frenchyy94

I do. But I still live in the south, and my work is outside the city, to the north west of it, to be exact.

The average is 40 minutes commute time (for my city). So I'm already quite a bit off.

And yes, of course, if I lived in the south east of the city it would take me 1,5 hours at least by public transport. 40-60 minutes by car on average. But I wouldn't move there, as that is too far off.

But most of these other possible places would mean, that I would most probably also always have to drive through the city center or take a big detour outside of it. Both possibilities aren't actually preferable. So again I wouldn't live there and at the same time work at the same company.

I just need to look at one of my brothers. Lives relatively close to the center but still a bit south of it. Could take 2 subways in 30 minutes (including walking) but still decides to take the car most days where he has to drive through heavy traffic, that takes him at least the same amount of time.

So no, a lot of people aren't that sensible. They just do what they are used to and often enough even vehemently go against even the possibility of changing that with weird as excuses (smells terrible weird people, always packed, always delayed etc.) Which for most times of day and most routes just isn't true.

Just take a look at the available cars nowadays. You can barely even buy a smal car, as those aren't even produced in such a variety anymore. Because 1. People keep buying the big SUVs, and 2. Manufacturers can make way more money with those than with small cars.

Hell, in Germany they are actively debating making parking spots bigger, because the cars keep getting bigger (btw look at carsized they have a great visualization for this), instead of simply reglementaing how big cars can get, before they are either forbidden or so heavily taxed that it's just not worth to buy something large.

But that mostly just means that you have terrible public transport where you live. Not that it's inherintely bad.

If I would take a car to work, it would take me at least (!) 50 minutes (depending on traffic, usually longer). With public transport plus bike I'm at 65 minutes. So just a bit longer, but delays are pretty uncommon (maybe 3 minutes every now and then). Plus I can relax, read or watch a show. And it's incredibly cheap thanks to the Deutschlandticket (49€, but 14€ of that is payed by my employer). Only for fuel (not counting insurance, tax, repairs etc.) It would cost me at least 180€.

So yeah just this tiny delay is okay in my opinion, considering what I'm saving (money, environment, worries about a car...)

And I never said, it's the ultimate solution. I'm just saying especially those huge as cars are a fucking monstrosity more or less. Because easily 95% of users don't even need such a huge vehicle. They just want it. And don't give a fuck what that entails for the environment and for other people. (especially looking at pedestrian and bike safety).

More people should just really consider if the car they chose is really what they NEED and if every trip they are taking with it is truly necessary.

Did I talk specifically about your situation? No. But sadly enough I know a few people, that actually do exactl those kinds of trips.

And I have no idea where you live, but in most European cities (!) There's a supermarket at most 1km away. Usually closer.

The closest one to me is 300m. Work is 32 km though. But you know what? I don't own a car. Because there's public transport.

And I live in a city with pretty great public transport. And yet people with way way shorter commuting distances still tend to have fucking big SUVs and drive everywhere. Those are the people I mean.

If you don't even fit in that category, why do you even feel the need to actively defend yourself? That doesn't even make any sense?

Who says you have to live like people sub Saharan Africa?

Just rake a look at how much of the pollution in America comes from the richest 10%. Same thing in Germany. Those people need to seriously cut down. And everyone else needs to reconsider if the 300m trip to the supermarket is really necessary to go by car. Or if it's really necessary to have a fucking 3ton monstrosity of a car. Or if a small car like a fiat 500 isn't actually enough.

OK so the majority of people has to cut back on so much, especially a safe environment to get places, just so a few people with a car fetish can keep buying bigger and bigger cars. Got it.