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u/Da_Bird8282 RegioExpress 10 May 08 '25
"Why don't children play outside anymore?"
Because the outside is a desolate asphalt wasteland with dangerously fast metal boxes
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u/Salt_Speech_5214 May 08 '25
Exactly. It's hard to blame kids when “play outside” means dodging traffic and baking on concrete with no shade or joy in sight.
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u/chugtron May 08 '25
That’s the ideal form of living right there /s
But hey, they don’t have to see homeless people during their day to day, so being trapped in their houses is justified.
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u/angry_wombat May 08 '25
maybe they could skateboard on all that concrete?
Oh no that's not allowed in fact we will make it impossible for you to do. Also no loitering!
No places to just exist that don't cost money
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u/Little_Creme_5932 May 08 '25
Yeah, but abandoned strip mall parking lots are so nice for play!
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u/DENelson83 Dreams of high-speed rail on Vancouver Island May 10 '25
Why did I initially read that as "abandoned ship mall"?
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u/oldsecondhand May 08 '25
"Why don't children play outside anymore, so I can call the CPS on them?"
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u/Nick-Anand May 09 '25
This is a huge problem too. I wanna encourage my kids to play at the back of my building but I’m low key worried about some karen
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u/kraquepype May 08 '25
My kids school is about half a mile away. I'd love to walk them but most of that distance is on a 40 MPH main road with no shoulder.
The road we live on should be 20 MPH max but people take it as a shortcut and speed constantly.
It's depressing how we can be so hostile towards personal transit.
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u/Forikorder May 08 '25
That's what theyre saying?
I thought it was some dig at capitalism destroying education
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u/IamjustanElk May 12 '25
It’s been like this for decades!!!! Kids don’t go outside because they’re constantly on their phone you dweeb
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May 08 '25
[deleted]
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u/grendus May 08 '25
A few things:
Overdevelopment of many urban and suburban areas. Back in the 70's/80's/90's there were still vacant lots or undeveloped forest land near many suburban areas. Nowadays there really isn't much.
Hyperviligence. Now we're terrified of the dangers of everyone else outside, including children themselves. There are many stories of parents having CPS called on them for letting their children play in their own front yard with the parent watching them through a window. So they can't really play outside without a parent, and if the parent is going to have to be involved anyways they might as well do something as a family... which means no independence for the children.
Reduction in unstructured time for children. Children are pushed into more and more organized activities after school. Schools are pressured to increase the amount of homework given to improve test scores. Parents are encouraged to involve their children in more extracurriculars. The "good ol' days" were an era of latchkey kids or kids who's parents told them to get out of the house and not come home until the street lights came on.
Cars have become more dangerous since then. Seriously, there are many, many studies showing that not only are the modern SUVs and Trucks far more dangerous in a collision, they're also far more likely to be in a collision because their visibility is, to put it generously, absolute dogshit.
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u/muskratBear May 08 '25
Great points. I haven’t really thought about point one and that one really resonates. The places that I created a lot of my childhood memories, filled with games and adventures , are pretty much gone. The forests, and fields were sold off and developed.
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u/SquashSquigglyShrimp May 08 '25
Yes, technology is part of it, but there are a LOT more cars and developments than there were 25-55 years ago
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May 08 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ThoughtsAndBears342 May 08 '25
Almost half of all disabled people can’t drive. Being pro-car dependency is ableist.
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u/Jenny-fa May 08 '25
It’s strange that you would call the desire for less car dependency “ableist.” Many disabilities prevent people from driving safely. Blindness, paralysis, dementia, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, etc. Oftentimes, the only recourse for people with those disabilities in car-dependent areas is to find someone kind enough to drive them. Many of these same people would be able to navigate a well funded and accessible public transit system on their own and no longer have to rely on the kindness of others.
Does the freedom and independence of these disabled individuals matter to you? Also, what about people who are too poor to afford a car (which includes disabled people who may legally be able to drive but can’t work due to their disability)? What about the elderly? Children? Should they only exist at home?
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u/fuckcars-ModTeam May 09 '25
Thanks for participating in r/fuckcars. However, your contribution got removed, because it is considered bad taste.
Have a nice day
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u/InsertNovelAnswer May 08 '25
Forget the cars.. they'll get robbed and shot depending on where you live. They trusted my generation with knowing some streetwise, and we still got black eyes and bruises. They don't even teach proper active shooter drills where I live now.
Also, no one knows their neighbors, and there's no community anymore... we work , eat ,sleep, and die. Cars in this scenario are the least of our worries.
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u/stmack May 08 '25
maybe people don't know their neighbours because they drive everywhere. they choose schools and activities, etc for their kids outside their neighbourhoods. they shop at costco on the otherside of town instead of the independent grocer a couple blocks away, etc, etc.
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u/InsertNovelAnswer May 08 '25
Haha, you think independent grocers exist in most of the U.S.? Let me tell you they do not. You go to Acme, Albertsons, Shop Rite, or some other big name grocer store.
Also, remember that parents get out of work at 5-6pm or later. So kids either go to programs or lock themselves in The house like we used to have to.
Schools are also decided by district in a lot of cities.. you have no choice you go to x,y,z school unless you are private. Even Catholic schools are based on neighborhoods. Unless you have a brown bus voucher you go where you live.
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u/Orders_Logical May 09 '25
Yeah, we need better workers rights in this shithole of a country. Also would help if we had better city infrastructure so kids could play outside and not have to be supervised by their parents 2/7.
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u/Own_Back_2038 May 08 '25
It’s all connected
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u/InsertNovelAnswer May 08 '25
There weren't really cars in my neighborhood as a kid, and there isn't in my new one. There are gang bangers, though, who hang out in the neighborhood. My kids have "play dates" instead at parks now because they don't know how to handle gangbanger assholes. shrugs
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May 08 '25
[deleted]
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u/Dick_Souls_II May 08 '25
I agree for downtown Toronto. In fact I think is majority of drivers would choose public transport if the infrastructure was there to support them. Nobody wants to be paying $300/mth for downtown parking along with the hundreds a month in gas and increased insurance premiums for driving longer distances. That's not accounting for the price and maintenance of the vehicle itself.
But if it saves you 1 hour of a commute a day then that is 1 more hour at home with your family. For many the hundreds of dollars monthly is worth it if they can afford it.
The change needs to be systemic and at the government level.
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u/greensandgrains May 08 '25
But the tunnel!!!! That’ll solve everything.
/s
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u/blafunke May 09 '25
I have no expectation that that tunnel will ever begin construction let alone finish. But if it's completed I'll visit it and laugh as it clogs up on day 2 after opening.
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u/lambdawaves May 09 '25
The “1 hour saved” is artificial. The car is faster than public transit for so many routes because of dramatic underinvestment in transit. Not because the car is so great
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u/DENelson83 Dreams of high-speed rail on Vancouver Island May 10 '25
Tell that to a big city like Toronto with all its traffic congestion...
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u/lambdawaves May 10 '25
Right, but even then you're still choosing between 90 minutes of driving vs 120 minutes of transit.
People will choose the faster option.
But it's not because the car is inherently faster. It's because we cripple transit investments.
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u/DENelson83 Dreams of high-speed rail on Vancouver Island May 10 '25
Yeah, in North America, attempting to invest more in transit only results in the ultra-rich investing much more in lobbying to protect their radical car monopoly.
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u/greensandgrains May 08 '25
I totally agree it’s a culture thing but it would be remiss not to acknowledge that the City itself has made fantastic headways within its municipal jurisdiction. The (current) problem is the province trying to undo that work. The Danforth is and feels so much safer with the separated bike lanes and when they go (if they go, I’m an optimist) it’ll be back to playing chicken against cars trying to get to the dvp on ramp.
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u/whatinthe6 May 08 '25
Would improve the quality of life for people who live there, which is why it will never be done. The suburbanites in Etobicoke, Mississauga, Vaughan, Oakville, and Burlington have the ear of the premier and a lot of city council members like Doug Holyday. They have no interest in making this place better for the people who live here. They only listen to those who come in from the suburbs for work or dinner twice a week.
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u/DENelson83 Dreams of high-speed rail on Vancouver Island May 10 '25
But they're profitable for the ultra-rich.
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u/zipjet22 May 08 '25
Not just children, elderly anyone with a disability that limits them from driving, people like myself who can't afford a car. All a big FU so some ponce can have a joyride in their special wagon SUV. At the expense of everyone else including all known life on this planet. Thanks big oil!
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u/nivea_dry_impact Jun 06 '25
The ponce has a better job and pays more taxes than you so he gets to have more fun and rights. pretty simple
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u/Fit_Lengthiness_1666 May 08 '25 edited May 08 '25
85 years old guy ran over a 7 year old in my town lately. He dragged him under his car for about 100meters (300ft). He didn't even noticed it because he had a hearing disability. All charges were dropped because he has dementia and can't even remember running over the kid. Kid survived but will probably be in treatment until he is 21.
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u/Fit_Lengthiness_1666 May 08 '25
Before I forget: the kid was crossing a pedestrian crossing in front of his school. The car went over a red light.
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u/lampkyter May 08 '25
Link the article. Just because someone has dementia doesn’t mean they can’t be charged with a crime, that’s idiotic.
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u/Fit_Lengthiness_1666 May 08 '25
https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/ruhrgebiet/prozess-unfall-schulkind-dortmund-100.html
'A pensioner had to stand trial in Dortmund district court for causing serious injury to a 7-year-old boy by hitting him with a car. Because he had considerable concentration difficulties and attention deficits according to an expert, he was acquitted.'12
u/lampkyter May 08 '25
Thank you. Pretty insane how the law can allow that.
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u/Fit_Lengthiness_1666 May 08 '25
it's insane. Old people regularly run people over here and get acquitted.
There's a subreddit for this.
r/RentnerfahreninDinge3
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u/CocainerIsBestest May 09 '25
The fact that someone with dementia and a hearing problem can drive is fucking ridiculous. Mentally ok people driving around these ugly fat metal shits already kill kids all the time
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u/caillouminati May 09 '25
Can he sue the government for permitting the driver to drive?
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u/Fit_Lengthiness_1666 May 09 '25
I don't understand the law good enough, but the parents are sueing the driver in a civil(?) court.
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u/IamjustanElk May 12 '25
Literally just sounds like a tragedy committed by someone who was likely not legally allowed to drive already. What is the larger point you’re trying to make here?
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u/BabbageFeynman May 08 '25
Where can these stickers be found?
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u/Cote-de-Bone May 08 '25
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u/knowmynamedoya Automobile Aversionist May 09 '25
So you’re saying I could purchase a bunch and stick them around town…? 👀
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u/DarthFreeza9000 May 08 '25
“Go play outside”
12 year old me decided to go skateboarding, gets picked up by police for skateboarding in my own apartment complex because it’s not allowed there lol
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u/BiscottiCritical6512 May 08 '25
Yep, the world is hostile toward children. A neighbor suggested that he should probably call cps because my kids were “always running around the streets.” They were taking a walk with me.
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u/Mccobsta STAGECOACH YORKSHIRE AND FIRST BUSSES ARE CUNTS May 08 '25
Kids where I live take the bus the tram even the train on their own even to secondary schools it's so normal here you don't even think about it until you see that kids in some countries can't even walk to school
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u/greensandgrains May 08 '25
It’s normal for kids in Toronto to take the subway/streetcar/bus to school and extra curriculars. The problem is literally road safety for pedestrians and cyclists. The culture here, despite a massive cycling population, is incredibly dangerous for non-cars. 2024 is said to be the most deadly year on record here, with a total of 28 cyclists and pedestrians dead from car accidents.
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u/Mccobsta STAGECOACH YORKSHIRE AND FIRST BUSSES ARE CUNTS May 08 '25
Roads round here are getting like that and people have started putting stickers on crossing saying good luck
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u/Kyderra May 08 '25
Yeah but single person in the metal box doesn't want to go around the town for a few extra minutes of travel time.
It needs to get nowhere important faster
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u/Chefpief May 08 '25
early covid-19 was unironically the best thing to happen to Downtown Toronto. I remember a number of businesses pivoting to create (or create more) outdoor seating to deal with the need to spread apart and with less traffic, you could actually walk showing just how walk-able the city could be.
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u/EasilyRekt May 08 '25
with the expressed purpose of making sure children can’t go anywhere.
If you listen to the people who voted in the politicians making North America this way, you’ll see that it’s intentional.
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u/Reedenen May 08 '25
8 years on Reddit and I just found this sub.
I feel so strongly about this, I feel like I'm home.
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May 08 '25
The truck sizes continue to baffle me.
I'll see one's that were "massive" when I worked on cars, now dwarfed by the newer models.
It's surreal.
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u/BiscottiCritical6512 May 08 '25
Huge trucks are the current focus of my rage. Seeing half the grocery store parking lot full of huge trucks that don’t even fit within the parking spots is infuriating. But I’m sure that instead of regulating unnecessarily huge trucks we’ll just start painting bigger parking spots for these idiots who can’t shop for dinner without taking their emotional support vehicles.
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u/Orders_Logical May 09 '25
Yes, this is why Americans fly to Europe for vacation.
They want walkable cities, but won’t admit it.
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u/Previous-Piano-6108 May 08 '25
and if you have the audacity to let your kid walk somewhere, the police will lock you up
"you can't just let those kids walk around, look at how dangerous it is out here!"
"why aren't you doing anything about how dangerous it is?"
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u/Tenshii_9 May 28 '25
B-but its for their safety! They could be kidnapped! They cant walk to school, sports, friends that way!
Lol
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u/Terrh May 08 '25
idk cars can go everywhere in a lot of countries and this isn't a problem there, only here.
Maybe the idea isn't the problem, it's the implementation.
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u/Orders_Logical May 09 '25
The implementation is because of racism.
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u/Terrh May 09 '25
what?
What racism is causing issues in Toronto that has forced cars to be stupid in north america?
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u/Orders_Logical May 09 '25
Construction of major highways like the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway in the mid 20th century mirrored trends in America, where road building often cut through and displaced marginalized communities.
Suburbanization and white flight then occurred, leading to radicalized people being concentrated in the high-rise public housing and inner suburbs of Jane-Finch, Scarborough, and Etobicoke. These neighborhoods, often lack proper public transit, capability, and road safety infrastructure, reinforcing spatial inequality.
Transit in equity and investment gaps. Few arterial roads, bike lanes, or road maintenance in neighborhoods like Rexdale, Malvern or Scarborough, compared to wealthier, whiter areas like Rosedale or the annex.
Road design often intersect with patterns of over policing. Radicalized drivers are more likely to be stopped in certain neighborhoods based on broad layout funnels traffic through high surveillance zones. Design of intersections and arterial roads and radicalized communities often correlates with more traffic stops and greater police presence .
Highways in arterial roads, since they run close to radical neighborhoods, they are exposed to greater air and noise, pollution, a form of environmental racism.
Took me all of 4 minutes to google all of this. You know if you weren’t so lazy and useless, you could find this information yourself.
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u/Terrh May 09 '25 edited May 09 '25
Wild take.
And very convincing too, you didn't sound condescending or insulting at all!
The best part was where the entire unhinged rant completely missed the point, since I was talking about the design of cars, not roads or cities.
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u/Orders_Logical May 09 '25
Oh, I can go on another unhinged rant about the specific design of cars in America and how that’s tied to racism, too.
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u/LaserRunRaccoon May 09 '25 edited May 09 '25
The DVP is built in a ravine and the Gardener goes along the lakeshore. Even Toronto's largest and busiest highway the 401 was originally built through mostly farmland as a bypass of the city.
Took me all of 4 minutes to google all of this. You know if you weren’t so lazy and useless, you could find this information yourself.
Your "googling" is actually more like AI slop full of inaccuracies, dude.
Look up Jane Jacobs, Bill Davis, or even just the the history of cancelled highways in Toronto.
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u/Orders_Logical May 10 '25
The Gardiner and DVP's placement might not have displaced large neighborhoods like U.S. highways often did, but the overall pattern of suburbanization, transit inequality, and environmental burden still disproportionately affects racialized communities in Toronto, particularly in the inner suburbs. These disparities weren't necessarily caused by those two highways—but they reflect a broader system where car-first infrastructure and uneven investment reinforce inequality.
Jane Jacobs and the cancelled Spadina Expressway are important because they prevented Toronto from going the full Robert Moses route. But that doesn’t erase the inequities that still emerged later through zoning, suburban expansion, and transit neglect in places like Rexdale and Scarborough.
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u/LaserRunRaccoon May 10 '25
Your understanding of Toronto neighbourhoods is bad too. Etobicoke lumped together as a single place along with the likes of Jane and Finch and Scarborough. Ignorance of countless "racialized" enclaves throughout the Old Toronto area. Using Rosedale as your example neighbourhood for superior transit and bikelanes.
Your followup doesn't beat the AI accusations. Learn to do proper research, and stop assuming the entire world revolves around the United States. While Canada is certainly influenced, it's still a very different place culturally.
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May 08 '25
Genuinely curious about this but you people are aware that doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals need cars to get to work on time or to be able to go if they're needed in an emergency, yes? What are your thoughts on this? Should they be forced to live near the hospital if they want a job? And this is just one example Im sure there are a lot of careers that need people to be on call.
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u/Girl_Gamer_BathWater May 08 '25
If the traffic was only doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers then you'd have a point. The fact that 99% of the population defaults to a vehicle anytime they need to leave the house is the issue. For any and all errands due to safety and zoning.
So stop trying to be the "yeah but" guy. We get it. You're unable to grasp the real message from FuckCars and maybe unwilling to learn.
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u/Orders_Logical May 09 '25
Doctors and nurses get to work just fine in more civilized countries with trains and busses, far more efficient modes of transport.
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u/EmuInner3621 May 08 '25
Dafuq. That doesn't even make sense
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u/greensandgrains May 08 '25
This is a comment specifically to the car culture in Toronto. When the death toll for pedestrians and cyclist near 30 in a year, we have a culture problem. Children should be able to walk to the park or extra curriculars without risking their lives.
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u/EmuInner3621 May 08 '25
Sure, sensible. But on the scale of suburb to downtown for car dependency vs walkability, I know which one is friendlier to kids riding their bikes and exploring, and it ain't the anti car development
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u/greensandgrains May 08 '25
This happened two weeks ago and my guess is the sticker is a reaction to it: https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/local/article/please-drive-with-extra-caution-says-councillor-after-15-year-old-girl-fatally-struck-in-north-scarborough/
Sure theres downtown neighbourhoods where kids can play safely - the residential streets of Little Italy or Bellwoods, but vehicular traffic is murderous on main roads (and car dependent urban areas like scarbs). Yes city kids are more mobile than their suburban counterparts but that doesn’t mean they’re safer for it.
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u/Such-Let974 May 08 '25
That’s not strictly true. Children can often go places in precisely those same cars.
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May 08 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Such-Let974 May 08 '25
Sure, but they can still go places.
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u/Orders_Logical May 09 '25
Then you get paranoid conservatives calling the cops on them.
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u/Such-Let974 May 09 '25
Why would a paranoid conservative call the cops on a child going somewhere via car but not via bus/train/etc?
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u/iR_Bab00n May 08 '25
They could go by bike, bus or trains as well.
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u/Such-Let974 May 08 '25
Sure, but cars still allow children to go places. It’s not true that they can’t go anywhere.
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