Car-less For A Day

What could we do to promote less use of cars?

No, I’m not talking about careless, I mean car-less. People around the world will be paying attention to doing without – cars – on September 22nd.

Just call me an interested party…

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The movement

It’s not my party, but I was intrigued to find the “World Carfree Day” web site.

If it’s reasonable to spend a day thinking about any other effort, this one’s reasonably practical and urgent. Wouldn’t we all be better off if everyone in the world drove around in their cars less?

Your freedom to move about

This is not an effort to try and restrict anyone. I have no preconceived notion that people across the world will give up their cars for good. The car is one of those items that shouts “I’m free to go where I want”. (even if most of us use it to get to and from the very same set of places most every day)

Perhaps we’ll drive a bit less on one day, and maybe, just maybe take greater care about designing things so that we don’t have to be driving around quite that much.

The alternatives

I’ll lay out foot, bike, and train as easy answers, but I’m not so sure about trains.

I mean, if the whole point is to cut down on the need to transport long distances, I just can’t see the train as a viable solution. Are there any short distances that a train is good for?

Others might suggest buses as an option, but they still leave a carbon footprint – even the electric ones.

No – I’m all for eliminating the need to travel long distances, and working on human powered means of travel for the shorter ones.

Moving to water

A water taxi (powered by an engine) is pretty much the same thing as a taxi (powered by an engine), so they’re out. (as is your own personal motorboat)

Sailboats, rowboats, and paddleboats – go for it!

Well grounded

I’m pretty sure you can’t get up in the air without the use of somebody’s motor. Balloons, propellers, and jets all burn fuel…

I suppose if you dragged the glider to the top of the mountain all by yourself and got someone to push you off the edge that would be ok.

Me, I’m just going to concentrate on making sure any appointments I setup can be reached by bike that day…

What can you do?