians etc" except people were doing that prior with no media coverage, and since having gained media coverage and then doing that, they get criticised for protests targeting politicians...
What this goes to show is that disruptive protesting will get media coverage, and that many people will pay lip service but will inherently lose their shit over people protesting if it even has the slightest chance of disrupting someone's day.
Making people aware that many child deaths are preventable for example. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for kids 4-15 years old.
- Okay so... they still need to get to work. Are you missing that essential point.

The comments on this post are such a joke. The name of the community is literally 'fuck cars' and people are getting bent out of shape because we're posting about our dislike of cars.

I like cars. They're comfortable and convenient.
- I like trains. They're comfortable and convenient.
- You can like cars, go ahead. What I don't like is that I'm forced to have one to complete each and every task outside of my house. I am forced to have and use a car for everything. I WANT to take a quick walk to a shop for milk, not take a 15 minute drive to a big box store, a seven minute walk across its ridiculous parking lot, then do it all again in reverse. Why am I forced to have a car each and every day without fail in order to survive?
- If you like cars so much you won't mind paying for it instead of forcing the rest of the country to subsidize 50% of your little hobby.
- i like turtles

Question. How did they move that sign there?

Yeah this'll convince people! /s

What purpose does this serve other than alienating the people you're trying to get on your side?

You have to have the alternatives in place before you can convince people to make a change.

Buses already take hours vs. minutes and any road construction that closes stops & routes down adds time and distance to an already long commute.

If you want people to choose your option, you have to make it an option worth choosing.

It's more like a chicken or egg problem. No alternative without masses knowing about the problem. It took me 25 years to see what we sacrifice for cars. Maybe this flashy billboard approach helps to shorten that time for someone else.

Cars raped my father!

In case anyone wants to correct a corrupted sign that the department of transportation hasn't gotten around to: https://www.safetysign.us/my_weblog/2011/07/instructions-on-how-to-hack-electronic-road-signs.html

This is a hack of matrix boards like these that I can 100% get behind.

you can't stop driving when the city is trash and doesn't have pt, this is just thoughtless optimism that isn't helpful to anyone

I mean, you could quite possibly cycle... moreso if you opt to use an electric bike
Out of curiosity how big is your city/your normal commute?
- I can cycle but I'll have to cycle next to a 6 lane stroad and I don't want to kms

The British people conceive of the bike as an exotic machine used for Olympic time trials. We would never actually use one to go to the shops. This is fundamentally a nation of bigoted Dunning-Kruger morons that keep voting for the people who don't build cycle paths and other progressive policy. Every day we fall further into irrelevance. These people think that if we act like Victorians we will achieve the success of that era, meanwhile the rest of the world has moved on.
- Jay Foreman has some nice (and very funny) video's about why Cycling isn't more common in the UK in his series Unfinished London.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gohSeOYheXg

Not in places where they build proper roads/infrastructure. Generally this gets better the larger the city is, not worse.
Your situation sounds terrible but your local jurisdiction could choose to fix it. If enough people advocate for it, it will happen.
Petition the city to change that. Have them add protected pedestrian routes in that area.
I work 25min by foot from home, and while most of it is by busy carcentric streets, I can walk a bit through a park.
If I drive a car I can get there in 10 minutes or 15-20 in a rush hour.
I can ride a bike (my own or a city bike that's free for under 15min) in 13min.
Or I can either take a bus (25min) or a tram (around 30, because I need to walk further but less than a straight walk.
I actively refuse to move to any "cheaper" new suburbs because then I would have to sit in a car for 80 minutes no matter how I feel about it that day.

Ok well good luck riding your non motorized ambulance to the hospital then.

You missed the point by miles.
- The shitty, ableist, not well thought out point? I’m not gonna feel shit about this. Nothing you could say to make me feel different about that.

This sub Lemmy? is hilarious, I love my SUV!

Ban All Cars in California by 2030 "Next Week or So The Entire Grid In Cali goes out " not 2 weeks later" talk about red flags on the offense they have no remorse, common sense or consideration, they think we all are idiots like you gullible scooter nerds who voted democrat thinking a 90 year old Patsy got 81 million votes his face isnt even real he has eddie murphy/martin lawrence/johhny knoxville botox on you clowns voted for A Moon Over Parador body double The Original Wag The Dog, Fx and Fx-2 all 4 show us the Psyop Factory in Full Effect and all 4 are 80s movies so imagine the fuckery they finesse us with today