161–170 of 835 posts
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I think the question that anyone that rejects cars would ask is "why do you choose to live 60km from your work?".
Because his partner works 60km in the opposite direction?
There's 138 trains per day between Amsterdam and The Hague. It's faster to take the train than to drive on that trip. Driving in either city in an exercise in frustration. Why would anyone in a rich country with a high functioning rail system like The Netherlands want to drive? I don't know how many rich countries that describes, but I lived happily for years in Boston in the USA without a car. I have one now but onl…
>There's 138 trains per day between Amsterdam and The Hague. It's faster to take the train than to drive on that trip If you're going from the Hague central station to Amsterdam central station, sure. Now plan a more typical commute from say the Hague Wateringen to the over Amstel industrial estate (It takes two times as as driving) Play around with real life scenarios. Say you're going from Amsterdam Osdorp to your…
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The US anti-car narrative often refers to the Netherlands as some kind of beacon of proper public infrastructure, whilst not knowing a damn thing about it. First, let's establish that the Netherlands is a car country. We have 11 million cars on a population of 17 million. On a typical day, 1 million people use public transport. Cars are the norm, not trains or bicycles. Public transport is rarely faster, not even in…
That is not a car country. São Paulo has more car than population, and has so many cars that their area summed is bigger than the area of all streets in the city. It is so many cars that sometimes walking 1 hour to your workplace is faster than a car route where you can spend 2, 3 hours to go to a neighborhood next to yours during rush hour. So many cars that the city became also the city with most helicopters, becau…
Given today's car aesthetics, I'd also fall out of love with cars.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think the question that anyone that rejects cars would ask is "why do you choose to live 60km from your work?".
Because his partner works 60km in the opposite direction?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You’re being sarcastic, but I’ve been there and done that. For $reasons. Under other circumstances, the answer would be “take a cab.”
„Take a cab“ is always an option. But at some point, if using it frequently enough, it becomes cheaper and more convenient to just own the damn thing.
There are also options that cover the middle ground: Mixed mode (cab, train, cab) or car sharing. Certainly not available for all of us, but just as certainly available to many of us.
The primary issue is that the math only works out if you don’t buy/own a car, otherwise you‘ll have the majority of the costs of car ownership anyways. On a pure mile by mile replacement, the math doesn‘t work out.
There's 138 trains per day between Amsterdam and The Hague. It's faster to take the train than to drive on that trip. Driving in either city in an exercise in frustration. Why would anyone in a rich country with a high functioning rail system like The Netherlands want to drive? I don't know how many rich countries that describes, but I lived happily for years in Boston in the USA without a car. I have one now but onl…
>There's 138 trains per day between Amsterdam and The Hague. It's faster to take the train than to drive on that trip If you're going from the Hague central station to Amsterdam central station, sure. Now plan a more typical commute from say the Hague Wateringen to the over Amstel industrial estate (It takes two times as as driving) Play around with real life scenarios. Say you're going from Amsterdam Osdorp to your…
But the kicker, I suppose, is that in my version you drive 35+ minutes and then need to work out, while the train version means I don't need to go to the gym. When I lived in LA I rode my bike and it meant being in great shape without ever having to work out, and I miss it, but of course it depends on the situation.
I really wished this demonisation of the car stopped. Modern cars are way more climate friendly than merely 10-20 years ago and many climate-conscious persons do pool to commute. But we need to understand. There are cases where the car is a must. Unavoidable. Imagine having toddlers, having to do heavy groceries, and living in a place with difficult landscape or challenging weather. Imagine having a neurological dise…
> Imagine having toddlers, having to do heavy groceries, and living in a place with difficult landscape or challenging weather. Imagine having a neurological disease or some other disability. I tick all of those boxes and never had a car. I live in the city, walking and using public transit. Toddlers love to walk and to be carried in the stroller. Cars from the suburbs are a constant inconvenience for us living in in…
Im sorry for the snark but your comment seems out of touch and elitist.
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Bike sharing services are great in those situations. You don't even need to carry your bike in the train. There is also public transit like trams and buses.
I didn't see many bikes in Amsterdam capable of conveying luggage.
We can all conjure circumstances when it is difficult or inconvenient to use public transit, but deep down we all know most people most of the time are driving their cars alone with minimal cargo and the reason they are driving is because our towns are designed to make it as convenient as possible.
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The US anti-car narrative often refers to the Netherlands as some kind of beacon of proper public infrastructure, whilst not knowing a damn thing about it. First, let's establish that the Netherlands is a car country. We have 11 million cars on a population of 17 million. On a typical day, 1 million people use public transport. Cars are the norm, not trains or bicycles. Public transport is rarely faster, not even in…
I think the question that anyone that rejects cars would ask is "why do you choose to live 60km from your work?".
Because even if I could, work is unstable, I can't keep moving.
Because I have a girlfriend, any move closer to work is further away for her.
Because my family and friends are here, and I need to take care of my parents.