this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2025
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Fuck Cars

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A place to discuss problems of car centric infrastructure or how it hurts us all. Let's explore the bad world of Cars!

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[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 12 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

DYK Chicago sold their street parking to Morgan Stanley for 75 years for $1 billion? It took Morgan 15 years to recoup their money and now it's all profit. If Chicago wants the parking for a parade, maintenance access, etc, they have to pay.

[–] IllNess 18 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Jersey City has been posted on this community a few times.

I've read somewhere that if an apartment builder builds a park next to the building, they get a lot of incentives including tax breaks. I really like that rule. It must be worth it since almost all the new big builds I see, there is usually a park next to it.

[–] nandeEbisu@lemmy.world 5 points 16 hours ago

It also helps grease the wheels for communities to approve the building permit. Not even so they get a new park, but so they're current park that they use doesn't get overcrowded.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 8 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Whats worse is the parking was sold seperately by the developers from the units because the law said you had to have the parking but did not require it to be coupled to the units. I did not mind the parking requirment but my big beef was it should stay with the unit and the unit owner should not be limited to only putting a car in the space (which most buildings restricted it to).

[–] pc486@sh.itjust.works 4 points 20 hours ago (3 children)

So you'd rather force blind, epileptic, vertigo, mobility impaired and many other suffering people to pay more on essential living needs for utilities that they cannot ethically or legally use?

[–] daq@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 2 hours ago

There's 0 chance these units are any cheaper because they lack parking space. This just allows developers to charge even more money from vast majority of people.

[–] chilicheeselies@lemmy.world 1 points 11 hours ago

Yeah. And ill pay more for the world to be more accessible for them even though i dont need it.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 6 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (2 children)

I in no way said that. I said I did not mind the requirement. Space is limited in a condo so a cheap per square foot but not climate controlled bit that you can put a storage pod on is nice but when its limited to only having a car there is the real problem.

[–] pc486@sh.itjust.works 2 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

The requirement is the problem. Why would you force someone who cannot use a parking spot to pay for one? It's a waste of money and resources that could go into many other things, like buying a bigger condo!

Storage pods don't make up for it, and it's illegal for good reasons (fire and health hazard).

Instead of developing a car spot only to redevelop it for another use, just build what you want at the start.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 15 hours ago

Thing is that the cost per square foot is way cheaper and its only a few square feet. You could not buy an appreciably bigger condo with the construction costs but you get a decent sized storage footprint. I don't see why a storage pod should have some sort of fire and health hazard that would not apply to storing in things in your condo. So I don't see good reason for it.

[–] yetAnotherUser@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

Is that even legal in the US? Here in Germany it's definitely illegal to use a parking spot - including your garage - for storage. It's considered an unauthorized special use.

The reason is because parking spots and garages face different regulation than living spaces. For example, you cannot construct a shed on the edge of your property but you may build a garage there.

[–] sartalon@lemmy.world 1 points 16 hours ago

I wish it was illegal in the state's to use your garage as storage.

I live in suburbia and everyone parks on the fucking street because they buy so much shit, that a regular house is not enough to store it, that they have to use their garage too.

Then I have to play frogger just to get to my house.

And most of the hem.jave huge fucking trucks to comuite in.

BITCH, you ain't hauling shit, you are all hat and not cattle, basic-ass motherfucker.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

It might be illegal but its stupid to limit space like this with a condo.

[–] bitchkat@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

And unfortunately they often do. We're only allowed to keep bikes or motorcycles in our parking spots at my building (besides cars of course)

[–] Greyghoster@aussie.zone -2 points 20 hours ago (3 children)

So these buildings can only be sold to people that don’t own cars and are barred from owning cars while they live there?

[–] otp@sh.itjust.works 16 points 20 hours ago

barred from owning cars while they live there?

Yeah, just like how if there isn't a bus stop at the door of the building, that means anyone who lives there is barred from taking a bus. /s

[–] frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

Oh, no, we'll have to build trains in Chicago.

Have you ever drove in Chicago? It's the worst thing about Chicago.

[–] TheRedSpade@lemmy.world 1 points 11 hours ago

Had to pick my sister and niece up from O'hare. I was a little nervous on the way there, but once they were in the car with me I was terrified.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 1 points 15 hours ago

Indiana resident, can confirm

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 9 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

No, its just that if you own a car there you'll have to put it elsewhere, whether that's buying a parking spot elsewhere or finding street parking.

I live in an apartment without parking (ok there are spots for more than I'm willing to pay extra) and so I park a ways away and am more of a walker than a driver.

[–] chilicheeselies@lemmy.world 1 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

If new buildings dont have spots, and everyone parks on the street, and there is finite street space; how do you continue to park your car?

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Because new buildings don't need spots there becomes less need for cars. This stage is awkward for some people but part of it is thst places like this are supposed to be places not everyone needs a car.

[–] chilicheeselies@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Less parking spots ... ? ... Less need for cars. Im not really connecting the dots here. I live in a place where lots of hlusing was built pre war without parking spots. There are not less cars there, just greater competition for street parking in those neighborhoods. Its actually more car dense brcause there is nowhere else for the cars to gonother than the street (and crosswalks, and hydrants, etc).

In the nieghborhoods with newer buildings that have parking, there are less cars taking up space on the road.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 1 points 36 minutes ago

Was public transit builr there? I live somewhere built around a public transit system, but around the edge of it. The people who live and work deeper in the city don't need cars, but the people whose lives revolve around further from the city do. This allows for less raw space taken up by things like a metric fuckton of parking like it was back when I lived in a city that was anomalously large to not have a light rail at all by American standards.

What does that actually mean though? Neighborhoods deeper in the city can fit a lot more stuff within walking distance, while here you're walking past a fair bit of parking lot as you walk around, but much further out going without a car means you're either biking or you're hiking

[–] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca -3 points 21 hours ago (4 children)

now people can move in, have nowhere to park and expect parking violations and impound fees that they didn't account for.

[–] otp@sh.itjust.works 12 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

IME, there is usually paid parking nearby.

...and ample access to a reasonably well-functioning public transit system.

[–] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 1 points 12 hours ago

hopefully. I've seen first hand when they don't have anything outside the 'express' first thing and last night of the day.

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 11 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

What we need is less cars, more bikes, and more people walking. Approaching everything from a carcentric point of view is how we got here.

[–] macaw_dean_settle@lemmy.world 0 points 20 hours ago (3 children)

My job, my father's job, and my fiances job would not exist if not for cars. It would next to impossible for any of us, in 3 different fields, to complete our jobs without cars.

[–] otp@sh.itjust.works 9 points 20 hours ago

Your family probably wouldn't exist if not for horses. We don't need a stable in every newly-built house.

Also, having fewer cars is still a win. We don't need 0 cars.

[–] blarghly@lemmy.world 7 points 19 hours ago

Cars are great. Building your whole society around cars is shitty and inefficient. Basically what you are saying is

My job, my father’s job, and my fiances job would not exist if not for digging holes and filling them back in again. It would next to impossible for any of us, in 3 different fields, to complete our jobs without digging holes and filling them back in again.

Even a child can understand that this kind of inefficiency is a waste of valuable time, energy, and resources. If your job requires a car to do (like conducting research in remote wildlands, or picking up garbage), then... great. No one has a problem with that. But if what you are saying is "if society didnt waste billions of dollars requiring people to have cars, then my job wouldnt exist", then your job shouldnt exist. Thats fine. All the people employed in these fields can find different jobs that make the world better instead of worse.

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 8 points 20 hours ago

Right, bcz we have created a society that demands that. Doesn't mean it has to stay that way.

[–] blarghly@lemmy.world 7 points 19 hours ago

New construction isnt required to build parking. That doesn't mean they won't build parking. Instead, they will build the amount of parking they expect to be profitable. This is very reasonable. At a certain point, a given amount of building space will be worth more for car storage than human living space. At this point, the developer will build parking instead of housing. Thus, an appropriate amount of parking is built at an appropriate price for the community, and housing becomes significantly cheaper.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago

parking violations and impound fees that they didn't account for.

Yes, because as everyone knows, you lose all your ability to make good parking decisions when you live in housing without attached parking.

"Ohhh nooo, I was going to park a block away and pay the meter, like I do literally every time I drive anywhere, but now I have to leave my car in the middle of the street! I can't help myself!"