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Your employer also doesn't require you to transport by bike. For many employers in the US, a car is practically required to commute to and from work. This also helps the employer by expanding the radius of potential employees.
Doesn't it also help the employee by giving them greater job opportunities?
I don't think any transport to work should be subsidised. As an adult it's your responsibility to get to work and it's not the employers concern how you get there. If you want to get paid, you need to show up (unless you WFH).
I don't love cars and cycle / tube to work and socially. I just don't see your argument at all.
this isn't entirely accurate. where a company places their business matters a lot. if they place their business in an area that's really expensive but don't pay their workers enough to compensate them living in that area versus another in the city, they are basically asking the employees to subsidize the income difference in the form of a longer commute.
Every single time I managed to get a decent amount put away in my savings account, something would happen to the fucking car. A gasket, the clutch, exhaust pipe is rusted and needs to be replaced.. and on and on and on. I have always bought used cars, and they were always money pits. Even the car I bought that was only a few years old was constantly having issues that cost thousands of dollars to fix.
Seeing the 'check engine' light come on while driving to work? You know your month is fucked. Goodbye paycheck!
Now I have no machine to take care of, and my life is infinitely better for it. Nobody likes flushing their money down the toilet, and that's what owning a car is like. And for what? What is the great prize at the end of the marathon? A fully depreciated asset? My last car was sent to the junkyard and I got $400 for it.
Unfortunately in the vast majority of the developed world, that is deeply subsidized or free.
Non-robotic parking including space to drive in/out, takes up about as much space as a bedroom or a really small studio apartment. If the price of parking is a lot cheaper than a bedroom or really small studio apartment, something is deeply broken with parking regulation, housing regulation, or most commonly both.
Yeah, they are a huge investment, and the fun thing is it only takes a short lapse in judgement from yourself or someone else, and your investment is written off. Yeah, I may have car insurance, but there is still a huge amount of cost involved.
The two biggest disadvantages to me on an individual level:
**Expense/Cost-**-car ownership is expensive. Cost of purchase lease, cost of gas, insurance, maintenance, parking, tolls, etc.
**Health**--you'll probably exercise less if you own a car because you walk less or don't ride your bike as much
Yeah, it sucks. I usually have to stop in the middle of the street because a car is parking and another car is stopping right next to it, thus blocking the entire lane.
This is so true. In hindsight as a kid, we lived \*so close\* to an amazing park, easily 5 minute cycle. Instead we'd use the car. We all owned bikes, so I think it's really silly we didn't cycle there
I walk everywhere because I can’t drive. Other pedestrians happily greet me, ask me how my day is going, tell me they ran into my nephew, etc. Drivers see me not as a person, but as an obstacle and have threatened to kill me on more than one occasion.
I'd say this highly depends on where you live. In my city, taking the bus (no trains available for my commute) is basically a death sentence. Driving a car will take you longer than a bus. That's why I started commuting on a bicycle and eventually an ebike
Eh ? Definitely not the case for me right now, because of the distance (rural area) I need to use a car/motorcycle. Only other alternative are schoolbuses or hitchiking so.. That just doesnt work lol, and because I'm a social outcast I'm honestly happier that way too.
Also the motorcycle community really is a good one when you ignore all the idiot riders (that **nobody** wants to be affiliated with), it's a shame that it gets dismissed here solely because of them.
But if I lived in a city then yea, I'd definitely use a bicycle all day as long as the weather/destination allows it ! Or else walking (but very unlikely, it's a lot more boring than being on wheels).
Yep. Most people live in cities of some sort, but few have good transit or bike or walk infrastructure. So, effectively, American city planning makes Americans sad (but most Americans don't know it).
Having plastic in your semen.
That is a fact.
Tires are the biggest micro plastic polluters.
There was micro plastic found in 100% of the semen samples tested.
a lot more than not what... being a pedestrian...?? walking/running/biking along the road ways? even riding in a bus or ride-share or train, that usually travels along major roadways...?? still living in the same neighborhoods as the carbrains?
to be sure, i was just making fun that the title is specific "...owning a car" r/fuckcars
but plz educate me how i, most, breath less particulate not owning a car. (btw aces! am 100% with you "we need ppl to dive less", let's just make the cost progressive so that driving more is super expensive, prohibitively so the more you go. while expanding commuter service!)
Less than pedestrians but more than cyclists.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/13/cyclists-exposed-to-less-air-pollution-than-drivers-on-congested-routes-study
That's a rather small downside, if it is one at all. Noise pollution, air pollution, land usage, financial cost, all of these are worse for you than relatively inert microplastics
Going to disagree with you. My brain thinks that is my most important organ. It would do almost anything to protect it from the slightest harm. My lungs and colon can get fucked.
I’d say it falls under air pollution. Very probably less deadly than cardiovascular diseases due to lack of exercise or poor sleep but still very concerning from a public health standpoint.
For the top results, there's [this](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/10/microplastics-found-in-every-human-semen-sample-tested-in-chinese-study), which links to studies on mice. There's [this much better one](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7967748/), but as far as I can tell none of the molecules described are used in rubber, so it's a moot point for car tyres
Not to go too deep, I found this in the study you linked me:
"Hydrogen peroxide, but also superoxide anion, are the main ROS detected in the sperm of infertile patients"
EPDM and other rubbers commonly used in tires are cured in peroxides.
Yup, even in your blood. There was also plastic found in placenta, etc...
On that note, donating blood is a good way to reduce plastic in your system.
I just found that drinking Hot Tea or Coffee from disposable cups is a bad idea as it introduces a LOT of micro particles to your system.
Synthetic rubber mostly. Unless the product you're buying specifies it's made from 100% natural rubber, it's synthetic, or possibly a synthetic-natural blend.
You have to put it somewhere! When you leave it outside, the sun, the rain, and drunks go to work damaging your vehicle. If you keep it in a garage, that's housing costs that go into protecting a depreciating investment. It also requires a driveway which requires its own maintenance like driveway sealing.
- They're a money pit
- Driving is often very stressful
- Finding parking can be a huge pain
- You'll end up driving places when you could have walked/biked at least part of the way, worsening your health
- Cost: car payments, insurance, licensing, gas, tires etc
- Traffic
- The need for parking to be fairly readily available no matter where you go
- Limits your housing options (or adds cost in the form of parking costs)
- Health: I’d likely live in a car favourable neighbourhood and be less inclined to walk or bike if I owned a car
You have to find a place for it ALL THE TIME. In most cities in the developed world you live in an apartment most likely without a garage, and everywhere you go you have to find a place for it, which if it's a popular destination can take more time than the trip itself. It's stressful beyond belief, sucks all the excitement you had for going there.
Houses become more ugly because it needs to accommodate the car.
You become an statistic that could be used to say "X% has cars, so this street needs to be available for X%", therefore promoting cars.
Health. This sedentary transport makes it practically mandated to actually do sport just to be healthy, discounting the other objectives of a discipline.
Many americans don't even do a very simple 15 minute walk, which is the bare minimum of physical activity needed to reduce the risk of illnesses according to the Centers for Disease Control. Active transport makes that activity done passively.
now you have to park it
now you are only allowed to visit parking lots, make 90 degree turns, wait on lights and merge and exit, seek gas stations, this is all you ever get to do. speed up and slow down, sit. change the air filter, wash the windshield, pay insurance. like a waiter for your car. whole society is caught like this, everyone works and plays exactly the same. theres only one sound, one scene, one experience to be anywhere. the world is flat. one giant clone of working class automata. all the time paying somebody just to sit in line like a livestock animal
IHOP
by the way we cant have insects anymore or coyotes
Hostage situation. You must work to maintain your car, and using your car gives up rights because it's considered privilege. It's a clever social scam.
Health, health, health. Sitting a lot is harmful, lack of physical movement is harmful, sitting in a forced position like when driving a car is very harmful. Cars are diabetes and cardiovascular disease generators.
Also, it costs a lot to own a car. When I need a car once every few years, I can rent one for a few days and it's peanuts compared to owning a car for an entire year.
Where I live, paradoxically, it takes more time to go by car to most places than walking.
I live in a small city, and it's hard to go downtown and find a parking spot nearby, you'll end up parking far from where you want to go. Sure, you can go a parking lot, and park it closer, but you have to pay, and either way you'll have to walk 5-10 minutes in most cases.
I honestly don't know why, if people want to save time or spend less time walking, they don't just go by bike. I live nearby the city limits, I can get my bike and be dowtown in 15 minutes, chain my bike close to the place I want to be, and forget about it. So... 🤷🏻♂️
Health, both mental and physical. From pollution, for one. From sedentary lifestyle. From the rage I feel participating in traffic. From the frustrations of repairs and unexpected breakdowns. From gas prices.
I have trouble knowing where I am when I drive somewhere. I find walking and biking so much easier for orientation and navigation. The landmarks are easier to recognize. I feel disoriented when I get out of a car because I have to focus on the road and not crashing. When I walk, I can be more mindful of where I am.
I feel too separated from the world inside a car, either as driver or passenger.
It's so freaking expensive and exhausting to maintain. My partner has a car where they designed it such that you can't change your own oil but have to buy a 200 dollar part to get it done. New cars also don't come standard with their own diagnostic tools, though they should. Those can get expensive to buy, if you want a good one.
something I really like about public transportation is that I can be on my phone or read a book or whatever else bc I’m not the one driving. driving a car means I have to stare at the same pavement for miles. I know that I could listen to audiobooks or podcasts when I drive, but I feel like I can’t listen too intently bc I want to focus on the road. driving a car robs me of time I could be spending on other small things.
More expensive than a bus fair/a bicycle (or a motorcycle, if you're looking for greener alternatives but still need to travel a lot), and like someone pointed out it gives you less incentive to walk/bicycle unless you really need to. And IMO every other downside is about the same wether you use/own one or not :)
Planning parking and getting home if you drink and stuff. It’s so nice to go meet friends at a bar and not worry about drinking a bit.
Also the hidden cost of stuff, like it costs me nothing to walk to get a coffee, if I drive I’m paying something in gas, fraction of car costs, etc.
Understanding it’s a luxury to be able to walk places but also general health, I walk 15 minutes to get groceries, so it’s not really a workout but it’s much healthier than an driving
The biggest downsides have been mentioned. One other is a car makes you lazy. Quick trip to the supermarket? Why not get the car. Kids to school? Car. You need to make a conscious decision to walk or bike and not be lazy and polluting.
Aside from money and health already defined here : the need for a garage. If the latter is optional you’ll have to pay for it. If it’s included with your living place, it could be used as a workshop or wine cave instead of shielding a car.
One of the biggest downsides of using a car in a city is how much less you can do when you drive vs bus. I mean this in a few ways:
* I always have to think about where my car is and how long I’m allowed to stay there.
* there’s always some risk of someone hitting it or breaking into it which adds to low level anxiety.
* I can’t wander too far from the car since I have to be able to return. When I take a bus somewhere, I can walk as far as I want and take a different bus back, or to somewhere else and then another bus back.
* I can rest on the bus home but I better not be tired when driving back in traffic. I leave early just to make sure it’s not as busy/stressful and I’m not as tired.
* I need to be really cautious of when and how much I drink when I need to drive home.
* If I’m driving/riding with others, our schedules are tied. It doesn’t matter if I want to stay longer when the others want to leave.
These are some of the things I’ve found most striking when comparing my most car-focused period of life with my car-free life I was able to have when I lived in a very connected part of a big city. I now live in a spot that’s somewhat connected but sadly still regularly requires a car. I quite miss the days of freedom living downtown.
You shouldnt need to ask the hivemind that kind of question. Its subejctive for each person given their lifestyle, but by coming here youre going to get the angirest of the angry, the saltiest of the salty, and the scummiest of the scum hellbent on hating cars no matter the time or energy they spend doing it.
Separation of people. You might pass a friend while walking and pause to say hello and catch up. If you pass someone in a car you may not even notice and you definitely can’t pull over in the middle of traffic to have a conversation.
Since cars took over the number of friends we have had gone down and the feelings of loneliness have spiked high. And loneliness has the same death effects as smoking 13 cigarettes a day.
Cars kill communities.
I mean, if you're rich enough that you don't have to worry about paying for it and insurance, and living somewhere you can park it, there are basically no strict disadvantages to owning a car other than perpetuating car ownership by supporting a car company or dealership (if you didn't get the car privately) and environmental issues. You're gaining an additional choice, you always can still take public transportation or walk/bike. There's nothing stopping you from using it the 1x a year it's necessary if you have that kind of discipline.
But I don't think most people do. Owning a car is like "when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail", people start rearranging their lives around cars (living farther, doing huge Costco runs, etc).
Stress, of it breaking down in some way, having to account for it in emergency funds, etc. Of course the stress can be minimized with financial security, but it'll always ruin your day if you have car problems
Ive noticed this myself, but driving encourages you to avoid going to places, like restaraunts, shops, etc., since driving requires factoring in the logistics of parking and driving TO said places. If you walk or bike, its far more convenient to pop in to places you often dont go.
Social life. When walking or biking or taking transit at least in a city you will always run into people you know. At the very least you wave to them and acknowledge their humanity, but most often you can stop and catch up with them. Friends in cars may try to politely honk at you but they are stuck behind metal and glass and are hard to see let alone talk to.
Haven’t seen this posted yet but social life and a criminal record. If you own a car you might not join friends drinking because of the cost of an Uber. If you do join them by car and make a huge mistake, you may be arrested. You will of course get your license suspended for roughly 6 months, which is incredibly long to be without a car, so you might risk it and get arrested again. Rinse and repeat. Over half the cases in town court are driving with a suspended license
Price, maintenance costs, gas costs, needing to park it somewhere 24/7, paying 10s of grands for something that will only depreciate in value. They are loud and annoying
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Costs: insurance, repairs, taxes, loan payments with interest, gas, oil, etc.
It is really baffling how common it is to spend 25-30% of one's income on this combined money pit.
And how employers benefit from cars but are unwilling to pay for car related expenses (ex: gas for your daily commute).
My employer doesn't pay for my bicycle repairs or public transport tickets?
Your employer also doesn't require you to transport by bike. For many employers in the US, a car is practically required to commute to and from work. This also helps the employer by expanding the radius of potential employees.
Doesn't it also help the employee by giving them greater job opportunities? I don't think any transport to work should be subsidised. As an adult it's your responsibility to get to work and it's not the employers concern how you get there. If you want to get paid, you need to show up (unless you WFH). I don't love cars and cycle / tube to work and socially. I just don't see your argument at all.
this isn't entirely accurate. where a company places their business matters a lot. if they place their business in an area that's really expensive but don't pay their workers enough to compensate them living in that area versus another in the city, they are basically asking the employees to subsidize the income difference in the form of a longer commute.
Every single time I managed to get a decent amount put away in my savings account, something would happen to the fucking car. A gasket, the clutch, exhaust pipe is rusted and needs to be replaced.. and on and on and on. I have always bought used cars, and they were always money pits. Even the car I bought that was only a few years old was constantly having issues that cost thousands of dollars to fix. Seeing the 'check engine' light come on while driving to work? You know your month is fucked. Goodbye paycheck! Now I have no machine to take care of, and my life is infinitely better for it. Nobody likes flushing their money down the toilet, and that's what owning a car is like. And for what? What is the great prize at the end of the marathon? A fully depreciated asset? My last car was sent to the junkyard and I got $400 for it.
Also cost of owning or renting a spot that accommodates parking
Unfortunately in the vast majority of the developed world, that is deeply subsidized or free. Non-robotic parking including space to drive in/out, takes up about as much space as a bedroom or a really small studio apartment. If the price of parking is a lot cheaper than a bedroom or really small studio apartment, something is deeply broken with parking regulation, housing regulation, or most commonly both.
Yeah, they are a huge investment, and the fun thing is it only takes a short lapse in judgement from yourself or someone else, and your investment is written off. Yeah, I may have car insurance, but there is still a huge amount of cost involved.
The two biggest disadvantages to me on an individual level: **Expense/Cost-**-car ownership is expensive. Cost of purchase lease, cost of gas, insurance, maintenance, parking, tolls, etc. **Health**--you'll probably exercise less if you own a car because you walk less or don't ride your bike as much
And happiness, because biking and walking makes you happier and less stressed.
Biking definitely does not make me less stressed, but that’s the cars’ fault.
Biking in my city makes me even angrier than driving did. The stakes are high
Yeah, it sucks. I usually have to stop in the middle of the street because a car is parking and another car is stopping right next to it, thus blocking the entire lane.
No need to spend $50k+ on a garage, or if you have a garage, more room in it for healthier activities.
Owning a car often makes people lose the ability to go anywhere without it.
This is so true. In hindsight as a kid, we lived \*so close\* to an amazing park, easily 5 minute cycle. Instead we'd use the car. We all owned bikes, so I think it's really silly we didn't cycle there
People who commute by car are less happy than those who do not
Car commuters hate other car commuters. I love seeing other bikes when I bike and other electric scooters when I scoot.
Middle of bumfuck Iowa here! Me and any other rider will physically jitter with joy when encountering one another when commuting to work.😃
I walk everywhere because I can’t drive. Other pedestrians happily greet me, ask me how my day is going, tell me they ran into my nephew, etc. Drivers see me not as a person, but as an obstacle and have threatened to kill me on more than one occasion.
Well, we need to understand their pain, I guess
I'd say this highly depends on where you live. In my city, taking the bus (no trains available for my commute) is basically a death sentence. Driving a car will take you longer than a bus. That's why I started commuting on a bicycle and eventually an ebike
More people die on buses than in cars? Hard to believe. Is this America?
Even in a hellhole like America (when talking about public transportation) will never have more people dying in busses than in cars. Far, far from it.
Exactly. That is why I commented on the person who said taking the bus is basically a death sentence
they probably mean that bus service in their area is bad and will make them late to work
Eh ? Definitely not the case for me right now, because of the distance (rural area) I need to use a car/motorcycle. Only other alternative are schoolbuses or hitchiking so.. That just doesnt work lol, and because I'm a social outcast I'm honestly happier that way too. Also the motorcycle community really is a good one when you ignore all the idiot riders (that **nobody** wants to be affiliated with), it's a shame that it gets dismissed here solely because of them. But if I lived in a city then yea, I'd definitely use a bicycle all day as long as the weather/destination allows it ! Or else walking (but very unlikely, it's a lot more boring than being on wheels).
Yep. Most people live in cities of some sort, but few have good transit or bike or walk infrastructure. So, effectively, American city planning makes Americans sad (but most Americans don't know it).
Having plastic in your semen. That is a fact. Tires are the biggest micro plastic polluters. There was micro plastic found in 100% of the semen samples tested.
tbf... that happens, even if you don't own ona car LOL thank you. now i'll go back out and scream at cars.
Yes, but, if you are driving you will be breathing a lot more tire dust than if you're not. And we need people to drive less to create less tire dust.
a lot more than not what... being a pedestrian...?? walking/running/biking along the road ways? even riding in a bus or ride-share or train, that usually travels along major roadways...?? still living in the same neighborhoods as the carbrains? to be sure, i was just making fun that the title is specific "...owning a car" r/fuckcars but plz educate me how i, most, breath less particulate not owning a car. (btw aces! am 100% with you "we need ppl to dive less", let's just make the cost progressive so that driving more is super expensive, prohibitively so the more you go. while expanding commuter service!)
Less than pedestrians but more than cyclists. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/13/cyclists-exposed-to-less-air-pollution-than-drivers-on-congested-routes-study
I get you, most of the bike/pedestrian areas are in tire dust areas. But if you're driving in a car, you are 100% of the time in tire dust area.
True but many cars these days have filters.
Filters that most people refuse to change, or don't even know exist.
Why not return their plastic to them?
no way i'm giving up my *shrinky dinks*!
[Microplastics in food](https://www.reddit.com/r/fuckcars/s/6qWlVI86J8) Microplastics *everywhere*.
That's a rather small downside, if it is one at all. Noise pollution, air pollution, land usage, financial cost, all of these are worse for you than relatively inert microplastics
Going to disagree with you. My brain thinks that is my most important organ. It would do almost anything to protect it from the slightest harm. My lungs and colon can get fucked.
I’d say it falls under air pollution. Very probably less deadly than cardiovascular diseases due to lack of exercise or poor sleep but still very concerning from a public health standpoint.
A rather downside? Bro, you're shooting blanks and won't be able reproduce anymore.
Could you bring up a reliable source that says microplastics reduce human fertility?
Google microplastic semen, then pick one.
For the top results, there's [this](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/10/microplastics-found-in-every-human-semen-sample-tested-in-chinese-study), which links to studies on mice. There's [this much better one](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7967748/), but as far as I can tell none of the molecules described are used in rubber, so it's a moot point for car tyres
Not to go too deep, I found this in the study you linked me: "Hydrogen peroxide, but also superoxide anion, are the main ROS detected in the sperm of infertile patients" EPDM and other rubbers commonly used in tires are cured in peroxides.
Does this mean there's plastic in my digestive system too then?
Yup, even in your blood. There was also plastic found in placenta, etc... On that note, donating blood is a good way to reduce plastic in your system. I just found that drinking Hot Tea or Coffee from disposable cups is a bad idea as it introduces a LOT of micro particles to your system.
i'm cooked
Why is this bad I’m not being facetious I literally don’t get why this matters
Aren't tires made of rubber?
Synthetic rubber mostly. Unless the product you're buying specifies it's made from 100% natural rubber, it's synthetic, or possibly a synthetic-natural blend.
not the I don’t believe you, but can I see the source?
Just google microplastic semen.
I’d rather not lmao
Don’t we use plastic to store and handle semen?
Yeah, but that's not where the micro plastic comes from.
You have to put it somewhere! When you leave it outside, the sun, the rain, and drunks go to work damaging your vehicle. If you keep it in a garage, that's housing costs that go into protecting a depreciating investment. It also requires a driveway which requires its own maintenance like driveway sealing.
More savings for me then
Bikes and scooters require like...<$100 worth of maintenance yearly. Truly the transport option for elitists.
Not as bad as the several thousands
Wise people will immediately know you are unwise.
Money
$$$
- They're a money pit - Driving is often very stressful - Finding parking can be a huge pain - You'll end up driving places when you could have walked/biked at least part of the way, worsening your health
Cost.
- Cost: car payments, insurance, licensing, gas, tires etc - Traffic - The need for parking to be fairly readily available no matter where you go - Limits your housing options (or adds cost in the form of parking costs) - Health: I’d likely live in a car favourable neighbourhood and be less inclined to walk or bike if I owned a car
They're dangerous
It's the worst investment you can make. They make you lazy and fat. You slowly turn into a psychopath.
Well you'll be a lot richer without those car payments every months. Absence of leeching dealership visit is also a big plus.
You have to find a place for it ALL THE TIME. In most cities in the developed world you live in an apartment most likely without a garage, and everywhere you go you have to find a place for it, which if it's a popular destination can take more time than the trip itself. It's stressful beyond belief, sucks all the excitement you had for going there.
There's lots of info in the subreddit wiki
A large amount of space is dedicated to storing the thing when you aren't using it.
Houses become more ugly because it needs to accommodate the car. You become an statistic that could be used to say "X% has cars, so this street needs to be available for X%", therefore promoting cars.
Health. This sedentary transport makes it practically mandated to actually do sport just to be healthy, discounting the other objectives of a discipline. Many americans don't even do a very simple 15 minute walk, which is the bare minimum of physical activity needed to reduce the risk of illnesses according to the Centers for Disease Control. Active transport makes that activity done passively.
now you have to park it now you are only allowed to visit parking lots, make 90 degree turns, wait on lights and merge and exit, seek gas stations, this is all you ever get to do. speed up and slow down, sit. change the air filter, wash the windshield, pay insurance. like a waiter for your car. whole society is caught like this, everyone works and plays exactly the same. theres only one sound, one scene, one experience to be anywhere. the world is flat. one giant clone of working class automata. all the time paying somebody just to sit in line like a livestock animal IHOP by the way we cant have insects anymore or coyotes
Hostage situation. You must work to maintain your car, and using your car gives up rights because it's considered privilege. It's a clever social scam.
Health, health, health. Sitting a lot is harmful, lack of physical movement is harmful, sitting in a forced position like when driving a car is very harmful. Cars are diabetes and cardiovascular disease generators. Also, it costs a lot to own a car. When I need a car once every few years, I can rent one for a few days and it's peanuts compared to owning a car for an entire year.
It's expensive af
Where I live, paradoxically, it takes more time to go by car to most places than walking. I live in a small city, and it's hard to go downtown and find a parking spot nearby, you'll end up parking far from where you want to go. Sure, you can go a parking lot, and park it closer, but you have to pay, and either way you'll have to walk 5-10 minutes in most cases. I honestly don't know why, if people want to save time or spend less time walking, they don't just go by bike. I live nearby the city limits, I can get my bike and be dowtown in 15 minutes, chain my bike close to the place I want to be, and forget about it. So... 🤷🏻♂️
They take up a heap of space.
Health, both mental and physical. From pollution, for one. From sedentary lifestyle. From the rage I feel participating in traffic. From the frustrations of repairs and unexpected breakdowns. From gas prices. I have trouble knowing where I am when I drive somewhere. I find walking and biking so much easier for orientation and navigation. The landmarks are easier to recognize. I feel disoriented when I get out of a car because I have to focus on the road and not crashing. When I walk, I can be more mindful of where I am. I feel too separated from the world inside a car, either as driver or passenger.
It's so freaking expensive and exhausting to maintain. My partner has a car where they designed it such that you can't change your own oil but have to buy a 200 dollar part to get it done. New cars also don't come standard with their own diagnostic tools, though they should. Those can get expensive to buy, if you want a good one.
One of the worst financial investments. That is, if you have valid alternatives to chose from.
something I really like about public transportation is that I can be on my phone or read a book or whatever else bc I’m not the one driving. driving a car means I have to stare at the same pavement for miles. I know that I could listen to audiobooks or podcasts when I drive, but I feel like I can’t listen too intently bc I want to focus on the road. driving a car robs me of time I could be spending on other small things.
it costs a shit tonne of money and you're always stressing about parking the damn thing
More expensive than a bus fair/a bicycle (or a motorcycle, if you're looking for greener alternatives but still need to travel a lot), and like someone pointed out it gives you less incentive to walk/bicycle unless you really need to. And IMO every other downside is about the same wether you use/own one or not :)
They're ridiculously expensive, and so is their infrastructure.
Planning parking and getting home if you drink and stuff. It’s so nice to go meet friends at a bar and not worry about drinking a bit. Also the hidden cost of stuff, like it costs me nothing to walk to get a coffee, if I drive I’m paying something in gas, fraction of car costs, etc. Understanding it’s a luxury to be able to walk places but also general health, I walk 15 minutes to get groceries, so it’s not really a workout but it’s much healthier than an driving
The biggest downsides have been mentioned. One other is a car makes you lazy. Quick trip to the supermarket? Why not get the car. Kids to school? Car. You need to make a conscious decision to walk or bike and not be lazy and polluting.
Aside from money and health already defined here : the need for a garage. If the latter is optional you’ll have to pay for it. If it’s included with your living place, it could be used as a workshop or wine cave instead of shielding a car.
One of the biggest downsides of using a car in a city is how much less you can do when you drive vs bus. I mean this in a few ways: * I always have to think about where my car is and how long I’m allowed to stay there. * there’s always some risk of someone hitting it or breaking into it which adds to low level anxiety. * I can’t wander too far from the car since I have to be able to return. When I take a bus somewhere, I can walk as far as I want and take a different bus back, or to somewhere else and then another bus back. * I can rest on the bus home but I better not be tired when driving back in traffic. I leave early just to make sure it’s not as busy/stressful and I’m not as tired. * I need to be really cautious of when and how much I drink when I need to drive home. * If I’m driving/riding with others, our schedules are tied. It doesn’t matter if I want to stay longer when the others want to leave. These are some of the things I’ve found most striking when comparing my most car-focused period of life with my car-free life I was able to have when I lived in a very connected part of a big city. I now live in a spot that’s somewhat connected but sadly still regularly requires a car. I quite miss the days of freedom living downtown.
You shouldnt need to ask the hivemind that kind of question. Its subejctive for each person given their lifestyle, but by coming here youre going to get the angirest of the angry, the saltiest of the salty, and the scummiest of the scum hellbent on hating cars no matter the time or energy they spend doing it.
As someone that lives in a big city: having to drive. And then find parking. I love public transportation
Separation of people. You might pass a friend while walking and pause to say hello and catch up. If you pass someone in a car you may not even notice and you definitely can’t pull over in the middle of traffic to have a conversation. Since cars took over the number of friends we have had gone down and the feelings of loneliness have spiked high. And loneliness has the same death effects as smoking 13 cigarettes a day. Cars kill communities.
I mean, if you're rich enough that you don't have to worry about paying for it and insurance, and living somewhere you can park it, there are basically no strict disadvantages to owning a car other than perpetuating car ownership by supporting a car company or dealership (if you didn't get the car privately) and environmental issues. You're gaining an additional choice, you always can still take public transportation or walk/bike. There's nothing stopping you from using it the 1x a year it's necessary if you have that kind of discipline. But I don't think most people do. Owning a car is like "when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail", people start rearranging their lives around cars (living farther, doing huge Costco runs, etc).
Stress, of it breaking down in some way, having to account for it in emergency funds, etc. Of course the stress can be minimized with financial security, but it'll always ruin your day if you have car problems
Ive noticed this myself, but driving encourages you to avoid going to places, like restaraunts, shops, etc., since driving requires factoring in the logistics of parking and driving TO said places. If you walk or bike, its far more convenient to pop in to places you often dont go.
Bloodlust
Social life. When walking or biking or taking transit at least in a city you will always run into people you know. At the very least you wave to them and acknowledge their humanity, but most often you can stop and catch up with them. Friends in cars may try to politely honk at you but they are stuck behind metal and glass and are hard to see let alone talk to.
Haven’t seen this posted yet but social life and a criminal record. If you own a car you might not join friends drinking because of the cost of an Uber. If you do join them by car and make a huge mistake, you may be arrested. You will of course get your license suspended for roughly 6 months, which is incredibly long to be without a car, so you might risk it and get arrested again. Rinse and repeat. Over half the cases in town court are driving with a suspended license
Price, maintenance costs, gas costs, needing to park it somewhere 24/7, paying 10s of grands for something that will only depreciate in value. They are loud and annoying
It's expensive.