Two words: Street. Sweeping.
If you live in a big city and own a car, you are probably all too familiar with this phrase. On certain days of the week, a city vehicle with basically a big broom attached to it comes through to clean the street. Every car parked on one side of the road has to scram — or get a ticket.
Well, in New York City neighborhoods, car owners have developed a new chaotic strategy. When the sweeping hour comes, they just hop in their car and double park on the other side. When the sweeper passes, they shift back.
It's a win-win, right? No ticket, and they don't lose their spot? Unfortunately, the reality is that this practice creates a near-impossible maze for not only the sweeper to get through but other cars, bikes, and pedestrians, too.
One Redditor was shocked by the situation and posted a video of the scene from the perspective of the street sweeper's dashboard as it made its way through a neighborhood in Brooklyn.
"Dude this is just insane," they wrote in the post. "I fear this could come to my city, DC."
They explained their surprise at seeing just how many people felt the need to own a car in a supposedly walkable city.Â
It is true that NYC has the biggest subway system in the United States. Plus, many neighborhoods are dense enough to never even think about getting behind the wheel. Yet the public transit system doesn't reach everywhere, leading many to hang on to a car just in case they need it now and then.
However, that doesn't mean living car-free is impossible in a big city. Getting around by train, bus, or bike are great options, and they are becoming more accessible in more places. Drivers who ditch their car can save a pretty penny on gas and repairs, too — and keeping the planet-warming pollution caused by many cars out of the air and our lungs isn't so bad either.
People in the comment section on the original post chimed in with their takes.
"What's the point of owning a car when living in a dense city," one asked.Â
"For those outside New York: this is a weekly ritual," another explained. "Every week there are days where you can't curbside park."
"I like Tokyo's idea," a third offered. "Having a decent subway system, so that you don't really need a car within the city, and a decent train system, so that you don't really need a car outside of the city."
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