A parent concerned for his children's safety called out how the car-centric built environment in their neighborhood puts them in danger.
Infrastructure that prioritizes cars over people frequently gains attention online as Americans look to the infrastructure of other nations with envy and work toward more diverse transit options and walkable communities.
In a TikTok video, The Happy Urbanist (@jonjon.mp4) takes users on a walk from his home to a nearby park, pointing out the dangers along the way. The presence of his children brings more significance; it is clear that the path would not be safe for them without the watchful eye of a parent.
@jonjon.mp4 Its should be hard to walk .7 miles. #yimby #nimby #publictransit #publictransportstion #architecture #urbandesign #citydesign #walkablecities #walkablecommunities #urbanplanning #pedestrians #pedestriandignity #notjustbikes #strongtowns #janejacobs #cars #roads #travel #safety #chattanooga #tennessee #tn #nooga #cars #cartok #greenscreen ♬ Lo-Fi analog beat - Gloveity
En route to the park, the family encounters four-lane roads with shrunken sidewalks, sidewalks that abruptly end and give way to uneven ground or train tracks, and a street so unsafe that businesses moved their front entrances to back alleys.
"This distance doesn't feel like much when you're driving because it was built for cars," points out the father.
The city where he filmed is Chattanooga, Tennessee. Nooga Today reported that In 2022, it received a 29 out of 100 on Walk Score's walkability meter.
Environments like this are not uncommon, especially in the United States. The level of car dependency represented in transportation structures has some residents saying that walking "feels illegal" in their communities.
Car-centric policy impacts thousands of families across the country. In 2022 alone, nearly 8,000 pedestrians lost their lives from collisions in the United States.
With such restrictive built environments, consumers don't have many choices about how to get from place to place. When it is too dangerous to walk or bike and public transit is inadequate, there is little wiggle room for folks to make choices that could benefit their mental and physical health.
Cars are also the most expensive form of personal transportation, with the average cost of a new car being just under $50,000, according to data from Cox Automotive. The impact on the environment is also extremely steep, with Statista reporting that 3.53 billion metric tons (3.89 billion tons) of climate-warming carbon were created by personal vehicles in 2022.
Commenters were aghast, jaded, or outraged by the state of affairs in the video.
One user combined all those emotions into a simple statement, saying, "It's just not safe."
An individual from the U.K. wrote, "I can't imagine not being able to walk to my local shops, park, swimming pool or whatever."
However, a fellow Tennessean took a more goal-oriented view. "Love TN and Chat," they wrote, "but there's a lot of work to do to make this a better, safer state."
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
