America Still Loves Cars, But Some Cities Are Starting to Ditch Them

[Shawn]

Originally Posted by montréaliste

I have to agree with you on San Diego. The most scenic city driving I habe experienced was there. I remember the incredibly seductive freeway design in and around the city.

You know, I recently had a chat with my brother about San Diego freeways. He lives in Davis and sometimes work takes him down to San Diego, and he raves about how fun it is to drive on those freeways and even just around town. The roads are really wide, the scenery is breathtaking, and (to a Masshole) the road conditions make for a super smooth drive.

Driving around Boston - if you don't have to actually be anywhere - is a different type of fun: it's active driving. Narrow windy roads, lots of one-ways, no grid to follow, hyper-aggressive drivers and pedestrians. Keeps you on your toes, almost like you're tooling around in GTA.

But as anyone from the North can tell you, frost heaves make our roads third-world by the end of March. Pot holes get their own zip codes.

In San Diego and in the rest of the warmer parts of the country, you get to glide across smooooth concrete.

[SLO]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

Driving between Tucson and SF twice annually I've seen enough brown desert to last the rest of my life. I-5 in CA has got to be the dullest ride there is but I-40 from Barstow to Needles has to be up there.

I miss the green of the eastern US and of coastal CA. Yeah, the desert is "exotic" if you haven't seen it--my FL relatives are coming for the Holidays just to do that--but after that, give me a swamp any day.

The one drive worse than that for me is west Texas through Midland/Odessa. Nevada is pretty bad to on 80 heading east from Reno toward SLC

[lzppjb]

I've made the roadtrip from Austin to Ottawa, ON twice. That is a long ass trip. First time, I started in Austin at midnight so I could get through Dallas before the traffic got bad. Other than gas and food, I didn't stop till I reached Cincinnati. That was about 13 hours. Slept a bit, then continued on to Watertown, NY and into Canada. Both trips were made during the summer. I'd do it again. I love roadtrips.

As for cars, I love them. I'd never go without one. I don't have to have the newest, greatest thing. I drive a 15 year old pickup. If I had the money, I'd drive 50 year old restored muscle cars. Nothing like hearing that rumble and having all that torque throw you back into your seat.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

Not sure when that would have been but now there are at least 2 awful bottlenecks on that run: the Mississippi crossing at Baton Rouge and, to a lesser degree, the Mobile Bay tunnel. Especially I-10 near Baton Rouge can be a parking lot. And you may have missed the most enjoyable part of a trip like that: I-10 in the Florida panhandle which is the "hilly" part of Florida and still fairly rural and pretty, without shopping malls and motels everywhere.

Years ago but BR and Mobil were still bottled up. Ya, I've driven across FL, pretty drive actually. I liked Tallahassee.

[plutonicpanda]

Car culture isn't going anywhere despite what the majority on urban forums such as SSP want. Cars are only going to become more popular around the world. Freeway construction is going crazy in China and India. Even several European countries are investing heavily in new freeways(autoroutes) as traffic is getting worse. Turkey is spending a ton on new freeways.

I also think car sales will surpass what is shown on that chart soon as millennials likely will see the appeal of the suburbs again and move back.

It's no secret many great urban neighborhoods are a playground for the rich. Not that I'm against that, but it's the truth.

Personally, I want freeways expanded because I love driving and hate having to use mass transit. That's my preference. I'm 24 now and can't wait to move back out into the suburbs somewhere in Orange County or the Valley area when I get enough money.

http://www.newgeography.com/content/...bs-are-surging

[mhays]

So people won't live in urban places because they're too desirable?

Joel Kotkin is a shill for the sprawl industry.

[JManc]

I don't mind mass transit at all but it depends on the city. I'd go nuts without my car here in Houston because mass transit here is shit and bums use the rail as a rolling bathroom. Much better in other cities; NY, DC, Boston, etc.

[CastleScott]

Nevada is pretty bad to on 80 heading east from Reno toward SLC

Yeah that one is the worst for me as well as 80 through Wyoming.

Oh btw some of Sacramento's light rail routes are rolling bathrooms for bums as well.

[cannedairspray]

I've found the worst to be I-80 from Lincoln through the interchange to I-76, right up to the Denver suburbs, to be the worst. Northern Nevada is short in comparison and at least I-80 through Wyoming has mountains in the distance.

[CastleScott]

I've found the worst to be I-80 from Lincoln through the interchange to I-76, right up to the Denver suburbs, to be the worst. Northern Nevada is short in comparison and at least I-80 through Wyoming has mountains in the distance.

Well Nebraska and parts of eastern Colorado are a hella greener than northern Nevada/western Utah and much of Wyoming as well-I'd take green rolling farms and green hills any day than bland brown high desert (took that route in April 2015 with a loaded Toyota Tacoma pickup with a UHaul trailer in tow and 40mph winds much of the way towards Sacramento).