Cars: you can love them, you can hate them, but you can’t deny their overwhelming prevalence in the world. And while some of us are so used to it, we don’t really pay attention to it anymore, others are getting increasingly furious.

If you’re also getting annoyed by oversized pickup trucks, this online anti-car community welcomes all car-hating folk with open arms, and so far, they have over 400k members. It’s a safe space to vent about insane traffic, car-focused city design, poor public transit infrastructure, and the lack of green and community areas.

The car-free movement idea in general is quite big these days. It is supported by many urban planners, environmentalists, social activists, and transportation engineers. They advocate for walkable cities, mixed-use buildings, high density housing, and accessible public transportation.

To get some firsthand insight, we spoke to Paul Stout, a graduate student of urban design who gained a following on TikTok because of his videos explaining it. But before we get into the nitty gritty of things, check out this collection of some of the most infuriating instances of car dominance and some of the most beautiful examples of how it could be different.

#1 Religious Freedom, Daytime Drag, And Robust Public Transportation

Image credits: Light_A_Match

#2 F**k The Cato Institute

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#3 Found On Insta, Thought It Fit Well Here

Image credits: JackalHides

Car dominance is a thing all over the world, but it’s the most noticeable in the US. Paul Stout quotes a few reasons for that, including disinvestment in city centers, urban renewal, and a strong automotive industry. However, according to him, the biggest one is the zoning law which allows cities to enforce single-use areas in city planning. This means that certain sections of a city can only be used for residential, commercial, or industry buildings. This gave rise to the suburbs, which, in turn, made cars an essential part of living.

However, the increasing concern for climate change and the often-unbearable traffic is encouraging more and more individuals to reconsider the necessity of a car in their lives. Hence, the car free movement idea is getting increasingly popular.

#4 This Awful Space Between Two Kindergardens In My Neighborhood Got The Ultimate Car-Free Makeover. Copenhagen, Denmark

Image credits: thekimse

#5 Over 70 Years Later And We Still Widen Roads

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#6 I Love Me Some Grassy Trams

Image credits: Fried_out_Kombi

The benefits of the car-free movement are many. The study that analyzed plans for private car free city centers found significant reductions in traffic-related air pollution, noise, and temperature. The reduction of cars also minimizes the need for parking spaces, which provides more room for green and community areas. This is a point that Stout emphasizes as well, as he believes that getting rid of parking minimum mandates can make a positive impact on communities. According to him, in addition to creating more public space, it would also “bring down the cost of housing, and allow density to exist in places it currently cannot.”

On top of all that, cleaner air, communal spaces that encourage socializing, and potential for more active mobility and physical activity can also lead to health benefits. And we haven’t even started about the reduction of CO2 emissions.

#7 Nice Summary Of This Sub I Guess

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#8 More Of This Please

Image credits: ABetterOttawa

#9 Carbrain Andrew Tate Taunts Greta Thunberg On Twitter. Greta Doesn’t Hold Back In Her Response

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However, not all car free initiatives work as well. The impact of car free days during which car traffic is restricted in certain areas varies a lot depending on the scale and goals of the project. Diverting traffic can increase congestion and air pollution in neighborhoods where it wasn’t a problem before. Retail business owners are also weary of car free initiatives as it might deter locals from shopping.

#10 Infrastructure Is Too Expensive

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#11 I Know It’s An Old Tweet. I Don’t Know If This Is A Repost. I Just Think People Here Will Like Something Like This

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#12 Just Go For A Walk, You’ll Feel Better, I Promise

Image credits: SaxManSteve

In general, it seems that the car free movement concept is embraced more readily in Europe. Madrid, Oslo, Helsinki, and Hamburg have in the past pledged their commitment to become partly car free cities while Ghent and Nuremburg are already there. Then, there’s Barcelona that is often praised for their superblocks—clusters of city blocks designed to prioritize pedestrians and reduce car traffic.

#13 Is “Trunk Or Treat” Real And Because Of Non-Walkable Communities?

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#14 Yet Another Person Realizing What‘S Good

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#15 Good Planning

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Of course, this trend, as well the pressing matters that force it, is not limited to Europe. For example, China’s megacity Shenzhen is investing in a massive car free district, while The Line, the ambitious Saudi Arabian project city is intended to have no cars, streets, or carbon emissions. African countries such as Uganda, Ethiopia, and Rwanda have adopted monthly car free days and enough citizens are taking advantage of it to see these initiatives grow.

#16 Pinterest Randomly Reminded Me That Cars Have More Rights Than Humans Sometimes

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#17 F**k These Cars A Little Less

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#18 I’m Convinced A Lot Of People Wouldn’t See Something Wrong With This

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Overall, it seems that the car-free movement is the future. And, after looking at all these posts, it seems that that future cannot come soon enough.

#19 Height Of Folly (By Jen Sorensen)

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#20 Terrifying

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#21 Everything Must Be Sacrificed For The Car

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#22 How Is This Legal?

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#23 The Public Train I Take To Go To Work Has A Self Service Coffee Station

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#24 New vs. Old Mini Cooper

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#25 Cool Idea? (Cannot Stand Carbrains In The Replies)

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#26 My City (Ottawa, Canada) Removing A Pedestrianized Street In Favour Of Cars

Image credits: ABetterOttawa

#27 Helicopters Exist Also

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#28 Town Centers

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#29 The Onion Strikes Again

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#30 Magic Parking Lot

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#31 Assuming This Hasn’t Been Posted Here Before

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#32 American Exceptionalism

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#33 Stolen From Facebook

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#34 Won’t Be Safe In Anything Weighing Less Than 4 Tons

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#35 Eff Cars

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#36 Tesla Go Boom

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#37 I Don’t Blame The Kids For Staying Inside

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#38 Japanese Trucks vs. American Trucks

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#39 “But What About People Who Need Big Trucks For Work?”

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#40 An American Pickup In Europe

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#41 In New York, People Are Cleaning The Walls As A Result Of Years Being Polluted By Cars

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#42 2021 Best Selling Automobile In The Us (Ford F150) vs. 2021 Best Selling Automobile In Italy (Fiat Panda). You Can Almost Fit 2 Pandas In A Single F150 (And A Panda Will Fit Just As Many People)

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#43 True Advertisement: Our Problems Will Not Be Solved By Newer Cars. They Will Only Be Solved By Fewer Cars

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#44 Cars May Be The Most Important Movie Of The Past 20 Years

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#45 Activists Install Crosswalks. The City Removes Them. Allegedly They Do This So You Know That Your Safety Isn’t A Priority For Them

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#46 Sidewalks Are Car Infrastructure. Change My Mind

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#47 Uber Eats Driver Is One Of Us

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#48 6 Hour Line Of 14 Lane Traffic At Burning Man

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#49 The Onion Strikes Again

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#50 Coworkers Made Me A Bike Lane All The Way To My Desk Because Of How Much I Talk About Cars Sucking

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#51 I Saw This And I Thought About You Guys 😉

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#52 Trucks Used To Be Work Tools Before They Turned Into Death Machines

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#53 My Apologies For Trying To Bike In The Car Storage Lane

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#54 Carbrainer Will Prefer To Live In Houston

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#55 Beautiful

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#56 Parking Requirements

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#57 Guess They’ve Never Heard Of Parks

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#58 The Oil Lobby Is Way Too Strong

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#59 Change Is Scary For Car Brains

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#60 Walking Is Illegal

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#61 Road Widening Makes It Worse

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#62 Famous Beach Is Removed In Favor Of Building A Coastal Highway. Government Calls It A Massive Achievement To Relieve Traffic. Alexandria, Egypt

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#63 Trains Are So 19th Century, Clearly The Answer Is More Cars Everywhere

Image credits: ABetterOttawa