I was recently held up in absolute dead stop traffic. We were sitting on the tarmac with no movement for well over an hour, in the 80 degree sun, before I felt obliged to leave my car and go see if it was because of roadwork or an accident or what.
I joined a small crowd of onlookers after reaching the head, spectating a row of sit-in protesters. One driver had tried to get around but a few protesters moved tactically so that he couldn’t go any further without injuring somebody.
I didn’t wait around, although there were people phoning the police and some tempers beginning to flare. So I head back to my car. The dairy groceries that I picked up on the way back from work had begun to spoil.
I was late home by nearly three hours, so no time to unwind. Just enough to pack away some old leftovers before heading off to sleep and restart cycle all over, -1 hour or so of sleep.
Previously, I had no opinion whatsoever on whether cars=good or cars=bad. But after being held up in traffic, wasting money, wasting gas, losing sleep and perhaps a bit of my sanity I am now totally on board with the Fuck Cars movement. I couldn’t imagine a more convincing strategy to bring people over to your perspective. Excellent thinking. Good job.
This feels like an attempt at satire, but they failed to mention what was actually being protested. It probably is because it’s very self-centered (“oh no my milk is spoiled! Who cares that 100 ppl are killed everyday day because of cars, I want my milk!!”)
If it’s not sarcasm, then you’re right! A train would have gotten you home on time 👍
I shit you not, on occasions that I have taken a train, I have had the pleasure to experience the train inexplicably rolling to a stop while we all sit waiting, only for the intercom to cackle out a barely intelligible “explanation” and that we will soon be on our way again.
Why did it stop? Still don’t know. How long were we stopped for? About as long as I was stuck in traffic earlier.
In short, no. And on that day, I found myself wishing I had just driven instead. The parking meter fee I was avoiding would have been much preferable, in retrospect.
If governments were to put as much money into train infrastructure as they do in car infrastructure a train would 100% get you home faster and get rid of all traffic on the roads.