- cross-posted to:
- hackernews@derp.foo
- cross-posted to:
- hackernews@derp.foo
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We should not be building our cities in ways that necessitate owning a car.
That ship has sailed a long time ago
Never too late to change. Just look at Amsterdam now vs a couple decades ago
I know Jersey City has made a big push to bikify the city, and limited parking in new high-density development, with the idea being if you build it, they will come. It’s part of an overall plan that they date out to 2060. Shit takes time. Doesn’t mean you don’t try though, that’s for sure. I’m hopeful.
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I’d argue that Amsterdam isn’t a great example, as the infrastructure of that city was largely built before the advent of automobiles, then converted to support a more Americanized design that was vehicle-centric, before finally realizing, “Hey, we’re Dutch, not American, we need more space for our bicycles!”
If we’re discussing American infrastructure designed in the 20th century, it seems to be pretty difficult to convert because the physical structures of both the transportation infrastructure and the destinations people want to visit are not built densely enough to make going without a car a top tier option for most people.
I mean this broadly, not to say that there aren’t opportunities to start moving this in the other direction, but emphasizing that changing the focus to downplay the importance of vehicles will be neither quick, cheap, or easy.
You’re right, let’s not change with the times but just lay down and die, nothing is worth the effort.
What are we gonna do, nuke all the suburbs and cram everyone into little pods?
For example the minimum parking rules could be changed to allow buildings to not have parking
Commercial buildings then could occupy their entire block, if they don’t need all that space, more stuff fits in the city
Zoning could change, allowing more commercial stuff in the suburbs, more homes in the city
bro, capitalism is going to cram you into a pod no matter what we do with urban planning, because rich people control more and more of all the wealth and thus land. if anything breaking car dependence would make pods less likely because you could build real apartments in more places
Lmao. This is so ignorant
It’s gonna be crashing on the shore pretty soon at this rate.
not really. it’s a choice that’s remade every year. we can fix it, and people are trying.
It’s about oil and profits. They want us to need a car to go anywhere. More cars, more oil, more profits, RIGHT?
Nerevar, what do you need a car for? You have all the siltstriders in the world at your disposal. Here, take the keys to Juan Angelito. He’s my favorite.
Don’t buy a new car. New cars are for rich suckers. Cars are the most common type of depreciating asset.
If you’re rich you don’t care
exactly why you should go for a second hand one if you aren’t drowning in generational wealth.
What? My point stands. If you care, you aren’t rich. You just have some cash from a few good years.
Would you care about the deprecation in value of your toothbrush?
Who are you even arguing to? Literally no one disagrees with you. Someone even replied to you to say they don’t disagree with you and you doubled down. You gotta relax man.
Huh? I made one reply in this thread when someone suggested that even the rich would be enticed by second hand, by u/potato
One reply sticking to your original point is not being rustled.
I saw this on TikTok and it’s been burned into my brain since.
https://cdn1.frocdn.ch/vZBqPK4EuWepdGt.mp4 (link might not work with some security settings).
The amount of money seemingly regular people are dumping into car payments is unreal.
Could you link the clip somewhere else? That host is blocked in basically every layer imaginable for me - uBlock, bad SSL settings and AdGuard
If you care enough, just open it up in a private window or a new profile. Also, unless you don’t want whoever is between you and their server (if anyone is) knowing you watched a TikTok video of a woman going around asking other woman what their car payments are, bad SSL settings is whatever.
Here’s the original link: https://www.tiktok.com/@toyotacargirls/video/7202381347908832558
I just didn’t want to deal with people complaining about “A TIKTOK? ON MY LEMMIES?”
Either way, I can’t win with you people.
Trying to figure out how to flush my DNS cache on my phone was just a little bit too much, to be honest.
An alternative for next time could be to link the clip through ProxiTok, that’s unlikely to offend anyone.
On the topic of the clip, hot damn. I’ve seen similar videos from other car dealerships before, and it’s always so damn depressing to see.
Is the previous host your own server? You can get a free, good, and well recognised SSL certificate through LetsEncrypt. It’s dead easy to set up and there are many guides on how to do it
Though your link works fine for me on Chrome on Android, so I don’t really know what the others were complaining about
Edit to add, the site has a CloudFlare certificate and security, that should be fine
No, it’s not my server. It’s well known file host that allows anyone to upload anything to it.
I’ve had 3 cars the first was 10yo when i bought it, the second was 3yo when i got it, the last one was new. Each one lasted 5 years, 12 years and then 10 years respectively. Moved to a walkable/bikeable city & I don’t even have a driver’s license anymore. New cars are not bad as long as it doesn’t get changed out every other year, and you get one that is a reliable model.
You had a brand new car that only lasted 10 years?? What are you doing to your cars??
My friend has a 1993 Toyota Land Cruiser that the mechanic said drives like new.
I have a 2008 Nissan 350z that I’d expect to get another 10 years out of.
Sold it when we moved out of the country, lol. It was a 2007 FJ Cruiser we got for 18k, sold it for 10k. Only changed the starter (drowned it), and a couple other things. Best vehicle I ever owned.
Yet CEOs and billionaires are making more money than ever. Something has to give and soon…
Right, right after the article about tech workers living in “pods”. I mean, how much money are they making for other people? And then I know of this millionaire (who made his money in f’ing health insurance) with an 18,000 square foot house by Vail that his family visits twice a year for a few weeks.
I can’t even afford an old car lol
Same here, why I went with a motorcycle instead lol
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I can’t afford a used car. My dad helped me buy my current car and if it does I’m fucked.
2 years ago I was in need of a new truck (work related). Practically all the used stuff that’s worth a dam was priced not far behind if not more than new. The kicker, the new ones I was interested in weren’t available…so I was forced to buy used.
People living in Central/Eastern Europe: 80%? Amateurs.
I don’t know ANYONE who has a new car produced in last couple of years here in Poland. According to some statistic average age of car is 15.5 years here, in fact I drive 11 year old car myself. There’s just no way I am going to dump so much cash on a freaking car (and personally I’d rather buy some nice electric bicycle instead).
and personally I’d rather buy some nice electric bicycle instead
This is exactly the reason I bought a new and good bike for the price of a used car. And what’s more is that the exercise that comes with it is free and the insurance is exponentially lower.
We really need to make more bike friendly infrastructure around the world so more people have the same option as I have.
I’d love to live and work somewhere where I could bike. The distance to my current job would be doable for me but there is zero bike infrastructure to make it feasible.
I feel for you. Sometimes I forget I have the privilege of living in Denmark which is extremely bike-friendly, something I shouldn’t take for granted.
I’m in the same boat. I used to bike before I moved, but now there’s no route that I feel safe enough on.
hard fucking agree. we need to infiltrate the road design manual committees and get it written in that it’s mandatory to have protected bike lanes on any road with more than 4 lanes of traffic and not a freeway
Opel Astra, forever and ever
Truly reliable beasts, my family used to drive a mid 90’s Astra F for like 18 years and then it basically rusted away pretty quickly. Engine and everything else was totally fine. I think the only part we had to replace was the alternator…
481K new cars were sold in Poland in 2022, so it definitely happens. Sure, that’s 3 times fewer than in France (which has twice the population, though), but it’s far from “anyone”.
And yes, I know you said you “don’t know” anyone who bought one, not that they don’t exist, but I take your meaning to be that it doesn’t happen/is very rare.
At today’s car prices, it’s actually cheaper for some people to use a rideshare every day. Especially when you factor in the cost of gas, maintenance, insurance,and parking. My friend drove for Uber and had a regular daily commuter, a nurse who worked in Houston’s medical center where parking is around $30/day. We have no good mass transit options so Uber was the best choice.
Sadly it’s dependent on the area, my current area rideshare situation is so bad that it can take you almost an hour to get a driver who won’t cancel your trip because they deem that your trip is not profitable enough. The system’s fucked so you’re pushed to get a car so you can have mobility. This is doubly so when you’ve started having children.
This is doubly so when you’ve started having children.
we need alternatives to driving otherwise people won’t be able to have kids
Uber became super expensive as well, post pandemic.
Luckily not in my area
shrug and?
I know most people want “New cars” and fine, go chase that over priced luxury, but I’d rather a car that’s 1-2 years old that’s dropped more than half the price, and being passed over because new shiny thing came out.
People shouldn’t have to drive beaters, but buying a car for 10k isn’t a bad decision unless you’re extremely well off our only care about status symbols.
Like there’s a reason I was able to buy a house, and a good job helped, but also my wife and I lived with in our means, which is something I feel that isn’t talked about in the consumerism age. (You can buy something new, but for most things you don’t need a yearly iphone/car/or anything. A good 50 inch tv works well for a tenth of the price of the newest one. ) And yet I see people complain about not having a lot of money yet they’re always talking about the newest graphics cards, newest tvs, and newest tech… I wonder why.
I’d rather a car that’s 1-2 years old that’s dropped more than half the price […]
Except that doesn’t really happen anymore. Shoot, I’ve seen some cars appreciate in value after they roll off the lot in recent years. Hoping that reverses soon, but it sure isn’t like it used to be.
Take the Toyota 4runner for example - they’re incredibly reliable because they are simplistic in many ways with bullet proof components. You can even find 5 year old models that are within 5k of a new one.
Look at this guy with his $10k…
Get a better job. If you can’t afford a $10k car, you’re doing something wrong…
You understand that if someone in a low paid job gets a better paid job, the low paid job does not disappear in a puff of smoke? That the proportion of people in low paid work is a function of political decisions as to what the economy should look like?
I mean, the headline is fucking ridiculous (we don’t need anything like 10% of car sales to be new cars). But so is giving careers advice as a solution to the high prevalence of shit pay.
The only thing that’s being done wrong here is you defending the system and not the individual.
I got a 2021 car last year with 6000km on it . It was almost full price .
Probably because it only had 6000 km on it. Average is closer to 15000 km/year.
I have a 2020 rav4 and it is only valued at $3k less than what I paid for it brand new. This isn’t a reality anymore.
but also my wife and I lived with in our means, which is something I feel that isn’t talked about in the consumerism age.
the problem is the basic cost of living is going up beyond what can be afforded and people scream at you about not making extremely bad decisions you didn’t even make and don’t have to in order to end up struggling.
The newest car I’ve ever owned (and currently own) is a 2007 model. Not gonna lie, with all the BS getting loaded into cars nowadays I think I’ll keep it that way. It’s easier just to have a couple of cheap shitboxes in the driveway that way you have something to drive when one of them inevitably needs work
I got a almost new 2021 last year and there’s no key hole for the door so when the key fob battery died in the middle of the winter I was stuck outside looking up on YouTube how to unlock my car . Turns out you have to pry off a piece of plastic that I ended up breaking to use my key to unlock the door . It also sets off an alarm when you open the car that way . Who thought that was a good idea ! To make things worse it was like -30 C and I had my 5 year old with me because we where sliding.
That’s why you read the manual, especially for a complex peace of tech, when you buy the thing. Just because you didn’t bother to look up how stuff works doesn’t make it bad. This one’s on you.
Or how about you don’t fix something that ain’t broken. This push to start shit is a cancer
I fucking love my push to start.
It’s easier, more secure, and cool to boot.
If my key fob dies I just stick it in a hole on the steering column and it starts right up. The door key is easily accessible in the fob, and the batteries aren’t difficult to replace regardless.
It’s also your responsibility to know and understand these things before you spend tens of thousands of dollars on any purchase. It’s not like it suddenly got like that when you got into that situation.
Just because you read it, doesn’t mean you retain the information after.
Yeah, that’s why public transit and multi purpose zoning are important
exactly. fuck cars
New cars?
Shit, we can’t even afford groceries
A nonreligious Amen to that.
Here’s another reason why taking transit doesn’t bother me. For five bucks a day I can listen to podcasts and music and read books for 30 minutes, and let someone else take care of everything, I do not love everything about the bus (really you have to make everyone disembark during rush hour so you can cram your obesity scooter on there so you can go to Tim Hortons so nobody else can sit down?), but honestly it’s pretty stress free. I realize not everyone has access to transit but I think people should make more effort to use it.
The problem I run into is time. And sometimes location. My previous job, for instance, was far enough out that there was no bus service; I had to drive. My only other option was a 2-hour transit ride and then a half-hour bike ride, partly on gravel roads.
And my friend has a job that’s 15 minutes by car, or 45 minutes away by bus. Even worse, with recent construction messing with the trains, his commute has gone to 2 hours plus.
And this is in a city with a decently robust transit system.
No definitely transit should be made more robust, I know it doesn’t work for everyone. Get light rail transit everywhere and make 15 minute commutes, I say. Make transit more convenient than driving.
Adding more light rail wherever it makes sense is definitely a good plan (and should happen), but improving bus networks gives a lot more bang for the buck than focusing only on light rail. Features like off-board fare collection (paying at the bus stop, not on the vehicle), bus signal priority (extending greens and shortening reds as buses approach traffic lights), and dedicated bus lanes all improve the overall speed of buses and therefore the overall rider experience. Expanding the prevalence of these features should be a priority everywhere, particularly on higher-ridership routes.
Those are also all excellent ideas. More tranist all around I say.
we should build rail out as far as possible, then at the termini put a park and ride and a BRT that stretches as far out as possible
The biggest problem I run I to with transit in most cities is the time sink, security flaws, and expense.
I drive to a park and ride where I have to pay 12 dollars to have my car broken into. Then wait 20 minutes to pamy another $15 to take the light rail that drops me off 8 blocks from my destination, then wait 20 minutes to pay 5 bucks for the bus that drops me 2 blocks away, then walk to my destination.
Or I could drive straight to my destination, pay 8 bucks for the parking garage with a security gate, and save an hour.
Right, the “take mass transit” works great … in places with functional mass transit.
Bike or electric scooter. Not sure what the distance is but anything under 25 kms is feasible.
I’m not cycling the 40 miles between affordable housing and my office in 105° for 5 months or of the year.
Not everybody can live in New York where the system can support robust public transit.
I live near Austin, and the cheapest place to rent in the small city I work is over $4,000 a month. The place I live is 1/5th of that, but it’s a 90-minute commute by car.
I’d kill for better housing or transit options, but it’s a very complex problem to solve in established areas that largely developed post-automobile. I work in municipal planning, so I appreciate both the advantages and the challenges more than most.
25 km (15 mi) is a bit of a stretch, although I’d have to test my ebike at those distances to know for sure. I got 10 miles one way throttle-only the other day before I ran out of battery
Can you not just manually pedal?
really you have to make everyone disembark during rush hour so you can cram your obesity scooter on there so you can go to Tim Hortons so nobody else can sit down?
Has it…occurred to you that some disabled people have mobility issues or pain disorders that limit mobility to begin with, and that weight gain is a byproduct of not being able to walk or move or stand for very long without trouble?
I had a boss who had dwarfism and used a wheelchair 80% of the time. 20% of the time he slowly, painfully did hobble about–but it was clear as day WHY he was higher weight than he should’ve been. My own blood pressure would spike hearing the tiny sounds of pain he made when got out of his wheelchair and moved.
I have a friend with POTS–and if you’re unfamiliar with that, basically she stands up and her blood pressure and heart rate is malfunctioning so her heart acts like she’s running a marathon, the beats per minute go insane…but blood is pooling in her feet and they’re turning purple where you can’t see it because things are out of whack and despite her heart going haywaire, there’s not enough pressure to get the blood out of her feet and elsewhere. This condition happened prior to any weight gain.
I can hear her breath start to go wobbly just doing simple things because her body doesn’t regulate her blood pressure and heart rate normally. She’s gained weight because she’s at risk of passing the fuck out if she is on her feet for very long–she has to literally plan out doing simple things like going to the grocery store because if she pushes herself she might end up downed on the sidewalk relying on the helpfulness of strangers to get back up. It’s taken her many years to accept she really shouldn’t be pushing herself into a collapse because she’s worried that people will judge her for being “lazy and fat”. Comments like yours about “obesity scooters” only act to tear down all the people who ARE trying their hardest and still having their body fail them.
I have a different friend who has thyroid problems, she inherited them from her mom (and her bro has them too), and weight is a bitch for her to manage because her thyroid is fried.
I just broke my foot in July, and watched my weight inch up because it’s really fucking hard to get up stairs when you can’t put weight on one foot. I was semi bedbound for like 2 months. I’m LUCKY in that my foot will heal, but I don’t even snack and I gained 15lbs because of that one little temporary mobility issue. I’m LUCKY in that once it heals, I will be able to move normally and lose what I gained.
You could’ve made your point about transit without taking pot-shots at disabled people, who often are stuck in a terrible situation of their body failing them medically, and society often forcing them into poverty to be able to access the care they need.
Seriously, why isn’t it possible to champion mass public transit for all without shitting on the people who use it by necessity currently?
We’re you refered to physical therapy after breaking your foot? Or are you able to see if insurance will pay because your mobility has been reduced?
I had several injuries in the military that left me unable to stand, walk, drive a car, or balance for very long. With the help of physical therapy I was eventually able to walk properly, then after some time I was able to take a ride to work a job where I was sometimes sitting but often standing. Eventually I was able to work and exercise enough that I got all my balance and mobility back.
Having public transit helped me when I still didn’t have enough fine motor control to operate a pedal and brake.
Not everyone is on the same journey, but please see if you can access physical therapy. Please advocate for not just healing but making yourself whole.
You don’t have to go to Tim Hortons at rush hour when everyone is using it to go to work and school, and inconvenience everyone on the bus making them late while you back your scooter on because you just have to go get your 12 pack of donuts right now. Just wait a little while until the buses are quieter for pity’s sake.
Disabled people couldn’t possibly have a reason to be outside at the same time as good, hardworking folk. Why don’t they just lurk in the shadows where they belong?
weight gain is a byproduct of not being able to walk or move or stand for very long without trouble
Weight gain is a byproduct of consuming more calories than your body expends. Not everyone can walk or be active, but everyone can put the fork down. It’s quite simple actually
It’s quite simple actually.
Or is it?
Do you take into account that:
- Most processed food are created around the bliss point in order to make it as addictive as possible.
- Fresh food being more expensive and/or more time consuming to prepare than processed alternatives.’
- the existence of food deserts.
- advertising pushing unhealthy and addictive eatings habits down our collective throats with little to no regulations (why not do what we did with alcohol/tobacco in a lot of countries?)
- bad habits formed during childhood such as empty calories used as rewards, etc.
Imho everyone can put the fork down as in everyone can stop smoking or doing any drugs really. It’s possible but demands an extra effort that not anyone is able to put in at any given moment (without even taking relapses into account).
To me it really has some “it’s your fault you got conned” vibes ^^’
When I was in college I lost weight when I had no access to a kitchen. I ate a lot of fast food but just counted my calories. Sometimes you have to do weird things like skipping the buns on a burger but it’s really not that hard
I’m glad it wasn’t that hard for you ^^
But I think you’re confusing hard and difficult.
Well there’s that and the fact that if you’re a tradesman --or woman, or whatever-- having a truck or van can be pretty crucial to your ability to make a decent income.
I currently have a company vehicle, but for years, prior to my current position and when I was a contractor, I was obliged to own my own truck or van for very basic practical reasons.
about $800 last year for auto insurance
this year the number is about $1400
same vehicle same city
income stayed the same if not lower due to less work
new vehicles are more than likely unaffordable seeing how expensive a ten year old vehicle is
how the f#%k are we not in the streets
Same boat. Insurance costs have been going up for the last few years. I tried to talk to them about it… they said ‘well everyone else is getting in accidents, you don’t even know!!! It’s crazy out there’. Same vehicle. My only ‘options’ were to let them install a bunch of tracking devices and software (fuck that) or reduce my coverage considerably.
Gosh I love the for profit insurance I’m forced to have that gets to dictate everything.
I have no idea why the Dacia Sandero is not brought to the US. $15,000 for a new car. They would be competing with the mirage and Rio all of which cost much more and are lower quality.
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When have most Americans ever been able to afford to buy new?
Has the US been anything but a scam since its inception?
After the “cash for clunkers” thing reduced the used car market buying new made more sense because of price and warranty. You also get better financing rates on new vs used. Bought my Subaru new in 2019 and could sell it for about what I paid.
I was told in the 90’s that in America if your car was 3 years old, your neighbor might worry you weren’t doing too well, and you could buy 6 year old luxury cars for peanuts.
Luxury cars are notorious for not holding their value, unless by “luxury” you mean performance cars, so that’s normal.
I was born after the 90s so I wouldn’t know, but generally speaking I’d always heard the average car in America is ten years old.
