America is notoriously dependent on cars: 92% of households own a car, but only 55% have viable public transportation options.
These statistics highlight how vehicles shape norms and determine urban planning, but posts from an anti-car subreddit on Reddit demonstrate just how stifling America’s “car culture” has become.
“I got called by the police for walking,” the original post’s caption read.
Reddit post titles sometimes do not match the content; such statements may indicate misleading omissions on the part of the poster.
But not here.
The user explained that her pediatrician is “a 45-minute walk” from their home. In anticipation of rain, she packed her weather-appropriate clothes and tucked her child into the stroller. However, on the way back, the woman was “stopped” by the police chief of the small Georgia town.
“He asked me where I had been, where I was going, and told me that they had received a call from a ‘concerned citizen’ about a woman walking in the storm with her young child. Remember, it hadn’t rained yet,” she continued.
Immediately, the poster’s story became even more outrageous—she added that the bizarre traffic stop marked the third time in five years that she’d been pulled over by police for highly suspicious behavior on a short walk.
“It’s frustrating every time it happens,” she admits.
On October 1, the Natural Resources Defense Council noted that despite high car ownership rates, nearly 16 million Americans still do not own a car. One in three people do not have “reliable” access to a car due to generally poor public transport options.
Public transport isn’t just for getting to work; a UK study showed that increased use of services such as bus routes can reduce social isolation, with researchers observing a 12% reduction in depressive symptoms.
Another recent study linked time spent driving (such as daily commuting) to higher rates of depression and divorce, lower sleep quality, and poorer overall mental health.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, transportation is the source of “the largest portion (28 percent)” of planet-warming pollution in the United States, with 57 percent of that pollution attributed to “light vehicles,” also known as “automobiles.”
Surprisingly, it’s not uncommon to see pedestrians as suspects, but Reddit users were outraged by the poster’s actions.
“What a terrible call from a concerned citizen. The police just lied and chimed in,” one responded.
Another suggested the original poster contact local legislators. “I will complain to my local elected officials. They pay for all the pedestrian infrastructure and yet the police harass people using it?” they wrote.
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