• TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    For years I’ve somehow missed this. Cars driving on nearly every street and somehow that “car-free”, yeah makes perfect sense.

    • BakedCatboy@lemmy.ml
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      9 months ago

      I think it’s because the bar is so low, just the ability to choose to walk for everyday commuting, errands, and leisure qualifies as car free. Ie, you can choose to be car free if you want.

      • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Yeah I don’t understand that at all. I thought car free meant a place, usually a part of town, where cars are not allowed. Those places exist. So to call places nothing like that “car free” seems pretty useless imo

        • Bo7a@lemmy.ca
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          9 months ago

          In general usage it means ‘the ability to get by with the usual needs of life without needing a car’.

          At least as far as I understand it.

          • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            I suspect you’re referring to the use of the term when applied to a person. It makes much more sense to me to say “I’m car free” even if I own a car if I don’t drive it regularly. I mean, still not accurate, but makes more sense.

            • Bo7a@lemmy.ca
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              9 months ago

              I’m referring to how folks use it on social media. ‘car free city’ very very rarely would mean banning cars from a city.

              I’m not saying it is the correct term. At all.

              ‘walkable cities’ makes more sense to me.

    • Turun@feddit.de
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      9 months ago

      I guess that’s one way to understand that word.

      Colloquially it is used to refer to the capability of a place that allows its inhabitants to live car free.

      Completely banning cars is rarely a demand because it makes no sense. A car is not a problem, hundreds of them are. Especially if they are used and required for everyday mundane tasks.