Have You Reduced Your Dependence on Cars?

May 9, 2006 09:16 AM - Michael G. Richard, near Ottawa

car-crash-01.jpgWe all know that our car-based society* is not sustainable (not to mention dehumanizing). Smaller, lighter cars and hybrids can help us reduce the amount of energy used per kilometer/mile driven and and cut down on air pollution and smog, but these are not a solution in themselves, just a small band-aid on a pretty big wound. A larger systemic change has to take place at both ends: From the top, policymakers have to show vision and take tough decisions, and from the bottom, individuals have to put pressure on politicians and rearrange their own lives around a less car-intensive paradigm. What we want to know is: what are the steps that you have taken, or that you plan to take, to do your part? Please share your experience and opinions with us in the comments.

Do you walk? Cycle? Take public transportation? Carpool? Have you contacted your elected representatives about local or national transportation matters? Do you write letters to the editor of local papers? Emails to the mainstream media? Do you use car-sharing services? Do you plan on moving closer to where you work? Telecommuting? Are you part of advocacy groups or NGOs?

*Some interesting statistics via Grist: According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 88.1% of all workers in the USA reported that they used the automobile to get to work, and 79.4% of works drove alone in their cars.

The average annual cost of owning a mid-size car is $8,580 (when driven 15,000 miles/year), the average annual cost of public transportation is $566.40 ($1.50 fare, using monthly passes).

 

Michael, I understand how you're interested in reducing cars on the road. The truth of the matter is that public transportation isn't for everyone. In many cases there are gaping holes in coverage, and in the amount of buses and trains. It's nowhere close enough to what the average person needs. Try taking a large flat screen TV you just bought in a store with you on a bus.

I have to be honest and say that while I support strong environmental policy, there's no way I'm giving up my car. Give me a hydrogen car and I'm a happy guy, but I'll go where I want, when I want, while taking the route I want. That's the freedom of choice. While driving alone isn't statistically the most environmentally friendly thing, I don't live remotely close to my colleagues, many quite simply can't afford to. Your system is great if people who work together, also live together in very close proximity, and never leave the general area.

Take a look at the nightmare going on in Seattle and the rest of the Puget Sound when it comes to mass transit. Hundreds of millions of dollars for a simple light rail track. The monorail extension failed because it was far too expensive (billions of dollars). Light rail is YEARS behind schedule, even after cutting back several lines. When it comes to your dream of the future and mass transit you have to face the realities of funding. Taxes pay for the construction, then they decide to keep raising taxes each years because maintenance will suddenly need to be done and they'll have gone over budget. We've all seen it time and time again. I simply don't trust mass transit to do it's job. Then when that's all said and done, I hope people don't get too upset when the union workers decide to go on strike, shutting everything down.

I'll quit my dependence on oil, but I'll never give up the freedom to go where I choose in my own car.

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