Brent ToderianJul 9, 2023

Remember this picture every single time you hear someone in your city say "we're not Amsterdam."

This was #Amsterdam in the 1970s, via @fietsprofessor.

The cities we admire made better choices regarding cars, and are still making them today.

Better choices instead of excuses.

#Dutch #cities #cars #bikes #streets

Show threadTexty the BardJul 12, 2023

@BrentToderian What's your idea for how mobility-limited people get around in this Utopian car-free city? Because most versions of these I've seen pretend we don't exist.

I can't ride a bike, walk more than about a block (and that only on level, smooth terrain, which is very rare in my region) nor stand for very long. I also can't tolerate hot or inclement weather. Transit is therefore completely out of the question, because there's no way for me to get to or from a stop.

Show threadTexty the Bard

@BrentToderian Before you go there, since most people do, no, door-to-door car services or disabled parking allowances don't work, either. Most places have very narrow criteria to qualify for for those because there are otherwise far too many of us to make serving us all this way practical.

Also bear in mind that urban density means high rises, which are death traps for anyone who can't use stairs.

Jul 12, 2023 at 11:22amWeb
Show threadTexty the BardJul 12, 2023
@BrentToderian Disabled people are entitled to the freedom and flexibility of movement that we can only achieve with cars. Cities can be made bike and transit friendly without forcing us to stay home or be dependent on others for transportation. If your urban planning ideas don't include us, you need to rethink them.
Show threadtyilJul 13, 2023

@textualdeviance @BrentToderian

There are way, way too many people who would need the service if they were no longer able to use their own cars, and the service would therefore be impossible to sustain.You'd be surprised how sustainable systems can become if you set them up right.If my kid loses a Lego up his nose and has to go to urgent care, I'm putting him in my car and we're there in 10 minutes.If a kid has to go to urgent care, or anyone else for that matter, we already have that covered: ambulances. They're even allowed to perform various actions on the road you're not allowed to, and this can save them more time than you ever could. These people are also trained to drive in such scenarios, and are thus much less likely to cause other accidents by doing so.

Additional bonus if you're in a people-centric neighbourhood, since there won't be many cars to block their access to begin with.door-to-door car services or disabled parking allowances don't workThey seemed to work for the entire elderly home my grandmother lives in, and it worked fine for my dad too. I'm unsure what your experiences are that prove this to "not work", but reality around me clearly shows it works very well.Also bear in mind that urban density means high rises, which are death traps for anyone who can't use stairsWe have invented elevators.Disabled people are entitled to the freedom and flexibility of movement that we can only achieve with carsFrom reading your posts, you seem to be very convinced you must use a car to be free, which is simply false. It's ingrained and very hard to unlearn, maybe, but it doesn't seem to align with reality all that much. You have to be open for something new and stop trying to grasp for reasons to be against change.If your urban planning ideas don't include us, you need to rethink them.Most urban planning already does. Making cities less car centric does this too, you just need to stop this "everyone is against me and my car because they hate my freedom" way of thinking. The world isn't out to get you personally.