I share your frustration when I hear people say "Driving is a privilege". People throw that phrase around more often than the amount of food wasted in the US. Sure, it's a "privilege" to get your license and to drive, but it's not like there's other reliable and safe/comfortable options to go get groceries and to work without a car.
Yes, this is so deeply entrenched pro gun loonies can rhetorically shout 'cars kill more people than guns so shouldn't we ban cars too?' And the answer is YES.
To me driving is a privilege means you do not have a right to drive . And if you insist on driving badly you should have your license permanently suspended .
People, generally speaking, are at their most entitled when they're behind the wheel. Interacting with people in cars, even to the minimal extent required to walk, drive, or bike down the road, is so much less pleasant than interacting with people not in cars.
Agreed. I think a lot of the "ugh, pedestrians and ~cyclists~ are so entitled!" is outright projection. People in vehicles don't realize how entitled they sound themselves, by implying they're the only ones with the right to use the road, break the laws while driving, etc.
The less attentive and capable a driver is the more likely they are to personify other vehicles even as they dehumanize that other "car." It should be no surprise that study after study asking drivers to self-rate routinely shows 70% rating themselves in the top half. The kicker is that this tends to include the very worst 20% while a lot of drivers in the top third rate themselves as merely average making the supremely confident yet woefully incapable drivers the root of most vehicular insanity.
"..it's funny how no cyclist never has an issue with me riding my scooter too slowly." this single point is why cars are doomed to be toxic, you're physically blocked by other people when you want to be literally anywhere else but there. meanwhile on a sidewalk, or on any properly designed infrastructure, you can easily and effortlessly maneuver around anyone, no matter what bike/walking/etc. and its never an issue to move out of the way if you need to, meanwhile a car at 60mph becomes screaming bullet for anything within 500 ft of it
I disagree, if as many people biked as they drive cars, their would be a very big issue with those moving too slow. People already get mad at others who walk too slow WHEN there's space provided to go around.
@@reshadegaming6285 If slow bikes would be a "very big issue" then the Sunday Drivers are an infringement on public safety. Bikes don't take nearly the same amount of infrastructure of any other form of transportation (excluding pedestrians). If you were biking along and came up on someone biking much slower than you and not giving decent space to pass, all you would have to do is say "excuse me" and they would turn around, see your face (not the grill of a hulking F150), and probably let you by... because it's easy to do.
@@schwarzwolfram7925 I'm saying it would be an issue as in people would make noise about it. You guys are thinking too logically here. What would really happen many times in the situation you postulated is some guy would throw a beer bottle at you and potentially cause a huge accident. Road rage isn't logical and while some of it may have to do with cars I'd wager most of it is a societal problem.
20 ish years ago I made a decision to move to a walkable community in a largely car dependent city and it changed my life forever, I immediately went from driving nearly 20,000 miles a year to less than a few thousand. In the subsequent years, the amount of driving I've done has dwindled to 0 on a daily basis, and now the amount of driving I do is relegated to specialty trips (usually) out of town. I walk on average 6 miles a day for both "transportation" and deliberate exercise. I ride both my personal bike for exercise and bike share for optional transportation. I sometimes take a local in-town bus and use an express bus to get to the airport. It's certainly not impossible to live a daily life in non-rail transit places without a car if one tries. Good for you!
I havent owned a car in over 5 years, and I don't miss it. I walk to the grocery store, work from home, ride a bike when i need to go further than a mile, and carshare when i need to go to another city. I love being able to go places without a car
I've made this work in both the South Beach section of Miami Beach and in downtown Raleigh. It's easier in South Beach than in downtown Raleigh because there are just more walkable options, but both places have allowed me to severely cut down on driving.
@@enjoyslearningandtravel7957 Also, small walkable college towns are an option. I live comfortably in the downtown of one. Everywhere in town is within a 15 minute bike ride with some decent bike trails. Decent bus network too. Check out Pullman Washington
Downtown Toronto has an excellent Bike Share scheme that allowed me to not only ditch bringing my car downtown for visiting, it allowed me to ditch bringing my own expensive bike downtown as well, where I fear it getting stolen or trying to squeeze it onto the GO Train
I enjoy driving in a motorsports or leisure context... But that doesn't change the fact that I loathe commuting, interstate driving, and long-haul trucking. It's such a huge waste of time and brain power to be driving so much.
Same, I'm a big car guy but use public transport or bike for boring commuting whenever I have the chance, I live in the countryside in europe, so bus is the go-to solution here.
I like canyon carving and going 80+ on the autobahn, Rallying is fun. Adventure is fun. Fuck parking lots. All of them. From being impossible not to kill your clutch in a manual to taking a month to find a spot to getting your wrap destroyed by someone in a blob the size of Texas to brainlets that seem to drive blindfolded. Horrible. Also being reliant on potentially a dorito-powered 90s project car to live ain’t fun even if I like dorito engines
This more personal video is touching. I reiterate what I said when I found your channel, with the rise of urbanism and transit on TH-cam, I think things will get better with more people being educated. I wonder if large and lengthy projects like California's high speed rail would have gone smoother with more support if alot more people were educated much earlier, like the 1990s.
CA HSR is a victim of american infrastructure culture, we have this issue with everything. the I-5 expansion in burbank CA is over budget and years late (but no one complains about that for some reason...) if we funded the while thing up front, with prescheduled yearly bond issuances if need be, built things like this from time to time, and didn't let contractors and subcontractors rob us blind things would be way cheaper and quicker to build
@@PlaystationMasterPS3 It crops up in other things, even Japan is having issues expanding their high speed lines. EVEN WHEN they have already seen the huge benefits of the lines in place. They were some of the FIRST to do this. Madness.
@@pleasedontwatchthese9593 It is at least very unlikely that a transit rider not paying attention to what they're doing will lead to a wreck that kills or maims people
That illusion of movement you get, where your vision tricks your body into actually feeling movement when you're sitting still at an intersection in a car. I felt it often as a passenger. It's wild. The car so far removes you from the surrounding world, you might as well be in a space station.
@@Grateful.knits99 yeah, the road environment is built to spec; signs are huge, lanes are wide, and clear zones are even wider. It's made to comfort the driver into a state of mind where minimal attention is paid to the world around. it's part of why someone's seen as insane for driving the speed limit or under, it feels as slow as, or slower than a leisurely cycling pace through a narrow city street.
I was parking once and there was a very large suv to my left blocking my vision. Just as I stopped in the space, the suv began to reverse out of the space. Mentally, I felt as though my car was still moving. I immediately stood on the brake pedal and simultaneously pulled the parking brake, but I still felt as though I were moving for that 2 or 3 seconds and panicked as I believed that I was not/could not stop. Very uncomfortable…
Im so glad more people are sharing the sentiment!! Ive always felt this way as a beginner driver, everyone around me has always told me “oh you’ll get over that fear once you stop driving” but ive been driving for a few months now and i still get nervous every time i have to drive somewhere. I genuinely dread having to drive and deal with shitty streets, tailgaters, and inattentive people. I hate the idea that no matter how carefully or good i drive, there’s always a chance someone who wasn’t paying attention for a second could kill me. I genuinely love walking and roller skating to places, but living in socal so many places are genuinely inaccessible to pedestrians and you’re pretty much forced to drive due to distance. I hate driving now just as much as i did when I first started :^/
I had the same experience when I learned to drive and 6 years later I still hate it so much!!!! I always feel like I am so close to death when I’m in a car.
Hang in there, driving in urban environments is never easy, but the fear will dissipate with experience. I know people who never had licences and it has impacted their lives negatively, they are wholly dependant on others with licences when ever they need to go anywhere outside of cities. So you might not need a car, but every able bodied person should have a licence.
Before being anti-car dependent. I always hated driving. It was just too much responsibility being on my shoulder at such a young age of 16. Driving is such a hassle than what people claim, my friends think it was cool to have a car, but I just dislike it. Sure, I had a lot of benefits like I could leave school Early if the last teacher in my period did not arrive, or not have to wait for my parents to pick me up. But every time I get on the road I have this sense of anxiousness and have to be mentally focused on the road, having little appreciation of my surroundings. My first accident happened when I was 18, and trust me. despite being a small accident, I was at the verge of having a panic attack which I thankfully and luckily was set free by the person because they had an expired Driver's Liscence. (To make it more awkward, it was my next door neighbor). I really question people who insist on Defending Car-Dependent Infrastructure if they ever had a car accident, because they mostly act like it will never happen to them.
People with higher anxiety than average are sadly usually at a disadvantage when it comes to driving, I know I am. The only difference is I actually love driving, but the anxiousness is still there.
I love driving, I love cars (truly, not just cause I need them for transportation) but it's extremely frustrating that people that does not want to drive can't do anything else safely. It's just not fair
Grew up with a dad who's a mechanic and has been for the last forever of my existence lol (I am 23), and a mother who would always accompany my dad at car auctions to bid on cars with him and a huge gearhead like he is. I've been around cars forever, moral of the story. They are amazing pieces of engineering, even some considered as art/showpieces, and are very versatile. Lowriders in particular have always been my favorite kind of car.
i agree, but it impossible for people to act like cars and the infrastructure that comes with them is the only reason we know commuting as we do so nowadays.
6:36 on the topic of dehumanizing, I felt a similar thing just recently. I had to drive to the next city over on the (clogged) interstate. All the stop and go, jockeying for lane transitions, everything… just made me nonsensically HATE everyone else on that road. The experience made me feel nastily misanthropic until I was able to get out of my car and unwind for half an hour. It’s not healthy, for people or for a society.
@@deus_ex_machina_ just watched it, it was both hilarious and sad. It even predicted (maybe? I donno if intersections were that big yet) just how stupidly large car crossings would become! That was, what, an 8 laned monstrosity? Those aren't comical exaggerations anymore, those actually exist now
@@deus_ex_machina_ Lmao thank you so much for that link! I've never seen that Classic Cartoon before that shit cracked me up 🤣 Like holy shit we've known about these problems for far too long!
@@deus_ex_machina_ I watched this in my driving course for teens. It was funny then I realized that many people I know (dad, mom, friends parents, and other people) will show this behavior. A friend of mine took me to a monster truck rally in Texas, while we were trying to leave the parking lot it was packed to the brim. Everyone was honking and cutting each other off. Even my friends mother was cursing at a car that was going to speed limit after we left the parking lot in a residential neighborhood. Really shows you how cars affect our psyche.
@@deus_ex_machina_ It was uncanny how this cartoon looked like it was made this year. It's basically NJB's "I got a new truck" video. In particular, a few ideas that I thought were recent developments or memes that were in this video: 1:25 Garage full of hoarder crap (Was this seriously a problem as early as 1950?!?) 5:10 Placing decals on your vehicle for each pedestrian hit Also RIP streetcars at 3:49 ;(
I never understood how there can be people who wake up early in the morning, get into their cold car before the caffein hits, and sit in traffic to get to work. If there is a hell, that would be mine.
The worst part of driving is that it is a complete time sink. You get nothing out of it, no money, no benefit to physical health, no mental stimulation, absolutely nothing. Every time I get behind the wheel I feel like a zombie, I wish I could just take a bus everywhere.
@@wolflover552 It definitely does have its drawbacks, especially in the states. Options would be nice though, drivers would be better off if they got everyone who hated driving off the road tbh.
Honestly, even without your excellent essay. Your background footage is more than enough evidence of why we shouldn't be driving. It's crazy how many illegal U-turns, dangerous lane merging, and speeding are in this video. Humans aren't meant to drive, and we need to reorganize our cities to be less car-centric.
The only reason the speed limit isn't followed is that the road isn't designed to show that speed limit at all. There is no change in the road. In other places, trees and street furniture may be brought closer to the road to make things look faster and force drivers to slow down to feel safe again. In the UK, the suburbs are //very// curvy and quite thin, which forces you to go slower. Motorways are big and wide and make you feel like faster speeds are ok there. Heck, in Sapain, on the Santander-Bilbao motorway, the speed limit is given by how the motorway curves and how close the mountains are. You feel scared going at 120 km/h so you go down to 80 km/h instead. And in the AP-68 desert route, there is literally nothing, few exits and few cars. So you feel safe going at 120 km/h.
@@56independent42 This. "Forgiving design" is suited for highways, but not streets, especially streets with varied modes of personal transportation like walking and cycling.
@@suuu886 No. You watch surrounding landscapes and guage how dangerous your speed is. In a desert road, you can go as fast as you like if the road is straight, but when you're in a tight street, you're forced to go slowly.
what? with your flawed logic, humans should just drop dead. Because we're flawed, we can't do anything that might place other people's lives at risk. we can't own weapons, we can't built ballistic missiles, we can't build fires, we can't have language (words hurt people too), we can't ride a bike (bicycle accidents are real), we can't fly planes, we can't ride in boats. we can't study science, we can't produce food (food poisoning), we can't walk (risk of falling over) etc... Go live in Europe or Asia if you want less car centric. Other people like the freedom of owning a car.
Living without a car is a dream. But the roads I live upon are too hilly and only designed for cars - no sidewalks, no public transportation. But this video explains precisely how I feel about driving and the experience of driving for me.
If the city or town still has hills you could still design it for bicycles since they’re now E bikes that can make it doable without getting too exhausted.
@@enjoyslearningandtravel7957 or buses/trams or cable cars like in San Fran. People pretend that hilly and hot cities require cars but those same cities existed before them!
@@OhioStateFan6 There exists situations where one needs a car. However, most of the people in the US wouldnt need on if we built walkable cities/suburbs. For those who need to travel for work, if we had trains, and buses, those same people wouldn't need a car anymore. The point of these videos are that with the right infrastructure, most wouldn't need a car.
As a massive car guy who adores cars and driving, I fully agree that a car centric society is a detriment to us all. I want for us to have more walkable neighborhoods, more public transportation options, etc. I love a well thought out urban area that can accommodate people on foot just as well as a limited car population. My thought is the less people who don’t want to drive are on the road, the more enjoyable driving can be for people who enjoy it like me.
fr Cars are my life and I 100% agree a car centric society and infrastructure just sucks. We are humans. So our environment should be centered around humans. I think the Netherlands and Japan have figured it all out because there you get the best of everything you can walk, cycle, use their great public transport like buses and trains AND still get to freely use you car.
when I was in grad school, I started biking for commuting. I near immediately fell in love with it. I hadn't needed to drive much before then on a regular basis, so I hadn't learned to hate that. And it helped my college town has a fairly decent his system, but I began looking up more and more info about transportation and biking. I'm glad I found NJB, he really was able to flip the switch in my head to see the larger forces at play
I also rode my bike all the time in college, and it was amazing! It's had me occasionally fantasizing about moving back to my crappy little college town, but cycling wouldn't really work there for non-students anyway.
"I'm glad I was able to find NJB, he was really able to flip the switch in my head to see the larger forces at play" I had a similar experience, but if you really want to see how deep this rabbit hole goes, I'd recommend Eco Gecko. I put his videos in my Watch Later and hesitate to actually watch them because it's kind of depressing...
I bought a bike at a garage sale for like $10 when I was in my 30s. I bought it as a lark- hadn't ridden since I was a kid, but immediately it was like night and day. I never again wanted to drive anywhere that I could bike to. It's not exactly that I HATED driving, I mean, I kind of did, but I had kind of internalized driving as a necessary (if unpleasant) part of modern life, like telemarketers or the music they play when you're waiting on hold to make a dental appointment. I hadn't even considered biking to work before, but now I can't even consider driving. Some asshole stole that bike- they cut the sign post I locked it to, (oddly, instead of just cutting the cheap bike lock) thereby causing an order of magnitude of damage greater then the value of the bike. So I bought another - new, this time - and some asshole stole that one too. SO I bought another. This has been going on for years now - currently I ride an old Fuji bike from I think the 1970s that my neighbor gave me. I love that bike - in its day it was top-notch, but to look at it nobody wants to steal it. Decades later I still don't wanna drive anywhere. Cars suck.
When I got my permit at 15-16, I joked that with now 4 cars in a one car driveway, if the other 17 families on this block do that too, I'll have to walk further than my destination just to get my car and drive back. I can confirm this happens for real.
One place I lived was designed for only 1 car per apartment in the lot (built back when that was the norm). All the other cars were parallel parked up and down both sides of the street. There were times I parked down the street and around the corner.
Yea, my family has 2 trailers (one for a boat, one for cars) and 4 cars And a recreational trailer we have in a nearby storage facility, but ignore that We effectively have 6 (usually only 5, though) things in our possession Which leads to blocking the street with two cars (and sometimes a trailer) Which makes me wonder, why both the people in our house who have a Valid DL (I only have my permit because i dragged my feet when it came to getting it) need a truck for towing, and a commuter, when neither of them *need* to drive for work Makes me wonder where i could put my car (currently parked at a relative’s, broken down) when we get it here Part of me wants to just send it to some property we own just so it’s out of the way, because fuck dealing with 7 hunks of metal I despise on the regular
I used to live in Reno, and now live in a suburb in TX. I hate my car dependent self because lack of walkability and public transit. There is only 1 metro train system. Just one. I like cars, I wanna own a car when I get a license (I'm 12), but I don't wanna be forced to drive. I wanna use driving as an actual privilage, not a thing where you have to do it. I like cars, not car-centric infastructure. Edit: I turned 12 11 days ago so yeah
I completely understand bro. Im a car guy, always have been (my first word was car). BUT if you have to drive every day you dont love it so much anymore.
Same here (although I'm old enough to be your dad). I like cars and enjoy driving. I don't enjoy stroads and don't want to have to use a car every time I leave home.
@@benfelps bro I'm 12. I can't unless my parents wanna move. But I do wanna live in Buffalo, NY when I grow up. Edit: I also wanna live in Pittsburgh, PA when I grow up
You know this is what I hate the most about America. Car dependency. I lived in south america. Brazil to more exact. You don't need a car. I am talking about a much poorer country. Car dependency sucks. I feel what makes a city great is comercial streets and people, not cars.
I am from Europe and used to like driving. After moving to the US I lost interest in cars whatsoever. Now I am back in Europe and my passion still has not come back. Even if you like something but they force feed you with it, you will hate it eventually.
nah you completely forgot the worst part about driving: The Highway. You constantly need to merge, be careful around construction. Oh and yeah people expect you to do 25 over the speed limit or they will cut you off, or maybe shoot you. Try driving the speed limit on the highway, its impossible lol.
@@baddriversofthenorcalarea500 Even following the speed limit feels ridiculously unsafe Hell, anything over 35 makes me wildly uncomfortable because all it takes is some jackass no giving a shit to end multiple lives
I am a car guy so i love driving but I understand its not for everyone and thats why i push for walkable cities as im not everyone and i also enjoy not having to drive everywhere as a need but drive when i want
It also makes driving more enjoyable when there is less people forced to drive everywhere and less cars to worry about. I hate daily driving, but driving in the country is fun. 😉
I grew up in Southern California where you just...DON'T not own a car. Later on as an adult, I spent time living in San Francisco, Istanbul, Belgrade, Tirana, and now Mexico City, and I couldn't ever imagine going back to a place where a car was a necessity. I've always been a car geek, and I love driving recreationally, and I might buy a car in a year or two for the purpose of taking longer road trips around Mexico...but every store and restaurant and service I could possibly need is witihin a few very walkable blocks of my apartment, and if not, the very efficient and comprehensive metro system is five minutes away on foot, and the benefit to my quality of life (not to mention my bank account) has been unquestionably positive by being able to sell my car.
I've also lived in southern California and surprisingly it has a good diversity of suburbs, urban areas intermixed with business. Granted public transit needs more work however living in LA county you can go without owning a car if your a remote work or live fairly close to work. The weather is nice enough year round to either walk, bike or scooter and there are plenty of restaurants and grocery stores around. Granted areas like Irvine are the suburb nightmare most other Orange County or LA County cities can be lived without a car.
Make sure to get the 600 toll stickers you’ll need to get on any road that’ll get you out of DF, and that your car ends in the proper license plate digits when they curtail vehicular traffic.
@@sergpiethanks, I've still not needed to bother getting a car since my GF has had one, but I'm already quite familiar with hoy no circula/contingencia, and you only need one tag for any of the toll roads in/around CDMX. No big deal, really.
I didn't need to learn to hate driving, I hated it almost as soon as I had to do it. You should see what driving is like in my country (Puerto Rico). The conditions of the roads here are terrible. There's potholes on every corner! And they're big potholes too! They can stay there for years sometimes without getting covered up. If you aren't careful, you can seriously damage your car. I've already been stranded a few times because of this, blowing out my tires due to not seeing a pothole or not being able to react quickly enough. And you know this wouldn't be that big of a problem if there were at least other ways to get around, but nope. There's very few buses, they're usually only in college towns, and even there they suck. There's only one train and it covers a very short distance. But the thing is, we used to have a train that went around the entire island!... used to.
I was an avid car enthusiast for years (go figure) and I have been turned away from cars in recent years, in part thanks to not just bikes, but also a thesis I wrote about "the loss of the car". Since then I have become increasingly mad at the feeling of being stuck in traffic. This is mainly due to me enjoying driving when I get to focus on how to take turns with higher speed. When I am "stuck in traffic" I have to use this focus on the other drivers, who for whatever reason are "holding me back" from driving in a fun way. It is what it is, driving on a public road though. Biking has become my new go to way of transport, even for shopping. I can carry about 30 kg of wares on my bike without exceeding its weight limit. I find this so much more fun, as I can finally "feel alive" as I transport myself around again, be it by speed or by the powerful pumping of my heart in the hills.
Your comment is proof that a lot of people who see everyday driving as "fun" would be better off investing that money and energy into a bicycle (or better yet, multiple bicycles. I still enjoy driving but it's rare while I haven't gotten sick of riding my bike after all these years.
@@carstarsarstenstesenn absolutely! I now drive to work because the snow clearing is really poor where I live, and for some reason there is no bus going directly from my home to where I work. I need to change busses, and the entire ordeal takes as long as walking. I am fortunate to not be driving on highways, so the drive usually takes 5-10 minutes with nice scenery
@@krismoe31 Honestly changing ain't bad just depends how long of a connection time you have been given. But yeah if it requires an hour detour then your better of driving.
@@kemist578 Tip for you. If you have a ton of them use quiet streets as they are more comfortable cycling in. (Thats if bike lines don't exist in ur area).
Thank you for not driving anymore, people who don't know how to drive and drive scared have no business driving. Driving is a skill that needs to be practiced even after getting your driver license.
Speeding is just borrowing your work time to reduce your transit time. I dislike having to drive everywhere but when I do have to drive I'd prefer to relax and get the least stressful drive out of it. Being close to the destination also reduces transit time so since many people try to get to their destination as fast as possible maybe we should build cities that make destinations close to housing?
@@coastaku1954 At least on my area I see more housing going up in weird distant areas. Endless you want to work at walmart its a drive to go to any jobs.
I feel the same way honestly. I get very frustrated driving on stroads, having to deal with bikers on the street, cars coming in and out and the worst of all those terrible unprotected left turns during rush hour. I am also pretty tired of having to pay all these expensive car bills like having to pay hundreds of dollars a month on insurance which basically goes towards nothing basically just a "CYA just in case you fuck up" bill. Like literally the insurance companies are making bank off of this money you shouldn't have to be forced to pay every month because of our terrible infrastructure. I pretty much grew up with the idea that I can't go anywhere until I was 16 and that was just how I had to accept it the way it is. Now after watching your channel and not just bikes it just makes me angry about how hypocritical our society is where they tell people driving is a privilege and not a right, but then restrict the shit out of you if you are unable to drive. Like how ridiculous is it you need to spend $1000 a month on transportation costs just to be able to get to work and go to the grocery store. It really sucks for parents because they have to put work or whatever they are doing aside to give their kids rides to where they need to be because they have no access to transportation. The fact 2 million people every year die in car crashes just blows my mind how we let that go by and do nothing to resolve this. How did we get to the point where we are ok with this?
@@sunnohh Capitalism isn't the problem. Over in Europe they are capitalist and they don't live in car dependent cities. You don't have to have socialism in order to have functioning infrastructure.
$1000 per month? What are you driving? Either you have a brand new car that after note, insurance, and gas comes up to $1000 or you have some ancient gas guzzling monstrosity that needs constant repairs.
Funny cause these Urbanist channels had the opposite effect on me. I also grew up knowing I couldn't go anywhere on my own till I was 16, even with public transit, and when I finally got my G2, I drove everywhere, but the difference is, NJB and urbanists channels make me so pissed because they want to destroy my status quo, replacing it with a life style I'm not used to, bringing change I may not like
I have first-hand experience on how dangerous car dependency is, I saw someone get hit by a speeding car and die right in front of me. Now I’m forever terrified at strodes
@@coastaku1954 Yeah people who've witness a crash think its some rare event, in reality its quite common and the only real solution is less people on roads.
@@coastaku1954 Didn't the video mention that it's weird that people consider deaths on roads to be accidents, and accept that's normal, instead of addressing the issue? Also as far as I'm aware the comment above only mentioned their personal experience, and didn't make any claims about it being a "downfall of our society"
I agree with your point about driving being dehumanizing. Just recently I realized that when I'm driving, everyone around me suddenly becomes the idiot and incredibly frustrating to deal with. I believe it's because when in a car, the only way to make your voice heard is through honking and agressive behaviour. People that drive all the time will eventually lose their ability to express their thoughts clearly without getting angry. Not to mention the incidental micro-interactions that drivers are deprived from. When you walk or bike, even the smallest interactions are meaningful - like just saying "thank you" when someone yields. In a car it's much more difficult. There's the hazard lights for thanking, but it's not a reflex. It's much easier to honk when angry. Being forced to drive everywhere IS dehumanizing and deprives people of feeling like they're a part of anything.
I'm similarly frustrated by the Reno metro area transit schedules. We really need better support for transit. Reno is the right size (geographic and population) to have an excellent transit system, including to the "hinterlands" of Fernley, North Valleys, Carson City, and Lake Tahoe.
Reno area needs two commuter Rail lines. One between Bordertown area to Minden/Gardnerville and the other between Truckee and Fernley. This is bare minimum.
@@sunandsage While that would definitely be good, I would definitely prefer to prioritize high quality rapid transit over commuter transit. Though the distinction can very much be in the details, greater frequency and longer run times are important.
I feel you. I hate driving or being in a car because it's such a miserable mode of transportation, only flying is worse. Unlike you, I never was in situation were I had no other choice but to drive (I don't live in the US). If I were a teenager again I wouldn't even bother to get my licence.
To my European brain Reno is such a weird looking place. The views of the mountains are really amazing and some roads were going up and down what seemed to be hills, but the rest looks so utterly flat, not just the terrain but especially all the buildings. I am from one of the flattest countries in Europe, but that is just the country side. Cities have contour or at least more differently shaped buildings than this video showed of Reno. This looked so weird to me that I almost want to see it in real life now. :D Anyway, good video and I liked the way you got around. Can't be easy all the time over there (the way the roads looked), but I did see some separate traffic/bicycle lanes (@minute 1:14)? That looked pretty well made.
Thats what is kinda is in LA. There is 10,000FT mountain north of DTLA but there are many hills in suburbs like Toluca Lake, Calabasas, Santa Clarita and Chatsworth
Your comment makes me want to one day street view the Reno area further. At least the area doesn't sprawl as badly as some other areas(i.e. Phoenix, Las Vegas), and where I wonder if any parts of that area are bikeable.
I moved to Chicago in 2017 and got rid of my car and it feels great. Chicago is one of the most walkable cities in the country and yet it's still an incredibly car-centric environment. the US has a lot of work to do going forward to try and diversify available modes of transportation, especially since vehicle manufacturers and oil companies have such a death grip on infrastructure legislation.
Ugh, I hated that the mayor called Chicago "a car city" earlier this year. There are plenty of car cities in America already and Chicago has pretty great public transit (by American standards) that it should lean into
I've looked into sustainable traffic safety/design or "Dutch design" and it really solves all the problems associated with our roads. I know some DOTs know about it somewhat but don't take it to heart because "we'll lose funding if we don't build it this way".
@@machtmann2881i’ve seen some photos and videos of Chicago's transit; it’s a dream to be in this trains, not having to worry about drivers on the road or the maintenance of a car!
Cities in North America are so heavily car-centric because that is exactly what the automobile manufacturers _wanted._ It was _their_ efforts that got public transportation facilities dismantled in major North American cities in favour of _their_ products. And if you even try to challenge this car-centric urban planning philosophy in North America, just watch as the automakers quickly move in and tell you to "shut up and don't fuck with our profits".
North American cities are also car centric because our politicians, city planners and developers make it that way. Its not like most of them are going out of their way to push for more medium to high density neighborhoods for people to live in. I'm sure if they did promote it more that many people would be open to living in more people friendly communities, but the fact is our leaders don't promote those kinds of developments enough probably because many of them are in the pockets of developers. Until our leaders change the way they want our cities to be built then nothing will change.
@@UzumakiNaruto_ Developers are only working off of urban planning inertia. The politicians were paid off by big business, in this specific case the automakers.
I didn't need to learn to hate to drive, I hated it from day one lol. I never understood why people like cars so much and was lucky enough to be orangepilled long before I got my license
I know you'll blow up because you seem wise about the current state of car-dependancy, car-based infrastructure, urban planning, etc. I subscribed at 1.29k. Mad love to you, and your electric scooter.
This is one of the reasons I'm a car enthusiast who hates car dependency. People like yourself who are fearful behind the wheel, overly cautious to the point of being a hazard on the road, and scared by driving in inclement weather conditions are the last people I want to share the road with. I fear nervous drivers far more than the overly confident fast drivers because they're more unpredictable. You and I both don't want you to be behind the wheel. We need more public transport to make sure you're not forced to be a hazard on the road.
After living in my current apartment for several years-where I have easy access to anything I'd need on a regular basis within reasonable walking distance-I genuinely don't think I could go back to living in suburbia. I love not needing a car to get anything done. I have so much more money for stuff I actually want instead of dumping it into a car.
What if you want a car though and enjoy the hobby of tuning? I love dumping money into my mazdaspeed3 lmao. And I legit only drive it for fun never to go to work because I don’t work far away for practical reasons as you should.
@@solomoncumquats776ooohhh nice; but good point, some people enjoy different things, that don’t mean they should be forced upon like in the case of cars
I learned to hate driving after I started living in Austria with great public transit that’s available 24 hours at the 3rd cheapest rate in the world and also cycling. I went from thinking I’ll have a suburban house and a car and that would be my life in Austria, to living in an apartment building and taking public transit to all around Europe. It’s changed my life.
Maybe why there was more congestion that night was because it was finals week. Tons of other students forced to drive after their finals too. If only there was a mass transportation option for all those students not just for finals week but sports days, conventions, etc.
@@petelee2477 being on a bus is more or less the same as being in your first lecture hall of the semester in terms of danger, chill out. Not everyone's out to steal your things. If you're really that nervous than just keep your bag on your lap and stay at the front of the bus. Besides, people are more altruistic than you think. If one person on a bus is trying to steal your things, there are at least 3 other people on the bus who are not comically evil and will stop the thief from even getting off the bus, not to mention the driver themselves. And that would just be on a bus that isn't busy! A more crowded bus has more people to monitor eachother and unintentionally watch out for eachother. There is a reason why more people are worried about walking alone and someone walking towards them than if they were in a busy park.
@@petelee2477an exitless room also means that no one is gonna mug you because they can't run away with your stuff. Your more likely to get mugged when walking on the pavement or being in a waffle house
I have mixed feelings about this video, and cars in general. I LOVE driving. As someone who loves exploring different places, I value the fact that I can look at a map, pick a new place I've never been to and drive there. I'm the person that will drive 2 and a half hours one way on a day trip to go hiking. However, I believe there is a massive difference in driving to places when necessary and driving to places for increased comfort. I hate that my college town (Brookings, SD) isn't walkable. One of my favorite parts of coming home to Des Moines and going to my grandparents place in St. Paul is the fact that I can walk to get my lunch every day. There are a ton of restaurants that I can order online and walk-in, grab my food, and head home. That's my favorite way to operate when eating alone. All of them are within half a mile walking distance one-way, usually the prime radius for walking to get food. My plan after I graduate is to get an apartment downtown Sioux Falls so I can have that same type of lifestyle. I always want to walk places in Brookings, but SDSU is on the north side of 14, which is just a giant barrier from going anywhere. I went and got Jimmy Johns a lot, which was 1500 feet from where I lived last year, and I got Subway a lot last year, not much further. I didn't have a car my first semester, which forced me to find a job that I could walk to. Even after I got a car, I still walked to my job, because by the time I walked to my car, I was halfway to my workplace. I love walking and driving, but I believe they each have their times. I walk to places in town, and I mostly drive to get out of town.
This is where cheap car subscription services would be fantastic. I also love driving, but for leisure. I want my day to day and infrastructure to be on the people scale and only use car when I want (which is very rarely).
See, this is the thing By giving people the option of driving, rather than dragging them by the ear to a car, not only does it free up roads for people who *have* to drive (or the psychos who want to) but it also makes required driving shorter by things being closer together
@@tacticallemon7518 Different people like different things. I find the notion of camping mad. Why would I spend my precious free time getting chewed to pieces by mosquitoes under tarp when hotels are widely available? But some people love it and more power to them.
I went carless when I moved to Atlanta. I live in a walkable neighborhood and traffic is so bad in this city that it's genuinely faster, easier and safer to use Marta to get around the city than it is to drive. I just wish there were more bike lanes.
America makes me feel like.. I don't know, I feel nonexistent. Constantly stressed out. I have been yelled at for walking on the sidewalk. I've had things thrown at me. Cars have tried to run me over when I use a gutter lane ("bike" path). It's illegal to bike on sidewalks, but extremely dangerous to bike in the road. You get yelled at for biking in the road. If Bikes don't belong on the road, or the sidewalk, where do they go? Why am I considered trash and "far left" for walking? Why do people think I'm homeless when I walk on the sidewalk? Why am I, someone unable to drive, or afford to drive, trash? Can't leave the house. Someone will get offended. Someone will call the police on you after they run you over. Someone might rape you. Someone might mug you. This is America, when you are a slave to your country. I can't live here, not when I physically vomit from being stressed about trying to survive.
I love walking is somehow “far left” I remember some armchair psychologist diagnosing me with crippling anxiety because i called paying attention to the 4 jackasses of questionable intellect near me “stressful” Hell, the biggest stress i’d say is jackasses tailgating you and laying on the horn for not going 20 over Are they carrying a gun? Probably Are they mentally stable? Probably not Are they capable of killing you? Absolutely
I think the vertigo from stopping after a while of driving is just the brain getting used to what it sees. Kinda like how if you slowly scroll down a web page for several minutes, when you stop it seems like everything is moving down, or those optical illusions where you stare at a spinning spiral and when you look away everything looks all wavy. I get the same thing when cycling if I just stare forward.
You hit the nail on the head here. I’m only in driver’s ed and I’ve already had three anxiety attacks. And there is a bus that goes through my town, but it’s miles away from where I need to go and come to the most random hours. So it’s not practical. Don’t get me wrong, I love my life and my family but I wish I lived in a place that wasn’t so car centric. Who knows, maybe I’ll set up a strong towns division here
I used to live in Reno and only took the bus on that one time my car broke down. Taking public transit there was horrible, impossible. Moved to Vancouver Canada and was amazed by the superb public transportation, and biking infrastructure. I barely use my car now (every other week).
It’s funny, I’ve always hated driving (it gives me anxiety/stress and I often have panic attacks while behind the wheel 😅), and I also never considered it “liberating” to own a car. I have yet to bring my car to my university campus. I have no need for it. I attend Liberty University and it’s probably the safest and most walkable campus around. Sure, improvements can be made, especially for those who use wheelchairs, but for the most part it’s super accessible. The city of Lynchburg even partnered with the school a few years back to add a walking bridge over University Blvd so students could access grocery stores off campus without a car. One of my best friends walks to Walmart all the time even though he has a car, because he has cerebral palsy and walking helps him keep his left leg/side of his body strong. If he was forced to drive everywhere his health would decline. I also use the buses all the time at school and they are consistently reliable. There’s even a link on the university’s website where you can track the bus routes in real time to see when you need to walk to the bus stop. Super convenient and cheap…no parking fees or anything! Urban planners could learn a thing or two from how college campuses function.
I went to college in VA too. The college campus was very walkable and bus routes were plentiful. I think part of the reason people miss college so much is that it's probably one of the few times in their lives where things were within walking distance to them and the campus was designed to be social, unlike wherever we end up as adults
So its true about the pledge and additional rules they put on you at liberty? Ive heard a few accounts about the insane levels of control they want to maintain
Funny thing is I don't consider myself to hate driving, rather the issue is with heavy traffic or difficult driving situations that tend to be caused specifically by bad planning. I also happen to be one of those odd people that may take a slightly longer route if the average traffic density along it is somewhat lower. Still I agree with the majority of points about how stupidly the infrastructure is setup to be way too car centric.
I agree 100%, driving has made me incredibly anxious from the moment I first started learning to drive and this has not gone away with age. Driving feels so unnatural & it is so depressing to be on the interstate or a stroad 😞
I am so glad you brought up the Virginia and Truckee. I wish the tracks were never torn up, and as time goes on, I look more intently at the sections of abandoned track bed and railroad facilities that could have been preserved not just as a tourist trap, but for a genuine commuter service that would benefit students and workers immensely.
YES! Thank you! I live in Israel, where most of the cities were built post WWII and at the height of the modernistic era in city planning and architecture. Because of that, almost all of our cities and towns are car dependent (not to the US level, but still). Even tough we are the OECD country with the worst traffic recorded, we still cant shake off from the addiction. Beyond the gaslighting urbanists experience in the field when speaking up to car dependency, the thickness of the "Car Goggles" is immense. Any way, keep up the good work.
@@artirony410 From who, dude? From the Israeli occupation in the west bank or from the grasp of the terrorist organization Hammaas in Gaza? The Israeli - Palestinian conflict is a super complex one. Both sides are equally right and wrong at the same time, depending on the aspect considered. Saying something as one dimensional as "Free Palestine" just because I said I'm from Israel is outright ignorant man.
Those 'Car Goggles' you mentioned were recognised as early as the '50s. Here's a Disney cartoon titled 'Motor Mania' from 1950: th-cam.com/video/mwPSIb3kt_4/w-d-xo.html
For me, bad weather or getting lost are my two biggest issues when it comes to driving. If the weather is nice and I’m going somewhere I’ve been before, I have no problem. Battling inclement conditions or trying to navigate unfamiliar territory always spikes my anxiety and so nowadays I only drive when I absolutely have to. Otherwise, I walk, bike ride or arrange for certain things/people to come to me if possible.
Thank you so much! I enjoy walking and cycling, it is more enjoyable and healthy for me. I sadly live in an area that is car-dependent, however. But I honestly feel so MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE and have more fun on an e-scooter! Thank you so much for your video!! ❤❤
I still don't have my driver's license age 29. For me driving (in the passenger seat) is mostly a fun activity. It's always with friends or family on a trip. Everyday I cycle 25 minutes to work, it's healthy, wakes me up and it's more freeing than being stuck in a car. Greetings from Antwerp.
Amen. I wish that my many American friends would live in a walkable & well planned city long enough to experience the ultimate freedom & joy that it brings. I'm happy to see that this is getting some traction with channels like yours. At 50 years old though, I'm not going to wait & try to live in other countries as much as possible. Tks for the content. Keep up the good work.
I only got into urban planning late last year when I was "shown the light" after skeptically watching a video in my recommended list from Not Just Bikes. I was a 17y/o who had only just obtained my license at the time and was still convinced driving was the only viable means of transportation. Every day, more and more people are discovering that there ARE alternatives to driving, just as I did late last year. It has gained lots of momentum in just the past year alone, just give it a few more years and we might start seeing **real** change, even in places that are diametrically opposed to alternative means of transportation. I just want to thank you, as well as every other urbanist content creator, for the work that that you guys do to spread the message. I have subscribed and hope to see your channel grow significantly.
I don’t hate driving, but I am done with cars, possibly forever, after my car, which I had already spent thousands in repairs on recently, decided it had enough when the head gasket went bad. I was already planning on ditching it anyway for most trips once I got a new job (I used to deliver pizza, meaning I not only had to commute to work by car, but drive my own car for the job itself) But now I’m thinking I might just stay carless permanently and just ride my bike and walk everywhere.
What I find interesting is that I only ever enjoy driving on narrow, bumpy, winding country roads lined with grazing sheep and the occasional suicidal deer. Roads that feel slightly unsafe even when there is no other traffic. For some reason it makes driving feel like an event of sorts, rather than just a form of waiting. At best highway driving puts me to sleep, and at worst it stresses me out. Good highways are oppressively featureless! All that's left to focus on are things that annoy me. The campervan blocking my path, the audi sniffing my bum, the unidentified rattle coming from inside the dashboard that started 5 years ago!
This, i moved from northern NY to CT and when i drive home (only option, 6hr drive vs multiple flights vs 24hrs on a train to be 3hrs from home, litterally no contest) i spend about 3hrs on the interstate and hate every minute of it, and when i get off and start crossing the Addirondacks for the other 3hrs of the drive my mood suddenly massively improves and the drive becomes enjoyable. Personally i would rather just take a train and spend 6hrs reading a book, or playing a videogame on my switch, or just nap on a night train.
The problem with highways is the speed limit. In many states they have the same speed limit as those winding country roads, when they really shouldn't even have a speed limit.
I personally really enjoy driving. Both in a sporty and relaxed way, there's something about being in command of a car that just makes me whole. That being said, I perfectly get why some people hate it, because it means putting yourself and others in constant danger, and it's mostly people who dread the idea of driving that ruin the experience to me and others who like it as well, because the frustration of needing to drive when you hate it always shows in the way you drive. It makes people disconnect from the road and not pay attention and it turns them into a danger for everyone else. I think what I mean to say is that both people who hate and love driving would equally benefit from less car centric infrastructure, as it would remove people who don't want to be on the road (or at least driving) from it, making life easier for you all and for us. Great video man, I love it
I remember my first time taking a bus to class in Texas. It took 45 minutes to drive to class, and 60 minutes to bus to class. Why the hell would I spend 45 minutes driving, when I could be doinking around on my computer or phone for an hour? Looking at memes, watching youtube, you name it. Cars are LITERALLY robbing us of HOURS daily, and I'm a radical because I don't want to spend that time (or money) driving anymore! I dont even want to stop people from driving, I just want some options that aren't driving.
What I find utterly hilarious about drunk/texting and driving campaigns they have in high schools are that no one questions why crashes ever happen in the first place? It’s because everyone is using a car. No cars, no car crashes. It’s the literally simplest solution to distracted driving.
It's because cars have become so normalised in American society. You should be able to walk home from the bar. You should be able to walk everywhere, cars just being a tool for carrying a lot. This means that driving is more sacred and more of a special thing to do.
Yes, we can't stop drunk men from driving unless we give them alternatives. Or do as we Muslims do, ban drinking. Good way to reduce domestic violence, you know.
I agree but it's not about having no cars. What we need is more options. In the city center, other forms of transit should be prioritized but driving can still be allowed. and obviously some amount of automobile infrastructure is necessary for emergency and delivery vehicles.
I went car-free, even turned down a free personal work vehicle and could have afforded a car with the cost I put into my real mode of transportation, my class-2 ebike. I live in Winnipeg and travel to every end of the city, the same night sometimes, and the longest it ever takes is an hour. Which sounds long till you realize a car would take 40 minutes. Plus my commute also is mostly scenic and through tourist spots/beautiful areas of the city, not stuck at red lights or in heavy traffic in cold concrete wastelands. It's even been worth the 2 times cars ran stops and run me over this year alone. This city is great.
I prefer to drive, but that's probably because I live in a semi-rural area. That, and I'm a car enthusiast, so I may come from a different perspective. I respect you for speaking your mind though, and doing it in an informative and educational way!
I grew up in a semi-rural area and am into cars, especially modified ones. Honestly compared to driving in a city it's so different. You can enjoy country roads but city streets are packed and just not fun to drive through. Whenever we needed to go to a bigger city we'd always take the train to save the headache of driving and trying to find parking.
Seeing this video is absolutely exhausting. I ditched my cars two years ago, which shouldn't have been hard since I live in a walkable city with great bicycle infrastructure here in Sweden. What I needed was really "Just Not Bikes" putting into words what I actually felt. And it gave me that final push I needed to ditch my car for good and instead commit to alternative commuting options. I have absolutely no interest in ever owning a car again, and I don't ever regret selling my car. Although my city is doing a lot for bicycles and pedestrains I definitely think they could be even more aggressive and envision a car free city center. We have busses, trains, metro, bike sharing, scooter sharing. We have so many options to get around. And you will find several grocery stores, pharmacies etc. within just a 500m-1km walk.
10:45 Such a good point. Privilege implies driving is something that is earned, but a lot of people can't "earn" the privilege to drive for health, etc reasons, which makes the entire idea flawed.
Im an American who lives in China. I spent about 2 years commuting by car in America before I moved to China in 2009, and I haven't needed to drive since. The running joke in our household is that my Chinese girlfriend thinks that getting a car and driving would be really fun, but I just see at as a tedious burden and unnecessary expense.
@@WillmobilePlus The great thing is you dont have to! We can have free government AND awesome cities and countryside where walking and cycling are safe and pleasant. We just need to open our minds to a better way of doing stuff. And that sort of change is easier for the people to enact in a democracy.
@@BaiZhijie No its definitely easier in a dictatorship. Hong Kong got their amazing public transport by successive colonial governors railroading legislation through and Singapore got theirs through being a one party state. It's a lot easier when public opinion doesn't affect who's in charge. Still, democracy is far better all things considered
i cant understand how people think cars grant independence and public transit takes it away i felt more free in the 10 days i spent in a place with good publictransit than i have in car dependent america. I have really really bad attention and memory issues If I were to drive it would put others in danger. Hell.
I have been around cars my whole life, a dad who was and still is a successful mechanic now with his own shop and has workers... having grown up with at least 7+ cars in our driveway and cars on the lift in our side yard they are a sort of novelty and way of life for me in a more personal way. I really respect your decision to not drive, I only just got my own license last year at age 22 after literally being harassed constantly by my family for not wanting to drive... wayyy too many idiots on the roads, and people don't know how to fricking drive properly. Mad annoying.
I knew someone who lived in Reno and she told me that buses had a frequency of every 2 hours. However Reno seems a lot more salvageable than the Las Vegas area.
Love the personal story you shared I also have a E scooter. Currently studying at CSUSB. I live in Rialto which has a Metrolink station that takes me to the transit center in San Bernardino then I take the SBX BRT to the campus and vice versa going home. I work in Redlands by their university which will be the last station for the new arrow line opening in October and that line begins at the San Bernardino transit center. So in time I wont use my car at all. Not to mention I take the SBX for free with my student ID so I’m saving lots of money early in life so I can put it in my scooter and one day a cargo e bike for groceries. Also recently I’ve been visiting my Aunt in Alhambra which her closest Metrolink station is at Cal State LA and her house is a 20 min scooter ride. I’m so glad my life is becoming more and more car lite.
I live in the IE as well. How do you manage your visits to family in Alhambra with the Metrolink schedule? Having to leave before the last train on weekends. My family is in LA meaning the bus ride or Expo Line + bus adds an extra hour in addition to Metrolink schedule.
I swear, it kills me finding out places used to have trains and now they're gone. Vegas used to have a train and now to find out Reno had a train 🥲🥲🥲 I swear, it feels like we had a lot of good things in the past that are gone for reasons they probably don't make sense to me now
The reasons made sense to the Lost, GI and Silent generations. The Baby Boomers and Gen Xers pretty much grew up in a train-free society and just automatically bought into it. And here we all are, today: in automotive hell.
First video of your channel I have watched - I'm from the Reno area and I love, love, love having videos to watch about a place I know! Not Just Bikes got me hooked and I love seeing various cities broke down by their infrastructure failures and what they are doing to correct it! 10/10 keep it coming!
I really enjoy driving but, I don’t like it when driving becomes a chore. When I drive the posted speed limit, a lot of cars either honk, tailgate, or pass me and it’s very frustrating. I attend UNR and live with my parents and I drive to school almost everyday. I really like commuting with little electric scooters to go to places. There needs to be better alternatives to driving.
Driveing is definitely dehumanizing my dad has horrible road rage and everyone else is a useless idiot the second he gets behind the wheel. Their not people anymore.
Kind of ironic for me since I grew up in Reno and lived there most of my life and I like cars and move to another state for Automotive Engineering, but I also like urban planning and public transit (wasn't into it into I moved out of Reno). Majority of the US is very car dependent that not having a car is like not having legs and it puts so much financial burden on people. It is also ironic that now I live in Downtown of a major city, but still have to drive to the suburbs for work since it is almost virtually impossible to get to work by public transit. Reno apart from Midtown, Downtown, UNR, and Downtown Sparks isn't really really walkable and can do much better in terms of transit. Reno area has it pretty good in terms of size since you can pretty much get anywhere within 20 minutes and considering the population growth more viable transit options are going to be needed. Take Salt Lake City for example which is a similar sized in terms of population (little bit larger metro area) has multiple light rail options (commuter rail and light-rail). Used to live north of the Bonanza Casino and commuted by car to UNR even though it wasn't that far away since there weren't even side walks on N Virginia north of UNR and having painted lines next to 50 mph speed limit is just not acceptable for biking. Also had to commute from Reno to Carson City after college for work and yea pretty stressful going through Washoe Valley during snow storms. When traveling to other cities when there is a rail option from the airport. It reduces the stress of having to rent a car (can become expensive), fueling, parking, directions, traffic, other traffic, speeding, weather, etc.
This was a grat video. I live in rural New Hampshire and it's very hilly, so I've been commuting to work with an e-bike for the past few months. Once I figure out how to shield myself in the rain and snow, I don't think I'll need my car anymore. Hopefully I can eventually move to a more walkable city (or country, if I play my cards right and land a sweet career)
I just started driving two years ago and I never liked it. All my friends think I’m weird for it but I embrace it. It made it much easier for me to advocate for walkable cities with good transit.
I cannot live without out a car. Commute times without car; School - 69 minutes Work - 40 minutes Amusement park - 6 hours Grocery store - 40 minutes My grandparents' house - 29 hours
I wish you didn't have to. It takes 12 minutes for me to walk to school in the UK, and the same for my grandmother's home. The shop is 10 minutes away, and it is quite nice to walk. In America, you just find yourself next to cars and it isn't enjoyable at all. We also find ourselves next to cars, but they are slower and there are plenty of shortcuts that only pedestrians can take.
Now that I am watching in this video, along with others you have made about Reno and Carson City, I can 10000% agree with you on this. I also live in Carson with my parents, and I also go to UNR after transferring from WNC, so I feel you about the drive. It takes me around 1-2 hours, depending on traffic and delays, everyday to get from school and back. It’s a pain cause you deal with the dangerous conditions at washoe valley in the winter, along with worrying about going at a faster speed while maintaining yourself on your lane and having space so no one hits you. During my 1 year going to UNR so far, I’ve almost been into around 6-8 car crashes, all due to I-580. Along with me going to get stuff at Meadowood mall, I noticed there isn’t any sidewalks other than the ones surrounding the front doors of the building. There’s just large parking lots and no bicycle lanes, and it’s not even full. I’m glad I’m in Carson though cause it’s at least a bit more calm, and the infrastructure has gotten a lot better over the years.
I hate it too. Compared to a bike, it's so stressful. You have to micromanage your car, the environment around you, what you need to do, and everything else. In a bike, you just look at your surrounding environment and can use your brakes and gears to keep a safe speed. It's a lot easier and much more fun than a car. I can feel the cool air blowing past my face and the noise of the chains and the rewarding feeling of having climbed a big hill. In a car, however, i need to check my gear is fine and that my environment is clear and there is no cool air blowing across my face unless i get distracted, and then, of course, there is the indicators and various other things i need to check.
the illusion of movement while still stationary is an optical illusion related to the vertigo effect (you're stationary but your vision's "anchor point" is not, causing you to feel like you're the one moving), for anyone who suffers this and still need to drive there are prescripted glasses to mitigate it
Living near Philadelphia, I cannot stand driving that I barely want an actual license. A lot of the drivers here are Absolutely reckless. I relate to your experiences a lot.
We literally have the exact same stories for getting into urban planning. I also went down the exact same rabbit hole after discovering Not Just Bikes and realizing how brainwashed Americans are and how it's just inevitable and something we have to live with that this country (and even continent) is built around cars. Only difference is I haven't gotten around to making videos about it yet
Why is everyone so positive about NJB? He makes me so pissed at his personal attacks on how I live my life, he unfairly mocks North America and forgets that maybe our culture is different and we just like driving, having our own bubble, our own space to call our own. It's why we like living in single family homes, it's why we like big SUVs and Trucks. We prepare for every single eventuality like transporting friends, having guests over, transporting large items, traveling long distances. We want to go the way we want to go, instead of taking 12 buses and 3 train lines
@@coastaku1954 maybe because your lifestyle that you love and cherish maxmizes inefficiency and directly makes it harder for people who don't want our valuable resources to almost exclusively cater to people like you. People are tired of this country revolving around people like you up to the point where anyone who doesn't want a car is seen as a second class loser. It's easy to feel attacked personally when you were raised to believe that your lifestyle is correct and everyone else's lifestyle is wrong or "less valuable."
When my sister tried to get her licence she wasn't able to because her vision isn't good enough. Here in europe this is a non issue, especially in a big city. It barely affects her life (after all she can still read & stuff, she's not blind or anything) She just takes busses, trams or taxis everywhere & sometimes tells the story as a funny anecdote. But I recently saw a video about an US american dude with the same eye deffect, & his experience couldn't be more different because you can barely live without a car. He is basically stuck at his house unless his wife drives him to places & this made it a serious problem for finding employment.
I know you were asking about feedback on your videos a little while back and I have to say I really like this video topic, it definitely is unique to you in many ways while being super relatable. On the topic itself, I am personally relatively comfortable driving and at times even find it enjoyable but I can actually very much relate to this topic. Firstly, my girlfriend is terrified of driving so while she's licensed cannot drive. This means she either must walk or have me drive her around to do most things. I see first hand how the built environment being so dedicated to the car has trapped her into a limited area. This and your video reminds me how I am always so annoyed to see people use accessibility needs to defend car dependency when so many people's accessibility is harmed by car dependency. Secondly, I have personally learned to dread driving on rt 128/i95 in MA after an internship and recognized how driving on it made me way more irritable. Because of this I moved near my job but I now am forced to use this highway to see family. It makes me wish there was transit that served this area so I would never have to travel on it. But while MA does have decently far reaching transit as the commuter rail, there is no radial line that mirrors the highway in any form and therefore what is a fairly quick trip by car becomes an entire day trip by transit if even possible. Meaning people who cannot drive are barred access to the corridor while others like myself are forced to risk our physical and mental well being to reach the major employment and commercial hubs that have sprouted up along this corridor over the years.
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I share your frustration when I hear people say "Driving is a privilege". People throw that phrase around more often than the amount of food wasted in the US. Sure, it's a "privilege" to get your license and to drive, but it's not like there's other reliable and safe/comfortable options to go get groceries and to work without a car.
If it's a privilege to drive, it ought to be a right to have well regulated transportation by any other means... heh.
Yes, this is so deeply entrenched pro gun loonies can rhetorically shout 'cars kill more people than guns so shouldn't we ban cars too?' And the answer is YES.
You don't have to use all privileges afforded to you, so their argument is moot
To me driving is a privilege means you do not have a right to drive . And if you insist on driving badly you should have your license permanently suspended .
Or that it’s actually hard to get a license. They pretty much just hand them out.
People, generally speaking, are at their most entitled when they're behind the wheel. Interacting with people in cars, even to the minimal extent required to walk, drive, or bike down the road, is so much less pleasant than interacting with people not in cars.
ill be the first to admit yeah im this. bitch i have a fucking mercedes get out of my way let me go 30 over
We call those people BMW drivers.
I AM THE CAR!!!!!!! YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME OR YOU WILL GET RAN OVER BABY!!!
Agreed. I think a lot of the "ugh, pedestrians and ~cyclists~ are so entitled!" is outright projection. People in vehicles don't realize how entitled they sound themselves, by implying they're the only ones with the right to use the road, break the laws while driving, etc.
The less attentive and capable a driver is the more likely they are to personify other vehicles even as they dehumanize that other "car." It should be no surprise that study after study asking drivers to self-rate routinely shows 70% rating themselves in the top half. The kicker is that this tends to include the very worst 20% while a lot of drivers in the top third rate themselves as merely average making the supremely confident yet woefully incapable drivers the root of most vehicular insanity.
"..it's funny how no cyclist never has an issue with me riding my scooter too slowly."
this single point is why cars are doomed to be toxic, you're physically blocked by other people when you want to be literally anywhere else but there.
meanwhile on a sidewalk, or on any properly designed infrastructure, you can easily and effortlessly maneuver around anyone, no matter what bike/walking/etc. and its never an issue to move out of the way if you need to, meanwhile a car at 60mph becomes screaming bullet for anything within 500 ft of it
I feel the same way but still love my turbocharged speed3, I will just drive for leisurely reasons
Trains can go way faster, but people don't feel uncomfortable standing a meter away from one because it's pretty easy to tell where they'll go.
I disagree, if as many people biked as they drive cars, their would be a very big issue with those moving too slow. People already get mad at others who walk too slow WHEN there's space provided to go around.
@@reshadegaming6285 If slow bikes would be a "very big issue" then the Sunday Drivers are an infringement on public safety. Bikes don't take nearly the same amount of infrastructure of any other form of transportation (excluding pedestrians). If you were biking along and came up on someone biking much slower than you and not giving decent space to pass, all you would have to do is say "excuse me" and they would turn around, see your face (not the grill of a hulking F150), and probably let you by... because it's easy to do.
@@schwarzwolfram7925 I'm saying it would be an issue as in people would make noise about it. You guys are thinking too logically here. What would really happen many times in the situation you postulated is some guy would throw a beer bottle at you and potentially cause a huge accident. Road rage isn't logical and while some of it may have to do with cars I'd wager most of it is a societal problem.
20 ish years ago I made a decision to move to a walkable community in a largely car dependent city and it changed my life forever, I immediately went from driving nearly 20,000 miles a year to less than a few thousand. In the subsequent years, the amount of driving I've done has dwindled to 0 on a daily basis, and now the amount of driving I do is relegated to specialty trips (usually) out of town. I walk on average 6 miles a day for both "transportation" and deliberate exercise. I ride both my personal bike for exercise and bike share for optional transportation. I sometimes take a local in-town bus and use an express bus to get to the airport. It's certainly not impossible to live a daily life in non-rail transit places without a car if one tries. Good for you!
Would you say what city you live in? I’m looking for more walkable and bikeables town. With public transport choices.
I havent owned a car in over 5 years, and I don't miss it. I walk to the grocery store, work from home, ride a bike when i need to go further than a mile, and carshare when i need to go to another city. I love being able to go places without a car
I've made this work in both the South Beach section of Miami Beach and in downtown Raleigh. It's easier in South Beach than in downtown Raleigh because there are just more walkable options, but both places have allowed me to severely cut down on driving.
@@enjoyslearningandtravel7957 Also, small walkable college towns are an option. I live comfortably in the downtown of one. Everywhere in town is within a 15 minute bike ride with some decent bike trails. Decent bus network too. Check out Pullman Washington
Downtown Toronto has an excellent Bike Share scheme that allowed me to not only ditch bringing my car downtown for visiting, it allowed me to ditch bringing my own expensive bike downtown as well, where I fear it getting stolen or trying to squeeze it onto the GO Train
I enjoy driving in a motorsports or leisure context... But that doesn't change the fact that I loathe commuting, interstate driving, and long-haul trucking. It's such a huge waste of time and brain power to be driving so much.
Same, I'm a big car guy but use public transport or bike for boring commuting whenever I have the chance, I live in the countryside in europe, so bus is the go-to solution here.
Same driving and commuting are two different beast.
I'm fine driving long distances and commuting, but I wish the amusement parks I visit in the US and Canada were easier to get to by Train
I like canyon carving and going 80+ on the autobahn, Rallying is fun. Adventure is fun.
Fuck parking lots. All of them. From being impossible not to kill your clutch in a manual to taking a month to find a spot to getting your wrap destroyed by someone in a blob the size of Texas to brainlets that seem to drive blindfolded. Horrible.
Also being reliant on potentially a dorito-powered 90s project car to live ain’t fun even if I like dorito engines
Biggest flex is running and even walking past a long way of traffic that moves a inch for every minute
With a bicycle 🚲
This more personal video is touching. I reiterate what I said when I found your channel, with the rise of urbanism and transit on TH-cam, I think things will get better with more people being educated. I wonder if large and lengthy projects like California's high speed rail would have gone smoother with more support if alot more people were educated much earlier, like the 1990s.
CA HSR is a victim of american infrastructure culture, we have this issue with everything. the I-5 expansion in burbank CA is over budget and years late (but no one complains about that for some reason...) if we funded the while thing up front, with prescheduled yearly bond issuances if need be, built things like this from time to time, and didn't let contractors and subcontractors rob us blind things would be way cheaper and quicker to build
@@PlaystationMasterPS3 It crops up in other things, even Japan is having issues expanding their high speed lines. EVEN WHEN they have already seen the huge benefits of the lines in place. They were some of the FIRST to do this. Madness.
the classic fallacy that the risks of bad things happening while trying to do a good thing outweigh that good thing
The dehumanizing of driving is a big reason why I’m going car-free. It’s kinda a mind-eff.
To be fair I take public transit and people are just as mean if not worse. Before I had distance but not people can walk up to me
@@pleasedontwatchthese9593 It is at least very unlikely that a transit rider not paying attention to what they're doing will lead to a wreck that kills or maims people
Damn hippies, you can walk or cycle outside my road all you want if I see you in my road though you will get rammed by my F350.
you'll still be a passenger in one though right? lmao
@@nickm5419 I am right now 🤣 And I’ll rent one when I need one myself 🤷♂️
That illusion of movement you get, where your vision tricks your body into actually feeling movement when you're sitting still at an intersection in a car. I felt it often as a passenger. It's wild. The car so far removes you from the surrounding world, you might as well be in a space station.
I never felt that as a passenger but when i started driving i felt it and its the most trippiest thing ever
How about “we’re going 70mph but why does the scenery pass so slowly” as a passenger
@@Grateful.knits99 yeah, the road environment is built to spec; signs are huge, lanes are wide, and clear zones are even wider. It's made to comfort the driver into a state of mind where minimal attention is paid to the world around. it's part of why someone's seen as insane for driving the speed limit or under, it feels as slow as, or slower than a leisurely cycling pace through a narrow city street.
I was parking once and there was a very large suv to my left blocking my vision. Just as I stopped in the space, the suv began to reverse out of the space. Mentally, I felt as though my car was still moving. I immediately stood on the brake pedal and simultaneously pulled the parking brake, but I still felt as though I were moving for that 2 or 3 seconds and panicked as I believed that I was not/could not stop. Very uncomfortable…
I didn’t realize so many others felt this way too
Im so glad more people are sharing the sentiment!! Ive always felt this way as a beginner driver, everyone around me has always told me “oh you’ll get over that fear once you stop driving” but ive been driving for a few months now and i still get nervous every time i have to drive somewhere. I genuinely dread having to drive and deal with shitty streets, tailgaters, and inattentive people. I hate the idea that no matter how carefully or good i drive, there’s always a chance someone who wasn’t paying attention for a second could kill me. I genuinely love walking and roller skating to places, but living in socal so many places are genuinely inaccessible to pedestrians and you’re pretty much forced to drive due to distance. I hate driving now just as much as i did when I first started :^/
I had the same experience when I learned to drive and 6 years later I still hate it so much!!!! I always feel like I am so close to death when I’m in a car.
@@Katherine-hn1qz its because you are close to death. Driving is deadly as fuck, but we refuse to acknowledged it here in the USA.
Hang in there, driving in urban environments is never easy, but the fear will dissipate with experience. I know people who never had licences and it has impacted their lives negatively, they are wholly dependant on others with licences when ever they need to go anywhere outside of cities. So you might not need a car, but every able bodied person should have a licence.
Its truly insane that we are forced to accept highly probable death every time we drive, especially in big urban areas.
I would not say “highly probable” considering 99.99% of people who drive aren’t killed while doing it.
Before being anti-car dependent. I always hated driving. It was just too much responsibility being on my shoulder at such a young age of 16. Driving is such a hassle than what people claim, my friends think it was cool to have a car, but I just dislike it. Sure, I had a lot of benefits like I could leave school Early if the last teacher in my period did not arrive, or not have to wait for my parents to pick me up. But every time I get on the road I have this sense of anxiousness and have to be mentally focused on the road, having little appreciation of my surroundings.
My first accident happened when I was 18, and trust me. despite being a small accident, I was at the verge of having a panic attack which I thankfully and luckily was set free by the person because they had an expired Driver's Liscence. (To make it more awkward, it was my next door neighbor). I really question people who insist on Defending Car-Dependent Infrastructure if they ever had a car accident, because they mostly act like it will never happen to them.
grow up
@@budder2970 10/10 argument. I was really floored by your logic and how you thought everything through.
People with higher anxiety than average are sadly usually at a disadvantage when it comes to driving, I know I am.
The only difference is I actually love driving, but the anxiousness is still there.
@@gergoantal1066 All the things that give me anxiety are rewarding in the end.
@Budder good point, I mean the only thing we have to fear is fear itself said some famous person of yesteryear
I love driving, I love cars (truly, not just cause I need them for transportation) but it's extremely frustrating that people that does not want to drive can't do anything else safely. It's just not fair
Grew up with a dad who's a mechanic and has been for the last forever of my existence lol (I am 23), and a mother who would always accompany my dad at car auctions to bid on cars with him and a huge gearhead like he is. I've been around cars forever, moral of the story. They are amazing pieces of engineering, even some considered as art/showpieces, and are very versatile. Lowriders in particular have always been my favorite kind of car.
i agree, but it impossible for people to act like cars and the infrastructure that comes with them is the only reason we know commuting as we do so nowadays.
Complete BS. No one is forced to drive.
@@holzmann- Unless you live in an area where cars are the only viable form of transportation.
@@holzmann-how are you supposed to get groceries? Beg someone to ferry you around?
6:36 on the topic of dehumanizing, I felt a similar thing just recently. I had to drive to the next city over on the (clogged) interstate. All the stop and go, jockeying for lane transitions, everything… just made me nonsensically HATE everyone else on that road. The experience made me feel nastily misanthropic until I was able to get out of my car and unwind for half an hour. It’s not healthy, for people or for a society.
@@deus_ex_machina_ just watched it, it was both hilarious and sad. It even predicted (maybe? I donno if intersections were that big yet) just how stupidly large car crossings would become! That was, what, an 8 laned monstrosity? Those aren't comical exaggerations anymore, those actually exist now
@@deus_ex_machina_ Lmao thank you so much for that link! I've never seen that Classic Cartoon before that shit cracked me up 🤣 Like holy shit we've known about these problems for far too long!
@@deus_ex_machina_ I watched this in my driving course for teens. It was funny then I realized that many people I know (dad, mom, friends parents, and other people) will show this behavior. A friend of mine took me to a monster truck rally in Texas, while we were trying to leave the parking lot it was packed to the brim. Everyone was honking and cutting each other off. Even my friends mother was cursing at a car that was going to speed limit after we left the parking lot in a residential neighborhood. Really shows you how cars affect our psyche.
@@deus_ex_machina_ It was uncanny how this cartoon looked like it was made this year. It's basically NJB's "I got a new truck" video.
In particular, a few ideas that I thought were recent developments or memes that were in this video:
1:25 Garage full of hoarder crap (Was this seriously a problem as early as 1950?!?)
5:10 Placing decals on your vehicle for each pedestrian hit
Also RIP streetcars at 3:49 ;(
Imagine how I feel as a trucker having dealt with traffic for my entire 20s
I never understood how there can be people who wake up early in the morning, get into their cold car before the caffein hits, and sit in traffic to get to work. If there is a hell, that would be mine.
The worst part of driving is that it is a complete time sink. You get nothing out of it, no money, no benefit to physical health, no mental stimulation, absolutely nothing. Every time I get behind the wheel I feel like a zombie, I wish I could just take a bus everywhere.
Have you tried looking up from your phone while driving
@@lplsupersports ?????????????
Try harder next time
Most likely based on location and personal experiences, but I've had worse encounters using public transport than I have driving myself around.
@@wolflover552 It definitely does have its drawbacks, especially in the states. Options would be nice though, drivers would be better off if they got everyone who hated driving off the road tbh.
@@lplsupersports Idiot claim.
Honestly, even without your excellent essay. Your background footage is more than enough evidence of why we shouldn't be driving. It's crazy how many illegal U-turns, dangerous lane merging, and speeding are in this video. Humans aren't meant to drive, and we need to reorganize our cities to be less car-centric.
The only reason the speed limit isn't followed is that the road isn't designed to show that speed limit at all. There is no change in the road. In other places, trees and street furniture may be brought closer to the road to make things look faster and force drivers to slow down to feel safe again. In the UK, the suburbs are //very// curvy and quite thin, which forces you to go slower. Motorways are big and wide and make you feel like faster speeds are ok there.
Heck, in Sapain, on the Santander-Bilbao motorway, the speed limit is given by how the motorway curves and how close the mountains are. You feel scared going at 120 km/h so you go down to 80 km/h instead. And in the AP-68 desert route, there is literally nothing, few exits and few cars. So you feel safe going at 120 km/h.
you have a speed radar in your eyes?
@@56independent42 This. "Forgiving design" is suited for highways, but not streets, especially streets with varied modes of personal transportation like walking and cycling.
@@suuu886 No. You watch surrounding landscapes and guage how dangerous your speed is. In a desert road, you can go as fast as you like if the road is straight, but when you're in a tight street, you're forced to go slowly.
what? with your flawed logic, humans should just drop dead. Because we're flawed, we can't do anything that might place other people's lives at risk. we can't own weapons, we can't built ballistic missiles, we can't build fires, we can't have language (words hurt people too), we can't ride a bike (bicycle accidents are real), we can't fly planes, we can't ride in boats. we can't study science, we can't produce food (food poisoning), we can't walk (risk of falling over) etc...
Go live in Europe or Asia if you want less car centric. Other people like the freedom of owning a car.
Man your scooter ride looks so relaxing. Just cruising steadily by, not going to get stuck in traffic.
exactly, so much breeze and stress leaving you
Living without a car is a dream. But the roads I live upon are too hilly and only designed for cars - no sidewalks, no public transportation. But this video explains precisely how I feel about driving and the experience of driving for me.
If the city or town still has hills you could still design it for bicycles since they’re now E bikes that can make it doable without getting too exhausted.
@@enjoyslearningandtravel7957 or buses/trams or cable cars like in San Fran. People pretend that hilly and hot cities require cars but those same cities existed before them!
@@zach.223 That’s true.
I can't do this because I live in the country. If I lived in the city maybe. But, because I live in a rural area. I can't.
@@OhioStateFan6 There exists situations where one needs a car. However, most of the people in the US wouldnt need on if we built walkable cities/suburbs. For those who need to travel for work, if we had trains, and buses, those same people wouldn't need a car anymore. The point of these videos are that with the right infrastructure, most wouldn't need a car.
As a massive car guy who adores cars and driving, I fully agree that a car centric society is a detriment to us all. I want for us to have more walkable neighborhoods, more public transportation options, etc. I love a well thought out urban area that can accommodate people on foot just as well as a limited car population. My thought is the less people who don’t want to drive are on the road, the more enjoyable driving can be for people who enjoy it like me.
fr Cars are my life and I 100% agree a car centric society and infrastructure just sucks.
We are humans. So our environment should be centered around humans.
I think the Netherlands and Japan have figured it all out because there you get the best of everything you can walk, cycle, use their great public transport like buses and trains AND still get to freely use you car.
when I was in grad school, I started biking for commuting.
I near immediately fell in love with it. I hadn't needed to drive much before then on a regular basis, so I hadn't learned to hate that. And it helped my college town has a fairly decent his system, but I began looking up more and more info about transportation and biking.
I'm glad I found NJB, he really was able to flip the switch in my head to see the larger forces at play
I also rode my bike all the time in college, and it was amazing! It's had me occasionally fantasizing about moving back to my crappy little college town, but cycling wouldn't really work there for non-students anyway.
"I'm glad I was able to find NJB, he was really able to flip the switch in my head to see the larger forces at play"
I had a similar experience, but if you really want to see how deep this rabbit hole goes, I'd recommend Eco Gecko. I put his videos in my Watch Later and hesitate to actually watch them because it's kind of depressing...
I bought a bike at a garage sale for like $10 when I was in my 30s. I bought it as a lark- hadn't ridden since I was a kid, but immediately it was like night and day. I never again wanted to drive anywhere that I could bike to. It's not exactly that I HATED driving, I mean, I kind of did, but I had kind of internalized driving as a necessary (if unpleasant) part of modern life, like telemarketers or the music they play when you're waiting on hold to make a dental appointment. I hadn't even considered biking to work before, but now I can't even consider driving.
Some asshole stole that bike- they cut the sign post I locked it to, (oddly, instead of just cutting the cheap bike lock) thereby causing an order of magnitude of damage greater then the value of the bike. So I bought another - new, this time - and some asshole stole that one too. SO I bought another. This has been going on for years now - currently I ride an old Fuji bike from I think the 1970s that my neighbor gave me. I love that bike - in its day it was top-notch, but to look at it nobody wants to steal it.
Decades later I still don't wanna drive anywhere. Cars suck.
I wish NJB didn't make me so pissed all the time
When I got my permit at 15-16, I joked that with now 4 cars in a one car driveway, if the other 17 families on this block do that too, I'll have to walk further than my destination just to get my car and drive back.
I can confirm this happens for real.
One place I lived was designed for only 1 car per apartment in the lot (built back when that was the norm). All the other cars were parallel parked up and down both sides of the street. There were times I parked down the street and around the corner.
Yea, my family has 2 trailers (one for a boat, one for cars) and 4 cars
And a recreational trailer we have in a nearby storage facility, but ignore that
We effectively have 6 (usually only 5, though) things in our possession
Which leads to blocking the street with two cars (and sometimes a trailer)
Which makes me wonder, why both the people in our house who have a Valid DL (I only have my permit because i dragged my feet when it came to getting it) need a truck for towing, and a commuter, when neither of them *need* to drive for work
Makes me wonder where i could put my car (currently parked at a relative’s, broken down) when we get it here
Part of me wants to just send it to some property we own just so it’s out of the way, because fuck dealing with 7 hunks of metal I despise on the regular
I used to live in Reno, and now live in a suburb in TX. I hate my car dependent self because lack of walkability and public transit. There is only 1 metro train system. Just one.
I like cars, I wanna own a car when I get a license (I'm 12), but I don't wanna be forced to drive. I wanna use driving as an actual privilage, not a thing where you have to do it.
I like cars, not car-centric infastructure.
Edit: I turned 12 11 days ago so yeah
I completely understand bro. Im a car guy, always have been (my first word was car). BUT if you have to drive every day you dont love it so much anymore.
Same here (although I'm old enough to be your dad). I like cars and enjoy driving. I don't enjoy stroads and don't want to have to use a car every time I leave home.
Move to the northeast
@@benfelps bro I'm 12.
I can't unless my parents wanna move.
But I do wanna live in Buffalo, NY when I grow up.
Edit: I also wanna live in Pittsburgh, PA when I grow up
You know this is what I hate the most about America. Car dependency. I lived in south america. Brazil to more exact. You don't need a car. I am talking about a much poorer country. Car dependency sucks. I feel what makes a city great is comercial streets and people, not cars.
I am from Europe and used to like driving. After moving to the US I lost interest in cars whatsoever. Now I am back in Europe and my passion still has not come back. Even if you like something but they force feed you with it, you will hate it eventually.
But I get force feed public transport and I still love it!
I'm from Europe (Germany) and it's mostly like in the US. It sucks. I hate when people say "IN EURoPe ITS BEtTEr". It isn't. It sucks
@StoneManufacturing Europe is as a whole better. Thats like saying Europe has more black people than Africa by comparing the 2 extremes
nah you completely forgot the worst part about driving: The Highway. You constantly need to merge, be careful around construction. Oh and yeah people expect you to do 25 over the speed limit or they will cut you off, or maybe shoot you. Try driving the speed limit on the highway, its impossible lol.
So don’t do the speed limit. They are outdated anyway
@@baddriversofthenorcalarea500like so many people are doing speeding on the freeway that it’s physically impossible to ticket ‘em
Sometimes people will even open their doors on the freeway
@@baddriversofthenorcalarea500 Even following the speed limit feels ridiculously unsafe
Hell, anything over 35 makes me wildly uncomfortable because all it takes is some jackass no giving a shit to end multiple lives
@@tacticallemon7518 Speed is not nearly as deadly as you think. People have survived crashes at over 200 MPH, and died in crashes as slow as 5 MPH.
I am a car guy so i love driving but I understand its not for everyone and thats why i push for walkable cities as im not everyone and i also enjoy not having to drive everywhere as a need but drive when i want
thank uuuuuu for supporting walkable cities!
It also makes driving more enjoyable when there is less people forced to drive everywhere and less cars to worry about. I hate daily driving, but driving in the country is fun. 😉
I grew up in Southern California where you just...DON'T not own a car. Later on as an adult, I spent time living in San Francisco, Istanbul, Belgrade, Tirana, and now Mexico City, and I couldn't ever imagine going back to a place where a car was a necessity. I've always been a car geek, and I love driving recreationally, and I might buy a car in a year or two for the purpose of taking longer road trips around Mexico...but every store and restaurant and service I could possibly need is witihin a few very walkable blocks of my apartment, and if not, the very efficient and comprehensive metro system is five minutes away on foot, and the benefit to my quality of life (not to mention my bank account) has been unquestionably positive by being able to sell my car.
I've also lived in southern California and surprisingly it has a good diversity of suburbs, urban areas intermixed with business. Granted public transit needs more work however living in LA county you can go without owning a car if your a remote work or live fairly close to work. The weather is nice enough year round to either walk, bike or scooter and there are plenty of restaurants and grocery stores around. Granted areas like Irvine are the suburb nightmare most other Orange County or LA County cities can be lived without a car.
Make sure to get the 600 toll stickers you’ll need to get on any road that’ll get you out of DF, and that your car ends in the proper license plate digits when they curtail vehicular traffic.
@@sergpiethanks, I've still not needed to bother getting a car since my GF has had one, but I'm already quite familiar with hoy no circula/contingencia, and you only need one tag for any of the toll roads in/around CDMX. No big deal, really.
I didn't need to learn to hate driving, I hated it almost as soon as I had to do it. You should see what driving is like in my country (Puerto Rico). The conditions of the roads here are terrible. There's potholes on every corner! And they're big potholes too! They can stay there for years sometimes without getting covered up. If you aren't careful, you can seriously damage your car. I've already been stranded a few times because of this, blowing out my tires due to not seeing a pothole or not being able to react quickly enough. And you know this wouldn't be that big of a problem if there were at least other ways to get around, but nope. There's very few buses, they're usually only in college towns, and even there they suck. There's only one train and it covers a very short distance. But the thing is, we used to have a train that went around the entire island!... used to.
I was an avid car enthusiast for years (go figure) and I have been turned away from cars in recent years, in part thanks to not just bikes, but also a thesis I wrote about "the loss of the car". Since then I have become increasingly mad at the feeling of being stuck in traffic. This is mainly due to me enjoying driving when I get to focus on how to take turns with higher speed. When I am "stuck in traffic" I have to use this focus on the other drivers, who for whatever reason are "holding me back" from driving in a fun way. It is what it is, driving on a public road though.
Biking has become my new go to way of transport, even for shopping. I can carry about 30 kg of wares on my bike without exceeding its weight limit. I find this so much more fun, as I can finally "feel alive" as I transport myself around again, be it by speed or by the powerful pumping of my heart in the hills.
Your comment is proof that a lot of people who see everyday driving as "fun" would be better off investing that money and energy into a bicycle (or better yet, multiple bicycles. I still enjoy driving but it's rare while I haven't gotten sick of riding my bike after all these years.
@@carstarsarstenstesenn absolutely! I now drive to work because the snow clearing is really poor where I live, and for some reason there is no bus going directly from my home to where I work. I need to change busses, and the entire ordeal takes as long as walking. I am fortunate to not be driving on highways, so the drive usually takes 5-10 minutes with nice scenery
@@kiwikemist6399 sad truth
@@krismoe31 Honestly changing ain't bad just depends how long of a connection time you have been given. But yeah if it requires an hour detour then your better of driving.
@@kemist578 Tip for you. If you have a ton of them use quiet streets as they are more comfortable cycling in. (Thats if bike lines don't exist in ur area).
Thank you for not driving anymore, people who don't know how to drive and drive scared have no business driving. Driving is a skill that needs to be practiced even after getting your driver license.
Speeding is just borrowing your work time to reduce your transit time. I dislike having to drive everywhere but when I do have to drive I'd prefer to relax and get the least stressful drive out of it. Being close to the destination also reduces transit time so since many people try to get to their destination as fast as possible maybe we should build cities that make destinations close to housing?
The city is already built, we can't change it
@@coastaku1954 At least on my area I see more housing going up in weird distant areas. Endless you want to work at walmart its a drive to go to any jobs.
@@coastaku1954 Thats seens blatantly false since other places have changed
@@Timmy-mi2ef I'm not like that anymore, I wish more places were walkable like NYC and Toronto
i live in a shitty rural environment where if you hyave no access to a car you have no job.
90% of the US do be like that
I feel the same way honestly. I get very frustrated driving on stroads, having to deal with bikers on the street, cars coming in and out and the worst of all those terrible unprotected left turns during rush hour. I am also pretty tired of having to pay all these expensive car bills like having to pay hundreds of dollars a month on insurance which basically goes towards nothing basically just a "CYA just in case you fuck up" bill. Like literally the insurance companies are making bank off of this money you shouldn't have to be forced to pay every month because of our terrible infrastructure. I pretty much grew up with the idea that I can't go anywhere until I was 16 and that was just how I had to accept it the way it is. Now after watching your channel and not just bikes it just makes me angry about how hypocritical our society is where they tell people driving is a privilege and not a right, but then restrict the shit out of you if you are unable to drive. Like how ridiculous is it you need to spend $1000 a month on transportation costs just to be able to get to work and go to the grocery store. It really sucks for parents because they have to put work or whatever they are doing aside to give their kids rides to where they need to be because they have no access to transportation. The fact 2 million people every year die in car crashes just blows my mind how we let that go by and do nothing to resolve this. How did we get to the point where we are ok with this?
Welcome to capitalism
@@sunnohh Capitalism isn't the problem. Over in Europe they are capitalist and they don't live in car dependent cities. You don't have to have socialism in order to have functioning infrastructure.
$1000 per month?
What are you driving?
Either you have a brand new car that after note, insurance, and gas comes up to $1000 or you have some ancient gas guzzling monstrosity that needs constant repairs.
@@petelee2477 I calculated that money off of what an average person spends for their car which includes gas, insurance, car payment, and maintenance.
Funny cause these Urbanist channels had the opposite effect on me. I also grew up knowing I couldn't go anywhere on my own till I was 16, even with public transit, and when I finally got my G2, I drove everywhere, but the difference is, NJB and urbanists channels make me so pissed because they want to destroy my status quo, replacing it with a life style I'm not used to, bringing change I may not like
I have first-hand experience on how dangerous car dependency is, I saw someone get hit by a speeding car and die right in front of me. Now I’m forever terrified at strodes
That's just a car accident, not a downfall of our society
sorry to break this to you but people get hit by cars all the time. You can watch it online endlessly if you really want.
@@theglassarrow_ Even in Moscow, which Urbanists say the commie blocks are an urbanist dream, the people crash all the time, it’s honestly hilarious
@@coastaku1954 Yeah people who've witness a crash think its some rare event, in reality its quite common and the only real solution is less people on roads.
@@coastaku1954 Didn't the video mention that it's weird that people consider deaths on roads to be accidents, and accept that's normal, instead of addressing the issue? Also as far as I'm aware the comment above only mentioned their personal experience, and didn't make any claims about it being a "downfall of our society"
I agree with your point about driving being dehumanizing. Just recently I realized that when I'm driving, everyone around me suddenly becomes the idiot and incredibly frustrating to deal with. I believe it's because when in a car, the only way to make your voice heard is through honking and agressive behaviour. People that drive all the time will eventually lose their ability to express their thoughts clearly without getting angry.
Not to mention the incidental micro-interactions that drivers are deprived from. When you walk or bike, even the smallest interactions are meaningful - like just saying "thank you" when someone yields. In a car it's much more difficult. There's the hazard lights for thanking, but it's not a reflex. It's much easier to honk when angry.
Being forced to drive everywhere IS dehumanizing and deprives people of feeling like they're a part of anything.
My friend, I'm gonna need some stats to prove the claim.
@@Sparecards lol what stats? Percentage of idiots while walking vs driving? 🤣 you're funny
Oh the irony of TH-cam choosing to attach an advertisement for my local BMW dealership to a video like this one.
I'm similarly frustrated by the Reno metro area transit schedules. We really need better support for transit. Reno is the right size (geographic and population) to have an excellent transit system, including to the "hinterlands" of Fernley, North Valleys, Carson City, and Lake Tahoe.
especially with Tesla and Panasonic out east, idk why we haven't invested in commuter rail
Reno area needs two commuter Rail lines. One between Bordertown area to Minden/Gardnerville and the other between Truckee and Fernley. This is bare minimum.
@@sunandsage While that would definitely be good, I would definitely prefer to prioritize high quality rapid transit over commuter transit. Though the distinction can very much be in the details, greater frequency and longer run times are important.
I feel you. I hate driving or being in a car because it's such a miserable mode of transportation, only flying is worse. Unlike you, I never was in situation were I had no other choice but to drive (I don't live in the US). If I were a teenager again I wouldn't even bother to get my licence.
Listen to music, that makes driving fun
@@coastaku1954 It makes driving tolerable.
To my European brain Reno is such a weird looking place. The views of the mountains are really amazing and some roads were going up and down what seemed to be hills, but the rest looks so utterly flat, not just the terrain but especially all the buildings.
I am from one of the flattest countries in Europe, but that is just the country side. Cities have contour or at least more differently shaped buildings than this video showed of Reno. This looked so weird to me that I almost want to see it in real life now. :D
Anyway, good video and I liked the way you got around. Can't be easy all the time over there (the way the roads looked), but I did see some separate traffic/bicycle lanes (@minute 1:14)? That looked pretty well made.
Thats what is kinda is in LA. There is 10,000FT mountain north of DTLA but there are many hills in suburbs like Toluca Lake, Calabasas, Santa Clarita and Chatsworth
Your comment makes me want to one day street view the Reno area further. At least the area doesn't sprawl as badly as some other areas(i.e. Phoenix, Las Vegas), and where I wonder if any parts of that area are bikeable.
I moved to Chicago in 2017 and got rid of my car and it feels great. Chicago is one of the most walkable cities in the country and yet it's still an incredibly car-centric environment. the US has a lot of work to do going forward to try and diversify available modes of transportation, especially since vehicle manufacturers and oil companies have such a death grip on infrastructure legislation.
Ugh, I hated that the mayor called Chicago "a car city" earlier this year. There are plenty of car cities in America already and Chicago has pretty great public transit (by American standards) that it should lean into
I've looked into sustainable traffic safety/design or "Dutch design" and it really solves all the problems associated with our roads. I know some DOTs know about it somewhat but don't take it to heart because "we'll lose funding if we don't build it this way".
@@machtmann2881i’ve seen some photos and videos of Chicago's transit; it’s a dream to be in this trains, not having to worry about drivers on the road or the maintenance of a car!
Cities in North America are so heavily car-centric because that is exactly what the automobile manufacturers _wanted._ It was _their_ efforts that got public transportation facilities dismantled in major North American cities in favour of _their_ products. And if you even try to challenge this car-centric urban planning philosophy in North America, just watch as the automakers quickly move in and tell you to "shut up and don't fuck with our profits".
North American cities are also car centric because our politicians, city planners and developers make it that way. Its not like most of them are going out of their way to push for more medium to high density neighborhoods for people to live in. I'm sure if they did promote it more that many people would be open to living in more people friendly communities, but the fact is our leaders don't promote those kinds of developments enough probably because many of them are in the pockets of developers.
Until our leaders change the way they want our cities to be built then nothing will change.
@@UzumakiNaruto_ Developers are only working off of urban planning inertia. The politicians were paid off by big business, in this specific case the automakers.
Thank you for touching on the dehumanizing aspect of driving, I am glad I am not the only one that has noticed/experienced it.
I didn't need to learn to hate to drive, I hated it from day one lol. I never understood why people like cars so much and was lucky enough to be orangepilled long before I got my license
I know you'll blow up because you seem wise about the current state of car-dependancy, car-based infrastructure, urban planning, etc.
I subscribed at 1.29k. Mad love to you, and your electric scooter.
This is one of the reasons I'm a car enthusiast who hates car dependency.
People like yourself who are fearful behind the wheel, overly cautious to the point of being a hazard on the road, and scared by driving in inclement weather conditions are the last people I want to share the road with. I fear nervous drivers far more than the overly confident fast drivers because they're more unpredictable.
You and I both don't want you to be behind the wheel. We need more public transport to make sure you're not forced to be a hazard on the road.
After living in my current apartment for several years-where I have easy access to anything I'd need on a regular basis within reasonable walking distance-I genuinely don't think I could go back to living in suburbia. I love not needing a car to get anything done. I have so much more money for stuff I actually want instead of dumping it into a car.
What if you want a car though and enjoy the hobby of tuning? I love dumping money into my mazdaspeed3 lmao.
And I legit only drive it for fun never to go to work because I don’t work far away for practical reasons as you should.
@@MZRFaith That's fine and dandy, but some of us like dumping money into far more important things, Like Hentai for example
@@solomoncumquats776ooohhh nice; but good point, some people enjoy different things, that don’t mean they should be forced upon like in the case of cars
I learned to hate driving after I started living in Austria with great public transit that’s available 24 hours at the 3rd cheapest rate in the world and also cycling.
I went from thinking I’ll have a suburban house and a car and that would be my life in Austria, to living in an apartment building and taking public transit to all around Europe. It’s changed my life.
Maybe why there was more congestion that night was because it was finals week. Tons of other students forced to drive after their finals too. If only there was a mass transportation option for all those students not just for finals week but sports days, conventions, etc.
Like a bus you mean so I can get mugged lol. Forgive me for not wanting to be in a crowded exitless room with potential lunatics.
@@petelee2477 being on a bus is more or less the same as being in your first lecture hall of the semester in terms of danger, chill out. Not everyone's out to steal your things. If you're really that nervous than just keep your bag on your lap and stay at the front of the bus. Besides, people are more altruistic than you think. If one person on a bus is trying to steal your things, there are at least 3 other people on the bus who are not comically evil and will stop the thief from even getting off the bus, not to mention the driver themselves. And that would just be on a bus that isn't busy! A more crowded bus has more people to monitor eachother and unintentionally watch out for eachother.
There is a reason why more people are worried about walking alone and someone walking towards them than if they were in a busy park.
@@petelee2477 life must be really suck for you if your default view of other humans is that they're dangerous lunatics
@@petelee2477an exitless room also means that no one is gonna mug you because they can't run away with your stuff. Your more likely to get mugged when walking on the pavement or being in a waffle house
I have mixed feelings about this video, and cars in general.
I LOVE driving. As someone who loves exploring different places, I value the fact that I can look at a map, pick a new place I've never been to and drive there. I'm the person that will drive 2 and a half hours one way on a day trip to go hiking. However, I believe there is a massive difference in driving to places when necessary and driving to places for increased comfort.
I hate that my college town (Brookings, SD) isn't walkable. One of my favorite parts of coming home to Des Moines and going to my grandparents place in St. Paul is the fact that I can walk to get my lunch every day. There are a ton of restaurants that I can order online and walk-in, grab my food, and head home. That's my favorite way to operate when eating alone. All of them are within half a mile walking distance one-way, usually the prime radius for walking to get food. My plan after I graduate is to get an apartment downtown Sioux Falls so I can have that same type of lifestyle.
I always want to walk places in Brookings, but SDSU is on the north side of 14, which is just a giant barrier from going anywhere. I went and got Jimmy Johns a lot, which was 1500 feet from where I lived last year, and I got Subway a lot last year, not much further. I didn't have a car my first semester, which forced me to find a job that I could walk to. Even after I got a car, I still walked to my job, because by the time I walked to my car, I was halfway to my workplace.
I love walking and driving, but I believe they each have their times. I walk to places in town, and I mostly drive to get out of town.
This is where cheap car subscription services would be fantastic. I also love driving, but for leisure. I want my day to day and infrastructure to be on the people scale and only use car when I want (which is very rarely).
See, this is the thing
By giving people the option of driving, rather than dragging them by the ear to a car, not only does it free up roads for people who *have* to drive (or the psychos who want to) but it also makes required driving shorter by things being closer together
@@tacticallemon7518 Different people like different things. I find the notion of camping mad. Why would I spend my precious free time getting chewed to pieces by mosquitoes under tarp when hotels are widely available? But some people love it and more power to them.
I went carless when I moved to Atlanta. I live in a walkable neighborhood and traffic is so bad in this city that it's genuinely faster, easier and safer to use Marta to get around the city than it is to drive. I just wish there were more bike lanes.
If only MARTA had more than 2 1/2 lines
America makes me feel like.. I don't know, I feel nonexistent. Constantly stressed out.
I have been yelled at for walking on the sidewalk. I've had things thrown at me. Cars have tried to run me over when I use a gutter lane ("bike" path). It's illegal to bike on sidewalks, but extremely dangerous to bike in the road. You get yelled at for biking in the road. If Bikes don't belong on the road, or the sidewalk, where do they go? Why am I considered trash and "far left" for walking? Why do people think I'm homeless when I walk on the sidewalk?
Why am I, someone unable to drive, or afford to drive, trash?
Can't leave the house. Someone will get offended. Someone will call the police on you after they run you over. Someone might rape you. Someone might mug you. This is America, when you are a slave to your country.
I can't live here, not when I physically vomit from being stressed about trying to survive.
You should save up to move out if you feel that way.
I love walking is somehow “far left”
I remember some armchair psychologist diagnosing me with crippling anxiety because i called paying attention to the 4 jackasses of questionable intellect near me “stressful”
Hell, the biggest stress i’d say is jackasses tailgating you and laying on the horn for not going 20 over
Are they carrying a gun? Probably
Are they mentally stable? Probably not
Are they capable of killing you? Absolutely
I think the vertigo from stopping after a while of driving is just the brain getting used to what it sees. Kinda like how if you slowly scroll down a web page for several minutes, when you stop it seems like everything is moving down, or those optical illusions where you stare at a spinning spiral and when you look away everything looks all wavy.
I get the same thing when cycling if I just stare forward.
Must be a person to person thing, I don't get that at all and I drove over 7 hours yesterday
@@AdamSmith-gs2dv I’ve never experienced that, maybe drink more water? That can make you laggy and feel off
I live in Canada and my co-workers are baffled that we only have one car in our household instead of two. Sad.
You hit the nail on the head here. I’m only in driver’s ed and I’ve already had three anxiety attacks. And there is a bus that goes through my town, but it’s miles away from where I need to go and come to the most random hours. So it’s not practical. Don’t get me wrong, I love my life and my family but I wish I lived in a place that wasn’t so car centric. Who knows, maybe I’ll set up a strong towns division here
I used to live in Reno and only took the bus on that one time my car broke down. Taking public transit there was horrible, impossible. Moved to Vancouver Canada and was amazed by the superb public transportation, and biking infrastructure. I barely use my car now (every other week).
I agree with you that transportation is horrible in Reno. I take the bus sometimes here too.
It’s funny, I’ve always hated driving (it gives me anxiety/stress and I often have panic attacks while behind the wheel 😅), and I also never considered it “liberating” to own a car. I have yet to bring my car to my university campus. I have no need for it. I attend Liberty University and it’s probably the safest and most walkable campus around. Sure, improvements can be made, especially for those who use wheelchairs, but for the most part it’s super accessible. The city of Lynchburg even partnered with the school a few years back to add a walking bridge over University Blvd so students could access grocery stores off campus without a car. One of my best friends walks to Walmart all the time even though he has a car, because he has cerebral palsy and walking helps him keep his left leg/side of his body strong. If he was forced to drive everywhere his health would decline.
I also use the buses all the time at school and they are consistently reliable. There’s even a link on the university’s website where you can track the bus routes in real time to see when you need to walk to the bus stop. Super convenient and cheap…no parking fees or anything! Urban planners could learn a thing or two from how college campuses function.
I went to college in VA too. The college campus was very walkable and bus routes were plentiful. I think part of the reason people miss college so much is that it's probably one of the few times in their lives where things were within walking distance to them and the campus was designed to be social, unlike wherever we end up as adults
So its true about the pledge and additional rules they put on you at liberty? Ive heard a few accounts about the insane levels of control they want to maintain
Funny thing is I don't consider myself to hate driving, rather the issue is with heavy traffic or difficult driving situations that tend to be caused specifically by bad planning. I also happen to be one of those odd people that may take a slightly longer route if the average traffic density along it is somewhat lower. Still I agree with the majority of points about how stupidly the infrastructure is setup to be way too car centric.
I agree 100%, driving has made me incredibly anxious from the moment I first started learning to drive and this has not gone away with age. Driving feels so unnatural & it is so depressing to be on the interstate or a stroad 😞
And people are so aggressive on the road too, tailgating, cutting me off, etc
I am so glad you brought up the Virginia and Truckee.
I wish the tracks were never torn up, and as time goes on, I look more intently at the sections of abandoned track bed and railroad facilities that could have been preserved not just as a tourist trap, but for a genuine commuter service that would benefit students and workers immensely.
YES! Thank you! I live in Israel, where most of the cities were built post WWII and at the height of the modernistic era in city planning and architecture. Because of that, almost all of our cities and towns are car dependent (not to the US level, but still). Even tough we are the OECD country with the worst traffic recorded, we still cant shake off from the addiction. Beyond the gaslighting urbanists experience in the field when speaking up to car dependency, the thickness of the "Car Goggles" is immense. Any way, keep up the good work.
free Palestine
@@artirony410 From who, dude? From the Israeli occupation in the west bank or from the grasp of the terrorist organization Hammaas in Gaza? The Israeli - Palestinian conflict is a super complex one. Both sides are equally right and wrong at the same time, depending on the aspect considered. Saying something as one dimensional as "Free Palestine" just because I said I'm from Israel is outright ignorant man.
@@artirony410 get your antisemitism out of here 🥱🇮🇱
Those 'Car Goggles' you mentioned were recognised as early as the '50s. Here's a Disney cartoon titled 'Motor Mania' from 1950: th-cam.com/video/mwPSIb3kt_4/w-d-xo.html
@@deus_ex_machina_ thanks!
For me, bad weather or getting lost are my two biggest issues when it comes to driving. If the weather is nice and I’m going somewhere I’ve been before, I have no problem. Battling inclement conditions or trying to navigate unfamiliar territory always spikes my anxiety and so nowadays I only drive when I absolutely have to. Otherwise, I walk, bike ride or arrange for certain things/people to come to me if possible.
Thank you so much! I enjoy walking and cycling, it is more enjoyable and healthy for me. I sadly live in an area that is car-dependent, however. But I honestly feel so MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE and have more fun on an e-scooter! Thank you so much for your video!! ❤❤
I still don't have my driver's license age 29. For me driving (in the passenger seat) is mostly a fun activity. It's always with friends or family on a trip. Everyday I cycle 25 minutes to work, it's healthy, wakes me up and it's more freeing than being stuck in a car.
Greetings from Antwerp.
I’m a car enthusiast and I hate car-centric urban design
Amen. I wish that my many American friends would live in a walkable & well planned city long enough to experience the ultimate freedom & joy that it brings. I'm happy to see that this is getting some traction with channels like yours. At 50 years old though, I'm not going to wait & try to live in other countries as much as possible. Tks for the content. Keep up the good work.
I only got into urban planning late last year when I was "shown the light" after skeptically watching a video in my recommended list from Not Just Bikes. I was a 17y/o who had only just obtained my license at the time and was still convinced driving was the only viable means of transportation. Every day, more and more people are discovering that there ARE alternatives to driving, just as I did late last year. It has gained lots of momentum in just the past year alone, just give it a few more years and we might start seeing **real** change, even in places that are diametrically opposed to alternative means of transportation. I just want to thank you, as well as every other urbanist content creator, for the work that that you guys do to spread the message. I have subscribed and hope to see your channel grow significantly.
I don’t hate driving, but I am done with cars, possibly forever, after my car, which I had already spent thousands in repairs on recently, decided it had enough when the head gasket went bad. I was already planning on ditching it anyway for most trips once I got a new job (I used to deliver pizza, meaning I not only had to commute to work by car, but drive my own car for the job itself) But now I’m thinking I might just stay carless permanently and just ride my bike and walk everywhere.
What I find interesting is that I only ever enjoy driving on narrow, bumpy, winding country roads lined with grazing sheep and the occasional suicidal deer. Roads that feel slightly unsafe even when there is no other traffic. For some reason it makes driving feel like an event of sorts, rather than just a form of waiting. At best highway driving puts me to sleep, and at worst it stresses me out. Good highways are oppressively featureless! All that's left to focus on are things that annoy me. The campervan blocking my path, the audi sniffing my bum, the unidentified rattle coming from inside the dashboard that started 5 years ago!
This, i moved from northern NY to CT and when i drive home (only option, 6hr drive vs multiple flights vs 24hrs on a train to be 3hrs from home, litterally no contest) i spend about 3hrs on the interstate and hate every minute of it, and when i get off and start crossing the Addirondacks for the other 3hrs of the drive my mood suddenly massively improves and the drive becomes enjoyable.
Personally i would rather just take a train and spend 6hrs reading a book, or playing a videogame on my switch, or just nap on a night train.
Drive faster then lol.
The problem with highways is the speed limit. In many states they have the same speed limit as those winding country roads, when they really shouldn't even have a speed limit.
I personally really enjoy driving. Both in a sporty and relaxed way, there's something about being in command of a car that just makes me whole. That being said, I perfectly get why some people hate it, because it means putting yourself and others in constant danger, and it's mostly people who dread the idea of driving that ruin the experience to me and others who like it as well, because the frustration of needing to drive when you hate it always shows in the way you drive. It makes people disconnect from the road and not pay attention and it turns them into a danger for everyone else. I think what I mean to say is that both people who hate and love driving would equally benefit from less car centric infrastructure, as it would remove people who don't want to be on the road (or at least driving) from it, making life easier for you all and for us. Great video man, I love it
I remember my first time taking a bus to class in Texas.
It took 45 minutes to drive to class, and 60 minutes to bus to class.
Why the hell would I spend 45 minutes driving, when I could be doinking around on my computer or phone for an hour? Looking at memes, watching youtube, you name it.
Cars are LITERALLY robbing us of HOURS daily, and I'm a radical because I don't want to spend that time (or money) driving anymore!
I dont even want to stop people from driving, I just want some options that aren't driving.
I usually would use that hour on watching the scenery go by.
What I find utterly hilarious about drunk/texting and driving campaigns they have in high schools are that no one questions why crashes ever happen in the first place?
It’s because everyone is using a car. No cars, no car crashes. It’s the literally simplest solution to distracted driving.
It's because cars have become so normalised in American society. You should be able to walk home from the bar. You should be able to walk everywhere, cars just being a tool for carrying a lot. This means that driving is more sacred and more of a special thing to do.
Yes, we can't stop drunk men from driving unless we give them alternatives. Or do as we Muslims do, ban drinking. Good way to reduce domestic violence, you know.
@@موسى_7 ….America tried that a century ago. It didn’t go over well.
I agree but it's not about having no cars. What we need is more options. In the city center, other forms of transit should be prioritized but driving can still be allowed. and obviously some amount of automobile infrastructure is necessary for emergency and delivery vehicles.
@@موسى_7 hahaha bro Muslims have some of the highest rates of domestic violence and that's the least messed up stuff.
I went car-free, even turned down a free personal work vehicle and could have afforded a car with the cost I put into my real mode of transportation, my class-2 ebike. I live in Winnipeg and travel to every end of the city, the same night sometimes, and the longest it ever takes is an hour. Which sounds long till you realize a car would take 40 minutes. Plus my commute also is mostly scenic and through tourist spots/beautiful areas of the city, not stuck at red lights or in heavy traffic in cold concrete wastelands.
It's even been worth the 2 times cars ran stops and run me over this year alone. This city is great.
Must be nice being so privileged
I prefer to drive, but that's probably because I live in a semi-rural area. That, and I'm a car enthusiast, so I may come from a different perspective. I respect you for speaking your mind though, and doing it in an informative and educational way!
I grew up in a semi-rural area and am into cars, especially modified ones. Honestly compared to driving in a city it's so different. You can enjoy country roads but city streets are packed and just not fun to drive through. Whenever we needed to go to a bigger city we'd always take the train to save the headache of driving and trying to find parking.
Seeing this video is absolutely exhausting. I ditched my cars two years ago, which shouldn't have been hard since I live in a walkable city with great bicycle infrastructure here in Sweden. What I needed was really "Just Not Bikes" putting into words what I actually felt. And it gave me that final push I needed to ditch my car for good and instead commit to alternative commuting options. I have absolutely no interest in ever owning a car again, and I don't ever regret selling my car. Although my city is doing a lot for bicycles and pedestrains I definitely think they could be even more aggressive and envision a car free city center. We have busses, trains, metro, bike sharing, scooter sharing. We have so many options to get around. And you will find several grocery stores, pharmacies etc. within just a 500m-1km walk.
My parents are trying to force me to drive, despite that I physically cannot due to a mental disorder.
10:45 Such a good point. Privilege implies driving is something that is earned, but a lot of people can't "earn" the privilege to drive for health, etc reasons, which makes the entire idea flawed.
Im an American who lives in China. I spent about 2 years commuting by car in America before I moved to China in 2009, and I haven't needed to drive since. The running joke in our household is that my Chinese girlfriend thinks that getting a car and driving would be really fun, but I just see at as a tedious burden and unnecessary expense.
> but I just see at as a tedious burden and unnecessary expense.
Well I rather have that than live under the CCP.
@@WillmobilePlus The great thing is you dont have to! We can have free government AND awesome cities and countryside where walking and cycling are safe and pleasant. We just need to open our minds to a better way of doing stuff. And that sort of change is easier for the people to enact in a democracy.
付车险确实不太好玩儿😵💫
@@BaiZhijie No its definitely easier in a dictatorship. Hong Kong got their amazing public transport by successive colonial governors railroading legislation through and Singapore got theirs through being a one party state. It's a lot easier when public opinion doesn't affect who's in charge.
Still, democracy is far better all things considered
i cant understand how people think cars grant independence and public transit takes it away i felt more free in the 10 days i spent in a place with good publictransit than i have in car dependent america. I have really really bad attention and memory issues If I were to drive it would put others in danger. Hell.
I have been around cars my whole life, a dad who was and still is a successful mechanic now with his own shop and has workers... having grown up with at least 7+ cars in our driveway and cars on the lift in our side yard they are a sort of novelty and way of life for me in a more personal way. I really respect your decision to not drive, I only just got my own license last year at age 22 after literally being harassed constantly by my family for not wanting to drive... wayyy too many idiots on the roads, and people don't know how to fricking drive properly. Mad annoying.
I knew someone who lived in Reno and she told me that buses had a frequency of every 2 hours. However Reno seems a lot more salvageable than the Las Vegas area.
That's the impression that I get as well. Some cities have so many stroads and are sprawled too far outward to really be worth fixing.
Reno really has potential to have a good bus network. Its not as if its rural there is demand for atleast every 30 mins service.
Love the personal story you shared I also have a E scooter. Currently studying at CSUSB. I live in Rialto which has a Metrolink station that takes me to the transit center in San Bernardino then I take the SBX BRT to the campus and vice versa going home. I work in Redlands by their university which will be the last station for the new arrow line opening in October and that line begins at the San Bernardino transit center. So in time I wont use my car at all. Not to mention I take the SBX for free with my student ID so I’m saving lots of money early in life so I can put it in my scooter and one day a cargo e bike for groceries. Also recently I’ve been visiting my Aunt in Alhambra which her closest Metrolink station is at Cal State LA and her house is a 20 min scooter ride. I’m so glad my life is becoming more and more car lite.
I live in the IE as well. How do you manage your visits to family in Alhambra with the Metrolink schedule? Having to leave before the last train on weekends.
My family is in LA meaning the bus ride or Expo Line + bus adds an extra hour in addition to Metrolink schedule.
I call the place I'm living in Canada: "Stroadminster"
I swear, it kills me finding out places used to have trains and now they're gone. Vegas used to have a train and now to find out Reno had a train 🥲🥲🥲 I swear, it feels like we had a lot of good things in the past that are gone for reasons they probably don't make sense to me now
The reasons made sense to the Lost, GI and Silent generations. The Baby Boomers and Gen Xers pretty much grew up in a train-free society and just automatically bought into it. And here we all are, today: in automotive hell.
First video of your channel I have watched - I'm from the Reno area and I love, love, love having videos to watch about a place I know! Not Just Bikes got me hooked and I love seeing various cities broke down by their infrastructure failures and what they are doing to correct it! 10/10 keep it coming!
I really enjoy driving but, I don’t like it when driving becomes a chore. When I drive the posted speed limit, a lot of cars either honk, tailgate, or pass me and it’s very frustrating. I attend UNR and live with my parents and I drive to school almost everyday. I really like commuting with little electric scooters to go to places. There needs to be better alternatives to driving.
Sounds like you need to speed up.
@@baddriversofthenorcalarea500go outside
Driveing is definitely dehumanizing my dad has horrible road rage and everyone else is a useless idiot the second he gets behind the wheel. Their not people anymore.
Kind of ironic for me since I grew up in Reno and lived there most of my life and I like cars and move to another state for Automotive Engineering, but I also like urban planning and public transit (wasn't into it into I moved out of Reno). Majority of the US is very car dependent that not having a car is like not having legs and it puts so much financial burden on people. It is also ironic that now I live in Downtown of a major city, but still have to drive to the suburbs for work since it is almost virtually impossible to get to work by public transit.
Reno apart from Midtown, Downtown, UNR, and Downtown Sparks isn't really really walkable and can do much better in terms of transit. Reno area has it pretty good in terms of size since you can pretty much get anywhere within 20 minutes and considering the population growth more viable transit options are going to be needed. Take Salt Lake City for example which is a similar sized in terms of population (little bit larger metro area) has multiple light rail options (commuter rail and light-rail).
Used to live north of the Bonanza Casino and commuted by car to UNR even though it wasn't that far away since there weren't even side walks on N Virginia north of UNR and having painted lines next to 50 mph speed limit is just not acceptable for biking. Also had to commute from Reno to Carson City after college for work and yea pretty stressful going through Washoe Valley during snow storms. When traveling to other cities when there is a rail option from the airport. It reduces the stress of having to rent a car (can become expensive), fueling, parking, directions, traffic, other traffic, speeding, weather, etc.
This was a grat video. I live in rural New Hampshire and it's very hilly, so I've been commuting to work with an e-bike for the past few months. Once I figure out how to shield myself in the rain and snow, I don't think I'll need my car anymore. Hopefully I can eventually move to a more walkable city (or country, if I play my cards right and land a sweet career)
I drive for a living. Sue me.
I just started driving two years ago and I never liked it. All my friends think I’m weird for it but I embrace it. It made it much easier for me to advocate for walkable cities with good transit.
I learned to hate driving the moment I took driver's ed lol.
Watching your footage as an european is scary, especially total lack of people walking around is straight up unsettling.
I cannot live without out a car.
Commute times without car;
School - 69 minutes
Work - 40 minutes
Amusement park - 6 hours
Grocery store - 40 minutes
My grandparents' house - 29 hours
Time to move
I wish you didn't have to. It takes 12 minutes for me to walk to school in the UK, and the same for my grandmother's home. The shop is 10 minutes away, and it is quite nice to walk. In America, you just find yourself next to cars and it isn't enjoyable at all. We also find ourselves next to cars, but they are slower and there are plenty of shortcuts that only pedestrians can take.
Now that I am watching in this video, along with others you have made about Reno and Carson City, I can 10000% agree with you on this. I also live in Carson with my parents, and I also go to UNR after transferring from WNC, so I feel you about the drive. It takes me around 1-2 hours, depending on traffic and delays, everyday to get from school and back. It’s a pain cause you deal with the dangerous conditions at washoe valley in the winter, along with worrying about going at a faster speed while maintaining yourself on your lane and having space so no one hits you. During my 1 year going to UNR so far, I’ve almost been into around 6-8 car crashes, all due to I-580. Along with me going to get stuff at Meadowood mall, I noticed there isn’t any sidewalks other than the ones surrounding the front doors of the building. There’s just large parking lots and no bicycle lanes, and it’s not even full. I’m glad I’m in Carson though cause it’s at least a bit more calm, and the infrastructure has gotten a lot better over the years.
I hate it too. Compared to a bike, it's so stressful. You have to micromanage your car, the environment around you, what you need to do, and everything else. In a bike, you just look at your surrounding environment and can use your brakes and gears to keep a safe speed. It's a lot easier and much more fun than a car. I can feel the cool air blowing past my face and the noise of the chains and the rewarding feeling of having climbed a big hill.
In a car, however, i need to check my gear is fine and that my environment is clear and there is no cool air blowing across my face unless i get distracted, and then, of course, there is the indicators and various other things i need to check.
You really do not need to check all of that constantly. Same as a bike, you just check your surroundings. There is no cooler air than AC.
the illusion of movement while still stationary is an optical illusion related to the vertigo effect (you're stationary but your vision's "anchor point" is not, causing you to feel like you're the one moving), for anyone who suffers this and still need to drive there are prescripted glasses to mitigate it
Living near Philadelphia, I cannot stand driving that I barely want an actual license. A lot of the drivers here are Absolutely reckless. I relate to your experiences a lot.
My first reaction to the idea of living car free was, "But where am I going to live if my rent goes up?" -Los Angeles County viewer.
We literally have the exact same stories for getting into urban planning. I also went down the exact same rabbit hole after discovering Not Just Bikes and realizing how brainwashed Americans are and how it's just inevitable and something we have to live with that this country (and even continent) is built around cars.
Only difference is I haven't gotten around to making videos about it yet
Why is everyone so positive about NJB? He makes me so pissed at his personal attacks on how I live my life, he unfairly mocks North America and forgets that maybe our culture is different and we just like driving, having our own bubble, our own space to call our own. It's why we like living in single family homes, it's why we like big SUVs and Trucks. We prepare for every single eventuality like transporting friends, having guests over, transporting large items, traveling long distances. We want to go the way we want to go, instead of taking 12 buses and 3 train lines
@@coastaku1954 maybe because your lifestyle that you love and cherish maxmizes inefficiency and directly makes it harder for people who don't want our valuable resources to almost exclusively cater to people like you. People are tired of this country revolving around people like you up to the point where anyone who doesn't want a car is seen as a second class loser. It's easy to feel attacked personally when you were raised to believe that your lifestyle is correct and everyone else's lifestyle is wrong or "less valuable."
When my sister tried to get her licence she wasn't able to because her vision isn't good enough.
Here in europe this is a non issue, especially in a big city. It barely affects her life (after all she can still read & stuff, she's not blind or anything) She just takes busses, trams or taxis everywhere & sometimes tells the story as a funny anecdote. But I recently saw a video about an US american dude with the same eye deffect, & his experience couldn't be more different because you can barely live without a car. He is basically stuck at his house unless his wife drives him to places & this made it a serious problem for finding employment.
I know you were asking about feedback on your videos a little while back and I have to say I really like this video topic, it definitely is unique to you in many ways while being super relatable.
On the topic itself, I am personally relatively comfortable driving and at times even find it enjoyable but I can actually very much relate to this topic. Firstly, my girlfriend is terrified of driving so while she's licensed cannot drive. This means she either must walk or have me drive her around to do most things. I see first hand how the built environment being so dedicated to the car has trapped her into a limited area. This and your video reminds me how I am always so annoyed to see people use accessibility needs to defend car dependency when so many people's accessibility is harmed by car dependency. Secondly, I have personally learned to dread driving on rt 128/i95 in MA after an internship and recognized how driving on it made me way more irritable. Because of this I moved near my job but I now am forced to use this highway to see family. It makes me wish there was transit that served this area so I would never have to travel on it. But while MA does have decently far reaching transit as the commuter rail, there is no radial line that mirrors the highway in any form and therefore what is a fairly quick trip by car becomes an entire day trip by transit if even possible. Meaning people who cannot drive are barred access to the corridor while others like myself are forced to risk our physical and mental well being to reach the major employment and commercial hubs that have sprouted up along this corridor over the years.