‘He was part of the problem’
You know car culture is out of control when a parent scolds their daughter for walking on the sidewalk. However, a Reddit user shared this: frustrating experience With the very anti-car subreddit.
“I was walking on the neighborhood sidewalk with my daughter,” the user said. “He was about five feet behind me; we were playing with walkie-talkies.”
The one who spoiled this beautiful fun was a man who claimed to be a former police officer. He offered his unsolicited two cents that his daughter was walking too far behind and could be accidentally hit by truck drivers during the holiday season. The reason for this was unclear.
OP did not respond to the officer but expressed frustration with the encounter, thinking he was in a large truck and was “part of the problem.” They also added that moving to an area with good walkability and low vehicle traffic was a deliberate decision. They later noted The incident took place at 6 a.m. on a road with low traffic.
“Yet this trucker stopped to explain to me that I was wrong,” OP said. “This made me wish I didn’t live in the USA.”
This disturbing story highlights real concerns about the nation’s priorities when it comes to walkability and pedestrian safety. There is ample evidence at home and abroad that walkable cities are effective in reducing air and noise pollution while increasing the richness of a place.
Frustratingly, there are too many places where cars are given the upper hand, leading to too many vehicles on the roads. Even if this is not the case, if cars become increasingly monstrous trucks, they could both inconvenience and endanger pedestrians due to their large size and poor visibility.
There are positive examples of communities exploring solutions such as remediation public transportation and developing pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. Still, the man’s attitude towards the parent unfortunately remains in the minds of many drivers and legislators.
Commenters were empathetic, with many expressing anger at the retired cop’s attitude.
“Seems to reflect intrusive thoughts of running over your child,” one user said recommended.
There was a commentator shocked: “They’re in the trucks for the holidays. What does that mean?”
A Reddit user said, “PUT THIS KID INTO A GIANT TRUCK, THERE ARE DANGEROUS GIANT TRUCKS HERE” he joked.
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