If Cars Were Banned in the US - Essay Example

Imaginative Essay – If Cars were Banned in the US Order No. 300615 No. of pages: 5 6530 When Al Gore, former Vice President, ecological activist, and Nobel prizewinner cautioned Americans that “ the survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk… we are now being called upon to move quickly and boldly to shake off complacency, throw aside old habits and rise, clear eyed and alert, to the necessity of big changes,” who could have imagined that one of our most important necessities, the car, would be first on the list of items to be sacrificed.( Lam, 2008) The depiction of an American family, complete with a house and car is deeply etched into the common psyche, and has now become a necessity rather than the luxury it used to be. The car is as essential to us as the metro is to the Europeans and the train is to the Japanese (Lam, 2008) Most US residents commute by their own cars and suddenly for such an important item to be banned could create utter chaos in a peaceful and smoothly running country such as the US. Life without a car is unimaginable to an American, and a drivers license is as important, or sometimes even more important than a college degree, for it ensures the freedom of movement within and without the country, which every American craves. An individual without a car in America is a rarity, and if the choice of not owning a car is a conscious decision, this individual may be looked upon as an eccentric. Americans on an average owned 2.28 vehicles for every household, which is seen as a luxury in most Third World countries, where owning even one car per family has only now become a reality. (Lam, 2008) life without a car is unimaginable to most Americans, but it is not impossible to live without an automobile as has been shown by Germany, where the Vauban Development in Freiburg have created an automobile free neighborhood. The place we are speaking of in Germany consists of 280 residences, complete with a school and essential stores, which are placed at distances that can be walked to. No cars are allowed here and the only parking area is outside the 94 acre, automobile free zone. The residents living within this area use bikes, electric scooters, create car pools, use taxis and trains to go about their daily lives.(Searfoss, 2000) If and when the day comes, and America decides to become an automobile free zone, we will see a positive impact on the social, cultural and economic life of our country. For starters, the concept of urban sprawl would be diminished, since it not only fosters isolation; it is completely “antisocial.” (Oates, 1998) People are living in homes which are far away from their workplace, which necessitates driving to and fro, every day, which in turn reduces the time spent in their neighborhoods. This brings down neighborly interactions, which is one of the most important social functions of humanity that is binding and creates a homely and peaceful atmosphere, which at present is not found in most American neighborhoods. Taking into account the impact it would have on children, we could definitely say that the outcomes would be very positive. For example, when children have to use the car pool or a public mode of transport, they learn to cohabit with others and pick up the important aspects of socialization such are cooperation, tolerance and a helping tendency, from which they are cut off when they travel in their own individual cars. The economic cost of owning and driving a car has gone up considerably, ever since prices of fuel burst through the roof, and for a moment, Americans actually took a long hard look at the financial aspect of owning a car. Owning a car means not only paying for it, but also the additional cost of fuel, insurance, maintenance and taxes, which impose a heavy burden on an individual. Depending on an automobile for daily chores becomes a habit, and a very expensive one at that. People are actually looking at the prospect of diverting all these funds that go into the ownership and maintenance of an automobile into owning a house in the city, which would reduce commuting time, brings down wastage of fossil fuels, which in turn has a positive impact on the environment. Another great benefit which people without cars find, according to Belle Leonard of Baltimore, Maryland, is “the experience of not sitting in rush-hour has made us happier people.” (Boddy, Mar-Apr 2000) Long queues of cars, sitting bumper to bumper on the motorway, has given rise to the phenomenon termed “road rage” which is in turn responsible for several health problems like hypertension and stress. The one-upmanship displayed by car owners is an accepted social truth and often it is found that cars have begun to be seen as vital status symbols rather than a mode of transportation. People are hankering after faster sports cars, bigger SUV’s, replacing old models with new ones at ever increasing rates and the question of maintenance does not cross their minds. Contributing towards the reform of the environment is the biggest benefit that would accrue from having an automobile free society, because we are all aware that the damage to the environment posed by burning fossil fuels, used to power cars is the greatest threat to life on earth. By using other modes of transport, either public or using a bicycle or walking, we could displace around seven to 28 billion passenger vehicle miles per annum according to a case study undertaken by the Federal Highway Administration. Not only this, we could also save up to1,590 million gallons of gasoline which would in turn lower carbon dioxide emissions by about 15,000,000 tonnes. (Boddy, Mar-Apr 2000) In attempting to make America an automobile free society every individual will have to learn to live as a community, practice the art of sharing, reschedule the day slightly so as to enable carpooling, and most importantly value the time of his compatriots. The governments contribution towards making this a reality cannot be stressed enough, because when people have an efficient, readily available public transport system they would be less inclined to use private means of mobility. America as a society would be definitely better off without these masses of cars which have choked not only our roads and environment but have also strangled the attributes of community by isolating individuals by packing them into these boxes of steel and horsepower. A little walking, good amount of cycling, meeting people on the subway, greeting them on the bus stands, running errands together with the neighbor in the car pool would bring back the happy environment which had once been promised to us by our predecessors. References Living Without a Car: My New American Responsibility By Andrew Lam, New America Media. Posted July 24, 2008. Andrew Lam is the author of Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora. Living Without a Car: My New American Responsibility | Environment ...http://www.alternet.org/environment/92528/living_without_a_car:_my_new_american_responsibility/?page=entire Consider banishing cars from campus,March 15, 2000 Baylor University || The Lariat Online || News http://www.baylor.edu/Lariat/news.php?action=story&story=14907 MU Environmental Network News July 1998 Vol. 4 No. 7 Editor - Jan Weaver 220 Gentry, MU / Columbia MO 65211 An Education in Sprawl Bryce Oates MU Environmental Network News http://web.missouri.edu/~umcsnresiwww/news/July1998news.html Car-free and carefree: living without an automobile is a logical lifestyle choice - Currents E: The Environmental Magazine ,  March-April, 2000   by Sharon Boddy COPYRIGHT 2000 Earth Action Network, Inc. COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group Car-free and carefree: living without an automobile is a logical ... http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1594/is_2_11/ai_94775441/pg_2/?tag=content;col1 Read More