When fleeing the wildfires in Southern California, many people stuck on the road were ordered to abandon their vehicles in order to get to safety. But this meant that a barricade of cars blocked fire trucks from reaching the front lines of the blazes.
That's when the bulldozers came in.
"What stage of climate crisis is bulldozing abandoned luxury cars to make way for firetrucks?" one person asked on the social platform Bluesky.
Photos of the bulldozers were shared on the subreddit r/f***cars, where they sparked a mixture of emotions.
"Car brains: In case of an emergency, I can just take my car and rescue me and my family from the danger!" they said.
Another user wrote, "Think you should be mad at what causes the gridlock and not the individuals fleeing for their lives."
One commenter elaborated on the situation.
"These mountain communities are the epitome of suburban sprawl. … The people evacuating had no choice but to leave by car, because these areas were designed for extreme car dependency," they explained. "The blame rests on the developers that failed to consider alternative evacuation options in the event of an emergency, and the planners that approved development in such risky areas in the first place."
Many others agreed with their assessment. "It's the widespread over-dependence on cars that's the issue," one person wrote.
|
Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 👍 While cars feel like an inextricable part of modern life, more and more people are arguing that they pose too great a risk to health, pedestrian safety, and the climate.
And though Americans yearn for walkable cities — 78% would be willing to pay more for them, according to a survey by the National Association of Realtors — that reality is still many years away for most of us after decades of car-centered development policy.
However, anyone looking to move away from car dependency does have options, from utilizing public transit to hopping on a bike, even for part of a commute. Taking action by getting involved in local politics can also be an effective way to push for community change. And in case of emergency, many people on Reddit suggested having a bike with a cargo trailer packed and ready.
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
