Syt's Pictorial Collection of Stuff and Things (image heavy)

[Syt]

A few years ago, Vienna's main high street, Mariahilfer Straße marking the boundary between 6th and 7th district, was largely converted into part pedestrian and part what we call "Begegnungszone" (primarily pedestrians, but cars and bikes are permitted at walking speed). There was massive resistance against it and has since been embraced (except for a justified criticism that some additional greenery would have been nice). In fact, in several districts there have been calls since then from citizens and shop owners for more such mixed use areas (with one implemented near me in a short connecting street, and another, larger, in a gentrified shopping street in the 7th which connects to Mariahilfer).

[Maladict]

Most European cities have had their inner core damaged in the 50s and 60s. Cars are now being banished again but mostly in the larger, wealthier cities.
In smaller, more peripheral towns a main square full of parked cars is still a common sight, unfortunately.

My town reopened its canal ring earlier this year, after it was partly filled in to make space for a motorway in the early sixties.

[Sheilbh]

Decline

At least the cars are being banished now.

[Tamas]

Yes perhaps  nowadays essential shops and services can be obtained outside of city centres, so whoever enjoys packed on top of each other like cattle can do so there, while the rest of the world drives around in cars

[garbon]

Yes perhaps  nowadays essential shops and services can be obtained outside of city centres, so whoever enjoys packed on top of each other like cattle can do so there, while the rest of the world drives around in cars

[Sheilbh]

Yes perhaps  nowadays essential shops and services can be obtained outside of city centres, so whoever enjoys packed on top of each other like cattle can do so there, while the rest of the world drives around in cars

Ban cars

(That is probably my most radical, impossible but sincerely held opinion )

[garbon]

Yes perhaps  nowadays essential shops and services can be obtained outside of city centres, so whoever enjoys packed on top of each other like cattle can do so there, while the rest of the world drives around in cars

Ban cars

(That is probably my most radical, impossible but sincerely held opinion )

And do what, walk? It isn't like public infrastructure projects can happen over night. *cough* Crossrail *cough*

[Sheilbh]

And do what, walk? It isn't like public infrastructure projects can happen over night. *cough* Crossrail *cough*

Public transport, biking, walking. If you want to work in a city - live in the city or somewhere accessible by public transport. If you have loads of staff who want to live in the countryside - go remote or move out of the city.

I also think public infrastructure would happen quicker if there was a desperate, crippling need for it But bring back trams, more buses, reverse the Beeching cuts.

But on Syt's picture - it is something I love in watching old British movies. The one I always remember is Theatre of Blood in 70s London because they drive everywhere, park anywhere in central London and even in the street scenes there's never really any congestion. It's very alien/disconcerting once you notice

[garbon]

Public transport, biking, walking. If you want to work in a city - live in the city or somewhere accessible by public transport. If you have loads of staff who want to live in the countryside - go remote or move out of the city.

I also think public infrastructure would happen quicker if there was a desperate, crippling need for it But bring back trams, more buses, reverse the Beeching cuts.

And what happens to all of the people who don't live in the city? What happens to larger countries?

[Syt]

Yes perhaps  nowadays essential shops and services can be obtained outside of city centres, so whoever enjoys packed on top of each other like cattle can do so there, while the rest of the world drives around in cars

I know only few people who live in Vienna and who have a car. Even fewer of them use their car on a regular basis. Vienna has a bunch of subcenters (more often than not arranged around open air markets), so unless you're on the outer periphery where population density is more like a small town or village, it's rare to not have your essentials within walking distance; I mean groceries are quite ubiquitous, for one. Of major chains Billa and Spar alone I have well over a dozen within 15 minutes walking distance.

[Tamas]

Playing sardines-in-a-box on a train or subway is no way to live, is all I am saying.

[Sheilbh]

And what happens to all of the people who don't live in the city? What happens to larger countries?

Live in the country/in a town - there'll be public transport, bikes, walking and, as Syt says, they'll need to have all the shops/cultural things/cafes etc that you need

Towns and cities and countryside have spent most of their time not dealing with cars. It's why the landscape is the way it is with this little mini-dense places for buying and selling stuff. Cars are the innovative thing.

I half-seriously think we will look back at everyone owning an internal combustion engine as barbaric. I think it's the thing within a few generations we will not be able to understand of the past both for the damage it did to our shared spaces, like Syt's pictures, and the environment.

Edit:

Playing sardines-in-a-box on a train or subway is no way to live, is all I am saying.

Obviously we'd need a lot more public transport (trams! trams! trams!) - or cycling and walking which people would be more willing to do without cars (the dream = pavement, cycle lane, bus lane, trams ).

[garbon]

And what happens to all of the people who don't live in the city? What happens to larger countries?

Live in the country/in a town - there'll be public transport, bikes, walking and, as Syt says, they'll need to have all the shops/cultural things/cafes etc that you need

Towns and cities and countryside have spent most of their time not dealing with cars. It's why the landscape is the way it is with this little mini-dense places for buying and selling stuff. Cars are the innovative thing.

I half-seriously think we will look back at everyone owning an internal combustion engine as barbaric. I think it's the thing within a few generations we will not be able to understand of the past both for the damage it did to our shared spaces, like Syt's pictures, and the environment.

Got it, so this is some sort of Timmay alt-history thing where we disregard changes in lifestyle that arose in the 20th century and easily think we can revert them.

[Sheilbh]

Got it, so this is some sort of Timmay alt-history thing where we disregard changes in lifestyle that arose in the 20th century and easily think we can revert them.

It's something I think we should do. Obviously it'll take time and lots of changes - but look at the transformation of day-to-day transport over the course of the last two centuries. Cars are an awful mid-twentieth century mistake, like asbestos. Those Vienna pics are gross.

I'd start with cities and big towns as they're the easiest though.

[Tamas]

  what a city-dweller attitude.


Try doing grocery shopping for more than one person with and without a car to change your opinion in a hurry.

Cars are FREEDOM compared to mass transit. Yeah, ownership might decline with the advent of robotic cars (I can't wait for self-driving cars, I hope I'll be able to afford one if I live to be an old git), but to consider train and subway riding like sardines as a higher form of being than driving or riding a car is just plain wrong.