[nicepplonly]

I live in New York City where it's not unusual to see cars going places they're not allowed, including parks. The problem is not the ruleset, it's the fact that automobile operators don't comply with the rules and nobody enforces them. Every day I see an automobile on a sidewalk or driving through the blocked off sections of the park I live next to in order to bypass traffic.

Cars are weapons and should be severely limited on public roads, especially in terms of speed (all cars should have speed governors).

[mlrtime]

NYC is not an example of a place to raise a family. There are so many things that make it very inconvenient for families it is exactly why people tend to move out.

Of course it can be done and happens every day. But it is a horrible example for anything family related.

[nicepplonly]

NYC is the greatest place to raise children IMO. The best of everything: you can live car-free, high density of opportunities, educational services, activities, art, culture, etc.

EDIT: Okay, arguably some places like maybe the Netherlands (which has excellent anti-car infra) are better, but I've seen it all at this point and I am convinced NYC is still the best, even though there are too many cars and too much surface area is dedicated to cars.

[Kim_Bruning]

I agree that there's many nice spots in NYC.

Note: The infrastructure in the Netherlands is not anti-car. It's not an xor thing!

Pedestrians, Bikes, Trains, Ships, and Cars. The Netherlands gives a lot of love to infrastructure for all modes of mobility.

[nicepplonly]

If you took the average American and airdropped them into Amsterdam with an F-150, they would probably think it's very anti-car :)

[mlrtime]

An F-150 is not a car. And while it is the most sold vehicles ever it is mostly used for work purposes.

[Kim_Bruning]

Eh, that's a pretty big vehicle. Does that still actually count as a _car_? ;-) It's fine for regular European or Japanese vehicles, of course.

But... people do drive American trucks like that out in the countryside as utility vehicles. Where there's a bit of room to maneuver, it can be done.

And of course, outside Amsterdam city center: you've got all-paved-roads even in the countryside (well maintained with few potholes), reasonable speed limits, highways that stay dry even when it rains, traffic lights that let you through the moment they see you coming (at an empty intersection at least), traffic jam detector systems, highway entrances and exits that you can take on cruise control -as opposed to trying to kill you- (I'm looking at you, Germany ;-) ), and much much more!

* ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8RRE2rDw4k "The Best Country in the World for Drivers" )

* https://youtu.be/SDXB0CY2tSQ?t=437 (business parks... people in the comments were kind of riled up about this particular traffic light. Would work fine with an F150 ;-) )

[nicepplonly]

> Eh, that's a pretty big vehicle. Does that still actually count as a _car_?

The 2 best selling vehicle models in the USA are the Ford F-series and Chevy equivalent (Silverado), according to some sources[1][2]. I agree they're absurd for what are effectively overpowered wheelchairs that make you fat and reduce your IQ[3], but it is what it is.

[1]: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/g43553191/bestselling-cars...

[2]: https://www.edmunds.com/most-popular-cars/

[3]: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/air-pollution-li...

[jjav]

> Cars are weapons

Cars are obviously not weapons, they are vehicles. The definition of weapon is something which primary use case is to kill or maim. The primary use case of a car is transportation.

Do you say that a pencil is a weapon? You could stab yourself by accident with a pencil.

[nicepplonly]

If you use a pencil to stab someone, yes it's a weapon. If I use a shovel to kill someone, it's a weapon. If I use a pillow to suffocate someone, it's a weapon. If I drive a car into a person and kill them because I don't feel like following the rules, yes it's a weapon.

Cars not only have the direct immediate effect as weapons (i.e., using them to drive into/over people), but they also have significant second and third order effects such as the pollution from emissions, tires, production and supply chains, destruction of the environment from road construction, cement production emissions, and so on and so forth. There are also the health effects of people forgetting how to use their bodies to move themselves, being isolated inside an insulated box such that nobody interacts with those around them, which leads people to be hostile, aggressive, violent, and so on.

Cars are weapons and they're killing us.