After years of #carsharing, I am considering buying an #OwnCar. But before I decide, I have a few questions to confirm that this is the right solution for me. Please help me out in this thread 🧵: Image
1.🎫 I heard that I have to pay extra for an #insurance for my #OwnCar. And pay to have an annual inspection done. That would make it very expensive. Is there a way that I can easily get around that? Image
2.️👨‍🔧 What if my #OwnCar breaks down? I'm a smart person, but I'm not very handy. Is there a place where people can fix it for me? And do I have to take it there for repair every time? Image
3. 🕰 What do you actually do with your #OwnCar when you're not using it yourself? I've gotten so used to pay-for-use that I can't imagine having to pay for the other 95% of the time !

There has to be a clever trick for this, right? guideautoweb.com/en/articles/64…
4.🚘 I read on #Facebook that the owner of an #OwnCar has to arrange storage space for it himself. Is that really true?

Unfortunately I do not have such space, because my garden is already full with the toys of my kids, the lounge furniture and my barbecue. Image
5.🤸‍♀️ I read that some people solve this by putting their #OwnCar in public space. What!? That's not allowed for any of my belongings! Shouldn't kids be able to play there? It would look awful if everyone started doing that and we designed residential areas completely for cars! Image
6.🤖 Are there companies that offer #OwnCars and ensure that you always have the latest technological innovations?

I now always drive state-of-the-art and I'm not going to buy something that will so quickly be outdated. Image
7.😒 ⁠I read that an #OwnCar causes less exercise & obesity. With #carsharing, I always consider every trip and often walk/cycle instead. A powerful incentive. How is this with an #OwnCar?

Will I be financially compensated for a lower life expectancy? globalnews.ca/news/2109435/w…
8.🏙 A professor said that if everybody has an #OwnCar would require additional parking space many times the space required for new homes. I would feel guilty.

How do I ensure that I'm not held responsible for this? Can I put 'carshare' stickers on it without actually sharing? Image
9.💪 ⁠A friend said I'd better buy 'a big car' (#SUV?) to ensure that I can do everything with it. Now I use all kinds of cars, depending on what I need.

Those big cars for all, is that efficient and safe?
Or can the size be adjusted to fit the purpose?iihs.org/news/detail/ne…
10.⁠👬 #Carsharing makes me meet others and creates a sense of neighbouring. I read somewhere that this is important for our wellbeing!

But what if everybody has an #OwnCar? How does that stimulate interaction in my neighbourhood?

Study: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…
Image
11.🧽 I recently saw someone washing his #OwnCar. Haha: It really made me chuckle! Do you think it is his hobby or does everybody with an #OwnCar have to do that himself?

What a hassle: I’m used to having this done by a professional. Image
12.🌨 I seriously thought 'winter tires' was a bad joke that my friend pulled on me. But after some research it really seems that I have to change the tires of my #OwnCar in different seasons? Really? Image
Come to think of it: this doesn't seem to add up at all!

It seems quite inefficient in financial resources and materials. It seem to put a large burden on myself and an unsustainable demand on society at large.

What am I missing here? Image
This 🧵 is a @thelabofthought production that aims to make you think about (y)our #motonormativity.

Disclaimer: If after reading you feel a need to defend our current car dependency or complain it isn't complete, don't bother! We meant to provoke and apparent succeeded than! Image
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More from @fietsprofessor

Aug 28
🚸 What if the street outside your child’s school was car-free, green & safe? 🌱 Paris is making it real with its “Rues aux écoles” program.

Here’s how the city is rethinking school streets—and why it matters. 🧵👇 Image
Launched in 2020, “Rues aux écoles” transforms streets around schools by:
🌳 Replacing asphalt with trees & plants
🚦 Banning or slowing traffic
🎨 Adding play areas & colorful ground designs

The goal: safer, cleaner, more welcoming spaces for kids & families. Image
🌍 Why it matters: kids are most vulnerable to pollution, noise & traffic.
Paris’s approach is already:
✅ Cutting NO₂ levels by up to 30%
✅ Making drop-offs calmer & safer
✅ Creating shaded green areas
✅ Giving back streets as community spaces Image
Read 6 tweets
Aug 20
🌳 Paris just transformed one of its most iconic squares: Place de l’Hôtel de Ville. Once a vast stone esplanade, it’s now an urban forest.

Inaugurated on June 21, 2025, this project is reshaping how the city tackles climate, space, and livability. 🌍
The numbers behind the project 👇
✅ ~150 trees planted
✅ 50 full-grown trees + 100 younger ones
✅ 1 of 120 greening & pedestrianisation projects in 2025
✅ 1 of 2 new “urban forests” (Hôtel de Ville + Place du Colonel Fabien) Image
This isn’t just about aesthetics. By replacing stone with soil + greenery, Paris is:
🌡️ Cooling the city & fighting heat islands
🐦 Restoring biodiversity
🚶 Turning a barren square into a welcoming, pedestrian-friendly hub at the heart of the city Image
Read 6 tweets
Nov 10, 2024
On June 4th female college students cycled 50km from #Zhengzhou to #Kaifeng to try the city’s breakfast specialty, soup dumplings. Their 4-hour journey gained attention on social media, celebrated as an expression of "youth, passion, vitality". [🧵]
Soon, thousands of Zhengzhou college students joined this night cycling adventure. Every Friday night, numerous shared bikes vanish from Zhengzhou, posing challenges for bike coordinators and commuters. Despite this, the activity has received widespread support.
Recently, the local government established several supply stations along the route and deployed police for safety. Kaifeng's tourist attractions have begun offering more good food and free entry to college students, boosting weekend tourism and gaining national attention.
Read 4 tweets
Oct 18, 2024
After years of #carsharing, I am considering buying an #OwnCar. But before I decide, I have a few questions to confirm that this is the right solution for me.

Please help me out in this thread 🧵: Image
1.🎫 I heard that I have to pay extra for an #OwnInsurance for my #OwnCar. And pay to have an annual inspection done. That would make it very expensive.

Is there an easy way to get around that? Image
2.️👨‍🔧 What if my #OwnCar breaks down or makes a weird sound? I'm a smart guy, but I'm not very handy.

Is there a place where people can fix it for me?
And do I have to take it there for repair every time myself? Image
Read 16 tweets
Jan 25, 2024
Something TERRIBLE happened to the streets in #LegoCity and we need to talk about it!

🧐 Why did @LEGO_Group decide to WIDEN the streets?
🚙 What does it teach us about real #autobesity?
🛣️ And how can we change it?

A thread🧵:
Image
Image
2. 'With Lego you can make anything' is a marketing slogan often heard. If you want to create a city however, you have to work with the standard road plate sets.

Between my cities and those of my kids, the sidewalks lost three studs and each street became SIX studs wider! WOW! Image
3. The change in street width did not happen in isolation. In the same period, #Lego Cars also widened from FOUR to SIX studs.

Interestingly, most of them still only have room for only one #Lego Figure. Image
Read 19 tweets
Jun 12, 2023
Today #Amsterdam starts a transition experiment of 6 weeks that reclaims a car dominated street as public space.

There are already some important lessons about the importance of language. 1/🧵 Image
The Weesperstraat has been seen as important link for car traffic to get in and out central Amsterdam for four decades.

Businesses fear for their accessibility & refer to the street as 'an artery'. Invoking the classic metaphor of cities as bodies, car traffic as blood . 2/🧵 Image
This blinds us to why and how cities have always functioned as places for human interaction.

Instead of continuous pumping, a good city street constantly entices you to slow down, stop and linger to enjoy the public life around you.

3/🧵 Image
Read 13 tweets

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