World Car-Free Day - 22 September 31 August 04

Like you I hate cars. I believe it is very little to do with the things themselves, it is that I have an appreciation of how they impact on the environment, society etc. and it’s an emotional reaction against that.

Would I have the same reaction if they were truly “green” – running on hydrogen cells, green electricity etc.?? I don’t know for sure.

It would be great to develop marketing messages and brands that people could identify with, that got them away from wanting to use cars. There is a very interesting book just out, which talks about how much our emotions drive our actions. It is called LoveMarks, written by the head of Saatchis.

You can see more at … http://www.lovemarks.com/

Interestingly, one of the nominated LoveMarks is for a bike called Bike Friday. This could be part of the solution!

http://www.bikefriday.com/

It’s really not cars I hate. If they were built right-for efficiency and utility-and were used right,as in going somewhere specific, where transit does not (this requiring a GOOD mass transit system locally, regionally, and (inter)nationally, which doesn’t describe America at all), well and good. The coming depletion of oil and gas may help, as a strong infrastructure for biofuels, the likeliest substitute for fossil fuels in vehicles will not likely be in place, either. (We humans are good foot-draggers—except when it comes to walking as a means of transport!)

What bugs me is that the developed world (ESPECIALLY the US)has created societies which REQUIRE the auto or truck. And we’re passing it right along to the developing world, rather than trying out alternatives. Small wonder Americans won’t consider carlessness-here, it really DOES seem to be an impossibility! Of course, Europe has proved that it can be done (though people love their cars there, too, or you wouldn’t have so many urban pollution problems there…or a need for Car Free Days!). I know I’d have a car if I could afford one (a hybrid, of course!), because it’d open up more options for me (like where I can and can’t get a job because I don’t have a car). And I know people here would spend their last penny to keep gas in the tank, even if the price puts them on a bread-and-water diet! (And if they had to pay REAL gas prices, like you EU’ers, they’d scream bloody murder-then pay them.)

I fear that the Car Age will not end until the drivers have no means to fuel them. But thank you for having Car Free Day…you know, as I do, that you DON’T need them, or SHOULDN’T HAVE TO need them! It’s a good example to set—even if the car-lovers don’t want to see it!

Oh, there’s a lot more to it than pollution. Even cars running on biodiesel or electricity would divide communities via busy roads, threaten pedestrians with imminent violent death, contribute to urban sprawl and malls, and encourage atomised, travel-dependent lifestyles. I’ve just been writing an article for the Spectator about a future where cars, like wheelchairs, are seen as a necessity only for the unfortunate. The rest of us can cycle, take trains or walk. And bring back the horse!