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Had 4 kids in Amsterdam NL specifically because there is good public transit and biking infrastructure. Admittedly, we finally got a car for baby #4, but our ot

Had 4 kids in Amsterdam NL specifically because there is good public transit and biking infrastructure. Admittedly, we finally got a car for baby #4, but our other kids walk/bike to school or get taken by bike. I personally found it untenable to have so many kids in USA cities. Car culture makes it hard — you have to take your kids everywhere!!

skeeter2020 3y ago
This video is in Vancouver, BC, Canada and explores why kids don't walk to school: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqvQ-5784po https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqvQ-5784po Goes into depth on some of the complexity, with one conclusion that car culture in general is reinforcing for many reasons, including more cars making it more dangerous making cars more attractive.
junaru 3y ago
Congrats on big family! How do you manage home improvement without car? I always run out of some small stuff during the weekends so its either 30minute turnaround by car or an hour and thirty by public transport and that's usually near the closing hours so its either car, or no one has running water for the day because some kitchen appliance has no valve and the connector hose is leaking.
- alamortsubite 3y ago
  Congrats on your enthusiasm for DIY appliance repair! I must say, however, some of these scenarios rationalizing car dependency are so highly-contrived as to seem desperate. Are you suggesting they're a reasonable justification for a $14K annual public subsidy per household (TFA)?
  - junaru 3y ago
    How is it highly contrived? Its generic household chores, who does them for you? > Are you suggesting they're a reasonable justification for a $14K annual public subsidy per household (TFA)? Yes, i would take those numbers with a grain of salt but yes. If you remove roads and cars neither the goods nor people you hire will get to you. At that point you are left with just leaving for somewhere else and starting the whole 'defund public infrastructure we rely on' campaign all over again - it's shortsighted at best and borderline malicious.
- dr_dshiv 3y ago
  We have a bucket ebike, aka “bakfiets.” It’s a 7 min ride to praxis and I can carry all but the heaviest goods (eg floor sander)
Kretinsky 3y ago
Amsterdam NL is an outlier as the city is extremely flat and and built around bikes, with a very low amount of cars (and very expensive real estate also as a consequence) and a high density of shops. Not sure it can be transposed elsewhere?
- dr_dshiv 3y ago
  Amsterdam wasn’t built around bikes— and least, it wasn’t until the “stop murdering our children” political campaign of the 1970s. https://irishcycle.com/2019/12/27/stop-killing-our-children-40-minute-documentary-shows-dutch-struggled-for-safer-streets/ https://irishcycle.com/2019/12/27/stop-killing-our-children-... They used to have highways through the city and they destroyed them and prioritized biking and pedestrians. Showing: it can be done.

skeeter2020 3y ago

This video is in Vancouver, BC, Canada and explores why kids don't walk to school: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqvQ-5784po https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqvQ-5784po Goes into depth on some of the complexity, with one conclusion that car culture in general is reinforcing for many reasons, including more cars making it more dangerous making cars more attractive.

junaru 3y ago

Congrats on big family! How do you manage home improvement without car? I always run out of some small stuff during the weekends so its either 30minute turnaround by car or an hour and thirty by public transport and that's usually near the closing hours so its either car, or no one has running water for the day because some kitchen appliance has no valve and the connector hose is leaking.

alamortsubite 3y ago
Congrats on your enthusiasm for DIY appliance repair! I must say, however, some of these scenarios rationalizing car dependency are so highly-contrived as to seem desperate. Are you suggesting they're a reasonable justification for a $14K annual public subsidy per household (TFA)?
- junaru 3y ago
  How is it highly contrived? Its generic household chores, who does them for you? > Are you suggesting they're a reasonable justification for a $14K annual public subsidy per household (TFA)? Yes, i would take those numbers with a grain of salt but yes. If you remove roads and cars neither the goods nor people you hire will get to you. At that point you are left with just leaving for somewhere else and starting the whole 'defund public infrastructure we rely on' campaign all over again - it's shortsighted at best and borderline malicious.
dr_dshiv 3y ago
We have a bucket ebike, aka “bakfiets.” It’s a 7 min ride to praxis and I can carry all but the heaviest goods (eg floor sander)

Kretinsky 3y ago

Amsterdam NL is an outlier as the city is extremely flat and and built around bikes, with a very low amount of cars (and very expensive real estate also as a consequence) and a high density of shops. Not sure it can be transposed elsewhere?

dr_dshiv 3y ago
Amsterdam wasn’t built around bikes— and least, it wasn’t until the “stop murdering our children” political campaign of the 1970s. https://irishcycle.com/2019/12/27/stop-killing-our-children-40-minute-documentary-shows-dutch-struggled-for-safer-streets/ https://irishcycle.com/2019/12/27/stop-killing-our-children-... They used to have highways through the city and they destroyed them and prioritized biking and pedestrians. Showing: it can be done.