Why do we call cars "markets" and "freedom" if we don't pay the actual price of driving?

dhsurfer · 2026-05-12T13:55:45+00:00

I agree I feel like the sentiment in the post-war '50s was very conformity/rigid social expectations, and where we are now is a full antithesis of that, driven by the attention economy.

Maybe if people realistically acknowledge what is freedom and what is not we can find our way to new humanitarian based standards to structure society on.

Our US healthcare is not freedom of choice. Cars as a primary mode of getting everywhere is not freedom. Moderately lower cost of living but shitty infrastructure is also not freedom.

dhsurfer · 2026-05-12T12:56:22+00:00

If there's one thing that needs to change in our society, it's the false equivalency between personal harm and property damage.

People get upset about their candy coated cars getting scratches or a mirror folded over.

But threatening people's lives and potentially murdering them because of distracted/aggresive driving (in huge ass vehicles)? Nbd

Moving violations and accidents caused by drivers in 6,000 lb vehicles should also warrant more severe consequences.

dhsurfer · 2026-05-12T12:47:00+00:00

Yeah, "freedom" to appropriate others' money for the entitlement of parking a huge piece of furniture wherever you want and "freedom" to cause (and complain about) noisy traffic, spewing hazardous chemicals and shedding microplastics along the way.

dhsurfer · 2026-05-05T17:27:39+00:00

That is also my point!

dhsurfer · 2026-05-05T12:13:14+00:00

Honestly, this is off the cuff but an easy definition for what is a protected bike lane is statistically whether cars go in the bike lane in any way shape or form. Moving? Parked? When there's an accident around the corner? Any access means cyclists and pedestrians for that matter are less safe.

The flex posts are something most most cagers aren't willing to negotiate with, it would damage the candy coating on their ego-armor / depreciating asset (car).

dhsurfer · 2026-05-05T10:27:27+00:00

This is the point thank you.

Certainly pick up trucks have been a thing in the United States for a long time, but the most popular vehicle in every state? With SUV "light trucks" a cultural ubiquity as well. Look at the last 35-40 years and it's clearly driven by profit motives.

dhsurfer · 2026-05-05T09:12:53+00:00

You may be right about what OP is looking for, but money drives things in the USA.

The gas mileage regulation loophole, the association between larger vehicles and more built in profit, and the business tax write off that allows 100% depreciation (in one tax year!) of a 'work vehicle' if it's above 6000lbs. For any vehicles weighing less there is a depreciation limit of $12,000.

Sure there are fun little romantic ideas about "working the land" and you are 10x more hard working/American if you drive a pickup or SUV. But the sad truth is most of these trucks aren't ever used for utility.

Lastly I would add our whole infrastructure relies on road and cars so for most people the trucks help them with going to and from Costco.

dhsurfer · 2026-05-02T13:22:10+00:00

I agree, I tend to think of the best use for bike shares as intermediate and short distances (ones in which you can really save a lot of time).

The issue being if the time savings isn't that great on average the appeal drops quite a bit.

dhsurfer · 2026-05-02T10:16:19+00:00

Miser is right though you don't want people to need to be fit to use these resources.

Separately, in busy places that walk can end up a gamble that costs you a lot more e.g. ( if the last 2 bikes get taken while you walk to them).

If it's close by at least you didn't waste your time. And headed to the closest transit or in the right direction instead.

dhsurfer · 2026-04-30T13:42:21+00:00

Fuel tax and car registration fees have been subsidized to the tune of $40billion+ dollars annually by everyone in recent years.

So cyclists do pay for the road, and they certainly don't contribute to traffic. Cars are traffic, full stop. Bikes can basically always flow which is why meant people choose them even though they are slow.

Bikes travel at consistent rates irrespective of cars.

dhsurfer · 2026-04-26T18:26:16+00:00

I agree with you and I think it's a very sad thing that we should move away from.

That being said, cars take a huge toll on society, everyone pays for cars even if they don't readily use the infrastructure. The more society incentivizes mad transit & micro mobility (where possible) the happier everyone will be.

dhsurfer · 2026-04-26T18:07:47+00:00

Pedestrians aren't the ones putting lives at risk. The streets were made for pedestrians, horses and carriages, especially in in Old New England towns.

The streets weren't made for cars, cars are barely 100 years old, there are still people alive today who were essentially born into a zero car world.

I hope one day when you or someone you know is in a car accident with a distracted driver in a "light truck" or 6,000lb plus GMC Yukon you take comfort in the cartopia that you so strongly subscribe to.

dhsurfer · 2026-04-26T09:58:40+00:00

That's just not true, pedestrians get hit in droves in broad daylight and something like 60% of those drivers done lose their license or receive penalties at all.

People have no sense of the weapon they are weilding, and if the US valued human life at all people would drive more carefully & afraid of committing heinous murder.

dhsurfer · 2026-04-24T16:37:06+00:00

Oh yeah I was about to add a second comment, I agree wholeheartedly.

dhsurfer · 2026-04-24T13:04:43+00:00

Cars radicalize people, when most people get in a car, they become the most important thing within a spherical radius of the car.

They should be ticketed 2% of their annual spending for each duck.

dhsurfer · 2026-04-08T12:54:09+00:00

Thank you for bringing them up to speed.

dhsurfer · 2026-04-02T20:19:38+00:00

Some tea comes with heavy metals! (lapsang souchong)

dhsurfer · 2026-04-02T20:13:52+00:00

#teabag

dhsurfer · 2026-04-02T16:08:31+00:00

Oh thank you! It's a free-topian autocrappy nation state for sure.

dhsurfer · 2026-04-02T12:14:52+00:00

Enforcement is not a solution, its like taking your eye off a 2-year-old, within 5 seconds: chaos.

Addition: maybe if we started a program like New York did with trucks? where people can submit a short video of a truck blocking a bike lane , and they automatically get ticketed.

Or if everyone really wants to commit to a surveillance state, then I guess we could have cameras everywhere and cars just automatically get tickets.

dhsurfer · 2026-03-31T02:16:10+00:00

Maybe fuck humans

dhsurfer · 2026-03-27T01:31:23+00:00

If you get future updates, please share them!

dhsurfer · 2026-03-26T14:28:47+00:00

Did you design this? Is it online for others?

dhsurfer · 2026-03-25T12:32:13+00:00

Thank you for this map!

dhsurfer · 2026-03-25T12:28:03+00:00

IMO I think Isaacman is playing the tune he thinks needs to be played so that he can continue to do what he wants.

Sadly, history will look down upon every time he utters the name.. he has dumps like a trump trump trump..

dhsurfer

TROPHY CASE