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I'm in my 30s / no license / live in nyc my whole life I would be surprised to learn someone over the age of 16 doesn't have their license in a new england sub

I'm in my 30s / no license / live in nyc my whole life I would be surprised to learn someone over the age of 16 doesn't have their license in a new england suburb. In my limited experience public transit is terrible in smaller US cities. The truth is in NYC I don't even think about owning a car. In fact the opposite is true, sometimes I think to myself "wow, I'm so glad I can live my life and don't have to worry about all that car related stuff." I'm not saying that's true anywhere else. I'm not telling you to feel guilty about owning a car. All I'm saying is that in NYC in 2018, no, life really isn't limited without a car. This isn't virtue signaling this is a calculated part of life for many people living in major cities. Public transit isn't perfect but the cost/benefit of car ownership overhead just isn't worth it in some places.

autokad 9y ago
Edit: I retract what I said below taking verylittlemeat's comments into account. i dont know what the value of 'i live in nyc and i dont need a car' provides. everyone already knows most people in nyc doesnt need a car. the problem is getting people in the densely packed urban areas to understand not all people can (or wants to) live without a car. likewise europeans, we get it, a lot of you dont need a car. there is very few places in the US most people can function without a car. Philadelphia, NYC, and DC that I can think of. I guess SF, but walking around there was really hard for me. In Philly, I can walk nearly everywhere and get what I need. like you, it would cost me a ton of money even if I were given a car. I dont need it, and I dont want one. However, I am also a bit trapped in the city. if I want to do any hiking or anything 'outdoorsy', I either have to ask someone to give me a ride or I simply cant do it.
- verylittlemeat 9y ago
  So then who exactly is the OP arguing against? Who here is arguing people living in suburbs with no public transit should give up their cars? The OP argues not owning a car is a "virtuous shtick" and then: "You have no social life with no car" and "People here [hacker news] don't get how limited your life is without a car." Such ridiculous claims deserve to be challenged since the OP seems to be speaking about car ownership in general, not just people living in suburbs.
  - autokad 9y ago
    You are right, I retract what I said.

autokad 9y ago

Edit: I retract what I said below taking verylittlemeat's comments into account. i dont know what the value of 'i live in nyc and i dont need a car' provides. everyone already knows most people in nyc doesnt need a car. the problem is getting people in the densely packed urban areas to understand not all people can (or wants to) live without a car. likewise europeans, we get it, a lot of you dont need a car. there is very few places in the US most people can function without a car. Philadelphia, NYC, and DC that I can think of. I guess SF, but walking around there was really hard for me. In Philly, I can walk nearly everywhere and get what I need. like you, it would cost me a ton of money even if I were given a car. I dont need it, and I dont want one. However, I am also a bit trapped in the city. if I want to do any hiking or anything 'outdoorsy', I either have to ask someone to give me a ride or I simply cant do it.

verylittlemeat 9y ago
So then who exactly is the OP arguing against? Who here is arguing people living in suburbs with no public transit should give up their cars? The OP argues not owning a car is a "virtuous shtick" and then: "You have no social life with no car" and "People here [hacker news] don't get how limited your life is without a car." Such ridiculous claims deserve to be challenged since the OP seems to be speaking about car ownership in general, not just people living in suburbs.
- autokad 9y ago
  You are right, I retract what I said.