r/fuckcars / Not Just Bikes / Urbanists / New Urbanism / Car-Free / Anti-Car - People and grifters who hate personal transport, freedom, cars, roads, suburbs, and are obsessed with city planning and urban design

[Yamamura]

I was reading Calvin and Hobbes when I came across this strip, and it made me think of this thread. <3
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I feel like the relationship Calvin and Calvin's dad is a great summary of the general public vs urbanists.

Calvin's dad asks Calvin to do some ridiculous task saying it, "builds character" like carrying a fridge with a cargo bike. And then Calvin in turn points out the obsurdity of the pointless task backfiring on the dad.

 

[quaawaa]

/r/fuckcars user wants to go through a drive-thru on foot in the middle of the night:


Even NYC isn't safe from drive-thru-only hell!:


Jeet detected:


Because people in wheelchairs can drive cars:


Autism:


I must have my slop:

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Who needs a truck when you can carry three 2x4s on a rental cargo bike?;




Sounds comfortable and safe:


And everyone clapped:


Cyclist complains about the low tow ratings of cargo bikes:


Someone asks OP what he would do if he needed to carry more than a handful of planks of wood. He doesn't take it well:




Source (Archive)

 

[Jhonson the Two]

Now that I think about it, do ""urbanists"" love cycling at all? Can't they just enjoy a stroll while pedaling? It's as if they need to force themselves to show off and prove they did the right choice and didn't wasted their money and effort. They need a reason to cycle.
It's alright to not like bycicles and to not want a car at the same time, I know a lot of people in cities like that. They just walk and when needed ask uncle Alfons/Robert/Melchor to help them go at Ikea.

 

[Gog & Magog]

Do these people ever talk about Israel? Israel's got a 100% tax on most consumer vehicles. Sounds like something they'd approve of.

 

[Soso]

Do these people ever talk about Israel? Israel's got a 100% tax on most consumer vehicles. Sounds like something they'd approve of.

Probably not, many of this same demographic is the "Queers for Palestine" crowd

 

[quaawaa]

Do these people ever talk about Israel? Israel's got a 100% tax on most consumer vehicles. Sounds like something they'd approve of.

Nope, and they're currently hating on Singapore (another country that heavily taxes cars) for having a wide road next to a car free housing development:


Google Maps

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Source (Archive)

 

[ZsaZsaBinks]

It looks pretty and all, but would it kill them to put in a driveway or two?

The driveways are behind the houses.

 

[IdiotPlusPlus]

/r/fuckcars user wants to go through a drive-thru on foot in the middle of the night:

The reason they changed it to ban pedestrians is that people kept walking in between cars and getting injured, and the reason they go drive thru only is for cleaning with a side effect of reducing robbery risk while processing cash(which car only also helps reduce risk).

Ironically it's the same booze and drug addict users who infest that subreddit getting injured or running over someone while drunk/high is why they do it lol

 

[JJLiautaud]

I'm not even sure what he's saying. Suburbs are bad because they're too expensive, or RETVRN to the city, but only after darkie and the browns are a subjugated minority? Would be interesting if it was the latter, as pro-white urbanism is a rare take and, frankly, more intellectually honest when it comes to the past.

He's giving an etiology and predicting their demise whats to be done other than flooding liberia with another 35 million people I don't know.

 

[LaxerBRO]

Who needs a truck when you can carry three 2x4s on a rental cargo bike?;

The guy is going to enjoy riding his bike back to the store again when he realizes he needs another widget or whatever.

 

[cleanerfromvenus]

Nope, and they're currently hating on Singapore (another country that heavily taxes cars) for having a wide road next to a car free housing development:
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Google Maps
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Source (Archive)

In Singapore it s exuberantly expensive to own a car. Not only are you taxed to the max, it costs more for import and they will force you to register again after 10 years with only a possibility of 5 or 10 more years of ownership. After 20 years you will not be able to drive it any longer.

I have many Singaporean coworkers, they told me that they all use public transport or their version of uber/ lyft (Grab) which is comparable in cost to the US versions. Since the city state isn't very large you don't have to go very far any ways. Nobody out there complains about vehicles or roads, it's just how things are, especially considering how many people have family in other countries with much more commuting.

There is also one other thing to mention, tourism. Since it's so multinational there are many people from around the world at any given time. It's also hot as fucking balls and very humid, something many US bike riders and people in western Europe do not experience. This all adds up to needing vehicles that support AC, a much needed luxury throughout most of south east asia.

 

[Xarpho's Return]

I was reading Calvin and Hobbes when I came across this strip, and it made me think of this thread. <3

Calvin & Hobbes has been brought up at least a few times in this thread. I can only speak for myself when the issue is brought up.

If you remember though a few key details:
1. Calvin's family is shown to live in an extremely suburban, if not exurban area (the woods in which Calvin and his tiger friend explore)
2. Calvin's dad uses a car to go to work (though one early strip mentioned him using the bus).
3. Watterson seems to be the kind of person who probably genuinely felt the way the dad did, but there was always a level of self-awareness about being a massive dork, and it wasn't a replacement for driving.

/r/fuckcars user wants to go through a drive-thru on foot in the middle of the night:

I'm pretty sure when he's talking about an electric scooter he's not talking about a moped-style scooter like this:

It's probably an electric scooter (Lime-style) like this.

And of course no one brings up (in your screenshots) the fact that the reason they don't accept on electric scooters, walkup, or bicycle is that a car (or even a motorcycle) is for the workers' safety (something that was never brought up, keeping distance, and I can imagine this autist was weird and creepy enough to give a wagie danger vibes. The full thread does, but then spergs about "improved working conditions" (which doesn't make sense—if the drive-through chimpout situation was that bad, there would be more bulletproof glass if not closing the restaurant entirely—and "improved working conditions" is one reason why everything is pre-mixed and pre-chopped slop instead of fresh prep).

I must have my slop:

Redditors talk about how much money they're saving by not having a car, so in that case, why not just have something delivered?

The archetypical bughive is not equipped for cooking, after all, and it's not like he's bemoaning the near-extinction of the 24-hour diner.

There is also one other thing to mention, tourism. Since it's so multinational there are many people from around the world at any given time. It's also hot as fucking balls and very humid, something many US bike riders and people in western Europe do not experience. This all adds up to needing vehicles that support AC, a much needed luxury throughout most of south east asia.

There does seem to be some level of understanding about the climate. /r/fuckcars complains about why places are Texas, Arizona, and Florida are so "car-centric" when in reality they're literally on the same latitude as the Sahara (Egypt, Algeria, etc.) so there's precedent for why people tend not to bicycle (unsurprisingly, only after the invention of air conditioning did populations for Texas, Florida, and Arizona start to take off).

 

[Chromeo]

3. Watterson seems to be the kind of person who probably genuinely felt the way the dad did, but there was always a level of self-awareness about being a massive dork, and it wasn't a replacement for driving.

I have/was reading the Calvin and Hobbes 10th anniversary collection, which has commentary from Watterson around selected comics. Here's what Watterson has to say around the bicycling comics:

I enjoy cycling, so I occasionally do some bike strips. Other cyclists seem to enjoy them, so it's tempting to do more of them, but bike strips risk being self-indulgent. A lot of cartoonists do golf strips, and I find those insufferable. When I do a bike strip, I always try to focus on Calvin's dad's personality, so it's not just a joke for particular hobbyists.

There are magazines now for every hobby and obsession, and they're all the same. Calvin's Chewing magazine is based on the cycling magazines I read. The silly articles I make up are so close to the real thing, it's hardly satire.

The self-awareness and level-headedness is so refreshing. I genuinely like Bill Watterson, or at least what I know of him. While I have my book out, I do want to include another quote that isn't directly bike-related but also rings true when I think of the people we talk about on this site:

I read a book of art criticism that was an avalanche of politically correct, New Age, academic jargon and art-speak. The writing so annoyed me that I started underlining the worst passages of gibberish for future reference, and I've adapted it for several strips. Calvin, of course, quickly grasps the purpose of such writing. [...] I also hate pop psychobabble.

 

[LordofCringe7206 Vol. 2]

Now that I think about it, do ""urbanists"" love cycling at all? Can't they just enjoy a stroll while pedaling? It's as if they need to force themselves to show off and prove they did the right choice and didn't wasted their money and effort. They need a reason to cycle.
It's alright to not like bycicles and to not want a car at the same time, I know a lot of people in cities like that. They just walk and when needed ask uncle Alfons/Robert/Melchor to help them go at Ikea.

Virtually everything you see on social media is a piece of performance art and a way to signal others that they are part of their club. "Hobbies" as much as you can call them that aren't necessarily about having fun anymore.

These people could have gone down any other rabbit hole online and would have still reached a similar point. From a Substack I occasionally read:

 

[Kyria the Great]

I love how when the questions of tow capacity, wide objects, and somewhat more delicate objects like drywall was what broke them. I also bet when these users that get this long 2×4s won't properly flag them as oversized loads need to.

 

[Soso]

Now that I think about it, do ""urbanists"" love cycling at all? Can't they just enjoy a stroll while pedaling? It's as if they need to force themselves to show off and prove they did the right choice and didn't wasted their money and effort. They need a reason to cycle.

Attentionwhoring plays a role in it, and wanting to say "Hey, I'm one of the good ones. What about YOU?"

There does seem to be some level of understanding about the climate. /r/fuckcars complains about why places are Texas, Arizona, and Florida are so "car-centric" when in reality they're literally on the same latitude as the Sahara (Egypt, Algeria, etc.) so there's precedent for why people tend not to bicycle (unsurprisingly, only after the invention of air conditioning did populations for Texas, Florida, and Arizona start to take off).

I always hint to others that some climates are too cold for cycling, or too hot. Some places also get very hot during summers and very cold within winters, so the best time to cycle is during some muddy spring rain, or during autumn. When it comes down to one season being the most reasonable to cycle, there really isn't much to do with your bike.

 

[Kyria the Great]

Attentionwhoring plays a role in it, and wanting to say "Hey, I'm one of the good ones. What about YOU?"

I always hint to others that some climates are too cold for cycling, or too hot. Some places also get very hot during summers and very cold within winters, so the best time to cycle is during some muddy spring rain, or during autumn. When it comes down to one season being the most reasonable to cycle, there really isn't much to do with your bike.

They'll counter your point by showing someone in Finland cycling in the winter as a gotcha rather than viewing it as an anomaly.

 

[BulkForceFive]

I love how when the questions of tow capacity, wide objects, and somewhat more delicate objects like drywall was what broke them. I also bet when these users that get this long 2×4s won't properly flag them as oversized loads need to.

Someone should've asked why he didn't just walk home with three 2x4s, considering you can carry them under one arm. I bet 'you don't NEED a cargo bike' would've made him seethe to death.

 

[TowinKarz]

Attentionwhoring plays a role in it, and wanting to say "Hey, I'm one of the good ones. What about YOU?"

I always hint to others that some climates are too cold for cycling, or too hot. Some places also get very hot during summers and very cold within winters, so the best time to cycle is during some muddy spring rain, or during autumn. When it comes down to one season being the most reasonable to cycle, there really isn't much to do with your bike.

Yesterday here was one of those plurality of 90 - 90 days you get every summer, meaning 90+ temp 90+ humidity. Biking in such conditions are not just uncomfortable and impractical, but dangerous. Not just from heatstroke but as the level of discomfort goes up? Your ability to pay 100% attention to everything (including those roaming murdercars) goes down.


And we've been blessed this year with a mild summer that meant this was only the 2nd day so far this season like that, usually by now? You've endured at least a week or more of it.

Speaking of trips to the home improvement warehouse. I had to make an emergency run yesterday to get a new trash can for this morning's weekly pickup as the old bin had succumbed to wear and tear and was leaking that foul garbage juice all over the place. (you can imagine how delightful THAT made the porch smell in 90-90 weather).

Anyway, I did get an interesting mental image at checkout of how the NJB crowd would've acted when faced with having to get a 45 gal bin home by bike...... put it over your head and bike home like R2D2? After cutting portholes in the side?

The bike is just not the practical solution to nearly a quarter of the things your personal vehicle can do. (While on the subject of trash, how do they expect trash pickup to work without the garbage truck? Daily trips to the dump by bike? Even in 90-90 weather to dispose of your daily scraps?)

 

[LaxerBRO]

The bike is just not the practical solution to nearly a quarter of the things your personal vehicle can do. (While on the subject of trash, how do they expect trash pickup to work without the garbage truck? Daily trips to the dump by bike? Even in 90-90 weather to dispose of your daily scraps?)

There was this "contractor" that said that he did many if not most of his jobs via his cargo bike. While is possible, it's not practical.

As much as jobs can be planned out, there is always the unexpected. Perhaps it's like you mentioned and it's hotter than expected on top of a project taking longer and being harder than expected.

Will this fucker still peddle to his next job on oppressive heat?

If he does will he smell?

Even if he does take a shower, the question is where and how long it takes.

How about if one get an emergency call that he does not have a part for?

Is he going to peddle to the hardware store or back to his shop then to the emergency call?

If he is already tired I doubt he will enjoy the extra peddling.

How understanding will the client be?

If I have to wait a couple hours and this fucker shows up on a bike, part of me is wondering how much of my free time this asshole wasted because he choose to be a contractor on a bike.