We Focus Too Much On Cars
Car Culture, Environmentalism, and Alternatives
Here in the United States, we have something that is often referred to as Car Culture. This is a mindset where the car dominates the roads, and everything else is considered secondary as compared to the car. Or, as Oxford puts it: “ a society or way of life characterized by excessive use of or reliance on motor vehicles. ”
And not just this, but this culture is often at odds with pedestrians and bikers who just want to travel in a different way. In other areas of the world, such as in the UK, biking and pedestrians are quite common. They often ride alongside cars, or have far more importance.
However, here in the US, fights break out when people want to simply add in a bike lane. We are so focused on cars, that people freak out when some room is made for bikes and/or pedestrians.
This backlash against bikes and pedestrians can be terrible for the environment, as 29% of greenhouse gas emissions in the US come from transportation. In the US, each household has about 1.88 cars. That is about 833 cars per 1000 people. Coming in 4th behind New Zealand, which has mainly electric cars, as well as Monaco, and San Marino, which each have populations of less than 40,000 people, compared to the 350 million in the US.
The US also has very few electric cars at just 2% of the market. Not that electric cars do not have their own issues.
But with car sales being cut by half since 1986, good news might be ahead. Younger people are opting for other modes of transportation to get around, and this can be for a variety of reasons, ranging from environmental reasons, to simply not having the money to afford a car.
I think this is a good thing for the environment, as people tend to just jump in their car even if they are traveling a relatively short distance. And while this may be vital for many people, for most people, they just don’t want to walk to the corner store.
Here is a list of things that you can do as an alternative to driving a car if you need to go somewhere:
* Taking public transportation, such as the metro or a bus
* Taking a train or bus for long-distance rides cross country
There are many ways in which we can get places, that there is really no reason for us to travel by car everywhere. Consider biking or walking somewhere instead of driving. It can help you get outside more, can help you get more exercise, and can help the environment in the long term.
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