Why do the suburbs prioritize cars over actual people?
Several years ago I got stuck in Norfolk, Virginia for three days while attempting to spend the holidays with family in Miami. I had never really spent time in Virginia, and Norfolk didn't seem like a place that was particularly enticing as destinations come. The city, which is home to a massive naval base, was a far cry from my home in NYC. I settled into my Holiday Inn Express outside the airport and hoped I could get a flight out as soon as possible.
Before I realized I'd be there for three days, I decided to take a stroll around the area in search of some dinner. I didn't realize that meandering through many areas of the suburbs was actually quite difficult. While there were quite a few businesses within walking distance, the roads made it so they were almost impossible to reach. I had to make very dangerous sprints down multi-lane suburban roads in search of some decent food and maybe a bottle of wine if I was lucky. It took way too much time to get to my Nepalese restaurant destination, and getting back was not only hazardous due to the lack of pedestrian walkways and lights, but absolutely sketchy as hell. I was not in my element.
The experience made me wonder how the hell people are supposed to get around these areas without a car. It's pretty presumptuous to assume that every resident or worker can afford one, which is honestly a testament to the empathy of people who design public spaces. The crappy design also discourages people from actually moving their bodies instead of rotting away in their cars and making use of drive-throughs whenever possible.
Recently, TikToker @everydayengineering shared a surprising eerie video documenting an afternoon “out for a walk.” It quickly devolves into a hellish depiction of suburban roadways, crosswalks, and the absolutely sterile environs of commuter towns. The suspenseful horror soundtrack doesn't hurt the tension, either.
As a carless pedestrian, I've been in that very position in a number of towns/cities. And it's nice to see someone highlighting the absolute idiocy of it all. After spending some more time on his profile, it became clear that @everydayengineering has set out to highlight myriad problems with today's infrastructure. It's a noble cause. And people on Twitter are starting to notice. A couple of days ago @allinsea shared the video above with her followers, pointing out that the clip is a “real life horror movie.”
Her followers were quick to agree.
While we don't have a solution to the issue - it's not like “stroads” are going anywhere - it's definitely nice to see people trying to educate the public on just how messed up our infrastructure is. People > cars, y'all.