ASU study finds Americans' attitudes towards car-free living are changing | ASU News
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Americans are famously dependent on their cars.In fact, with 92% of U.S. households owning at least one vehicle, the idea of living without them can seem unrealistic and even unimaginable.But according to a recently released study by Arizona State University researchers, attitudes toward car-free living are changing, with nearly one-fifth (18%) of U.S. car owners expressing a definite interest in ditching their rides, and more than half being open to the idea.
  • Wahots@pawb.socialEnglish
    2·
    6 hours ago

    I used to be hard-core into cars. I loved driving. Traffic, staggeringly bad insurance, and idiotic driving have largely soured me on driving. Yes, I will always have a car so I can get out to the great outdoors, but I have largely stopped driving in urban environments. The bike, bus, and train are faster, cheaper, or straight up easier than fighting an hour+ through traffic to go to a fun venue nine miles away.

    Nowadays, I vote gleefully for everything that improves mass transit, bike infrastructure, and third places. There’s an incredible knock-on effect with traffic reduction. The more bus rapid transit lanes, the more comprehensive the rail network, and the larger and safer the bike lanes become, the faster it is to get around the city- even if one or more options is out of commission due to highway construction or tunnel repairs. A decade ago, I sat in gridlock traffic for three hours to go two city blocks. These days, I can get across town on bike in 26 minutes. Traffic is down- it only takes about an hour to cross the city.