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GoldenMonkeyRedux t1_j9uxh35 wrote

Reply to comment by DonQOnIce in 78-Unit, Mixed-Use Project Approved in Fishtown by ColdJay64

Sure, instead of a nice diversion for the family after work, I'll collect my child from their after-school activity, attempt to coordinate with my spouse, meet up randomly at a junkie/piss-filled station, and take three different SEPTA vehicles to get to an area where we can all walk blocks and blocks to eat burgers.

What kind of a bubble do you live in?

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DonQOnIce t1_j9uxsdb wrote

Damn, you sound pressed. I live in a bubble where I see families on Septa all the time. Like I said, don’t if you don’t want to.

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William_d7 t1_j9vj9mj wrote

I’m pretty convinced the vast majority of the “just walk/bike/Septa everywhere” posters don’t have kids, take care of elderly relatives, have a physical disability, work a job that requires tools or supplies, regularly need to travel an hour+ long Septa route (excluding RR), have hobbies that require equipment or aren’t close by, etc.

Walk/bike/Septa is a much easier lifestyle if everywhere you want to go is reasonably close to a stop and when you’re young, single, with all the time in the world.

Once you have the sunk costs of a car that you need for any such reason it’s hard to justify spending time, money, and psychic energy on bringing a large family somewhere by Septa.

Or maybe some people really do like to stretch a 25 minute round trip car commute into a 2+ hour odyssey?

Anytime you do present a logical reason for needing or wanting a car, expect a “why don’t you just move to the suburbs?” reply.

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DonQOnIce t1_j9vkz8m wrote

There are plenty of logical reasons to have a car but not always an excuse for using it for every single thing you do living in dense a city. “Try septa” is not a ridiculous response to someone who just wants to have a meal in Fishtown coming from West Philly and didn’t indicate any mobility issues.

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owenhinton98 t1_j9xd9hr wrote

Even conservative nimby people in the suburbs take septa in with their families, my dad is the worst kind of trumpy and he comes from an area that never has nor will ever see a transit system or even Amtrak/greyhound service, but even he always would take my siblings and me into the city via septa instead of driving, while we were very young I might add. If snotty suburban people can take their kids on the train, families in the city certainly can.

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William_d7 t1_j9zi7hr wrote

Hey, my dad took us to the city on the train too. From much of the suburbs going to Center City it’s clearly the easiest way. I even made an exception in my post for Regional Rail because it’s not a totally unpleasant shitshow like the MFL.

However, that’s not something we ever did if we wanted a quick dinner after school like the thread starter was talking about, rather a special occasion, all day downtown kind of thing (I suspect it would be the same for your family).

OP is saying he’d like to spend $$$ at a local business in the short time available after school and before bedtime but that increased density in that area has turned an easy 15 minute drive into a 10 minute walk+10 minutes on a train platform+20 minutes on the zombie train+10 walk and then do the same thing on the way home. Frankly, if you had kids you’d realize how daunting that is.

That’s business a place like Standard Tap could use midweek but could lose out on because of a lack of comprehensive city planning.

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owenhinton98 t1_j9zkd22 wrote

I wouldn’t exactly call densifying and urbanizing “lack of comprehensive city planning”…if the casualty of this is a more transit- and pedestrian-friendly area, then so be it. You simply can’t live in a city and expect everything to be accessible by car; it’s a give and take

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