Beachgoer shares shocking scene view of coin-operated telescope: 'This is grim'

Few things are more relaxing than a day at the beach. It's a chance to kick back, relax, and take in the scenes of…a parking lot?

A Redditor garnered lots of attention for their unfortunate beachside view. In a photo posted on an anti-car subreddit, a coin-operated telescope near the beach sits on a deck. There's just one problem: The telescope is pointed straight at a parking lot, not at any scenic views.

"What a beautiful view of the ocean," the OP wrote. "Let's spend a half-dollar to zoom in on … all the parked cars."

Far off in the distance — past the parking lot and some garish, bright orange traffic barriers — viewers can barely make out a bit of beach and water.

"Yeah, this is grim," one commenter wrote. "I can't imagine the thought process of putting the parking in between the desirable location and the property that's supposed to be next to said location."

The post is in an appropriate subreddit, as several commenters expressed their frustration that parking, and cars in general, seem to get priority over people trying to enjoy nature.

Anti-car sentiments are nothing new and aren't always realistic, but they can come from the right frame of mind. After all, vehicles are one of the world's biggest pollutants.

In 2022, transportation was responsible for 28% of planet-warming gas pollution in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That's more than any other industry. Of that amount, 80% comes from cars, trucks, and other road-based vehicles.

Even when you're inside a car, you're still getting exposed to harmful air pollution.

Of course, getting rid of a car isn't feasible for most people. Even so, there are steps we all can take to make our commutes more eco-friendly. For short trips, walking and biking can make a big difference. And when possible, public transit allows users to travel longer distances without creating such a big carbon impact.

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When you absolutely must drive, try not to park where you block someone's beachside view.

"Man, that's some nice beachside real estate to have literally anything other than a daytime storage area for inanimate objects on," one commenter wrote. "At least have a parking lot somewhere humans wouldn't want to be anyway."

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