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July 21, 2025 02:29
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Motonormativity
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| Thank you for your recent post objecting to a change intended to improve traffic safety. | |
| Your objection is: | |
| - [ ] It will make traffic worse | |
| - [ ] It will reduce parking | |
| - [ ] Businesses will suffer | |
| - [ ] Drivers will ignore it | |
| - [ ] It costs too much | |
| - [ ] It inconveniences the disabled | |
| - [ ] Slower traffic means longer commutes | |
| - [ ] You can’t carry groceries/kids/tools without a car | |
| - [ ] Bikes don't belong on roads | |
| - [ ] No one walks/bikes/transits here anyway | |
| - [ ] The real issue is bad pedestrians/cyclists | |
| - [ ] Everyone just needs to follow the rules better | |
| - [ ] Our city is too unique for this to work here | |
| - [ ] You can't compare us to [European city] | |
| - [ ] Emergency vehicles won’t be able to get through | |
| But your concern is not valid. Here’s why: | |
| - [ ] Traffic adapts — road diets often reduce congestion long-term | |
| - [ ] People avoid walking/biking when they feel unsafe | |
| - [ ] Parking is not a guaranteed right | |
| - [ ] Parking is heavily subsidized | |
| - [ ] Safer streets increase foot traffic and sales | |
| - [ ] Engineering and enforcement reduce bad driving | |
| - [ ] Preventing injuries and deaths saves far more than it costs | |
| - [ ] Urban space should prioritize people, not machinery | |
| - [ ] Slower speeds = fewer collisions and less severe injuries | |
| - [ ] Relying on “perfect behavior” is doomed to fail | |
| - [ ] Every city claims to be unique — and yet the same solutions work | |
| - [ ] Emergency response improves with calmer traffic and fewer crashes | |
| - [ ] Cyclists have legal rights to the road | |
| - [ ] Cargo bikes, delivery services, and transit handle most daily needs | |
| - [ ] Commutes don’t need to be fast when cities are built better | |
| The following philosophical counterarguments also apply: | |
| - [ ] Streets are public space, not just car infrastructure | |
| - [ ] “Freedom to drive” shouldn’t come at the cost of others’ lives | |
| - [ ] Car dependency is not a natural law — it was engineered | |
| - [ ] Safety is not a luxury or a political stance | |
| - [ ] Public space should serve all users, not just the ones who own cars | |
| - [ ] The status quo is inequitable | |
| - [ ] Future generations deserve safer, healthier, less car-dominated cities |
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