Hacker News Reader

Comment by hatchnyc | Hacker News Reader

Anytime I leave the city and spend a few days getting around by car I’m amazed at just how completely exhausting it is to go shopping or run errands in suburbia. I am not sure why exactly, after all I’m just sitting there, but I think all the stop-and-go and waiting 10 minutes at lights trying to get across a stroad intersection to a shop I can see the whole time is a big contributor.

View on HN

I moved recently to where everything is a car drive away. The constant in an out of the car is exhausting. Not physically but mentally. Conter-intuitively because cars are also weather proof and comfortable, I felt a lot of the inertia is actually in getting out of the car. I found myself just waiting a little while before getting out. I am a fit and healthy individual and it is draining.

I tried the ride on and it's about an hour one way to work by bike, so I think I will get an e-bike. I have other physical training to do so I don't want to completely deplete myself by riding, but I still don't want to use the car.

Driving is active. Public transport is passive. You can just sit there and read.

In a proper (that is, probably not North-American) suburb you can do errands walking or cycling.

I once had a serious learning experience driving from the suburbs into the CBD to meet friends. My attempt coincided with a Zombie Walk that bisected the city. It took me forever to reach where I was meeting friends, then another forever to find somewhere to park the car (all the paid parking was full) given I had to radiate out and cross the zombie parade again. Took 90 minutes to do what would've taken 5 minutes normally, or maybe 10 minutes on foot. All for one person in a car.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com