Carlessness

Though I risk being dubbed un-American and having my political career ruined before it even begins, I must confess that we do not own a car. Not here and, at the moment, not even back in the States.


It's not just the gross inefficiency of the internal combustion engine (80% of the energy value of the gas is simply lost), or the pollution (warning - the neutrality of the link is disputed), or the noise, or the space dedicated to roads and parking (1.7% of U.S. land area according to Kaufmann, 2001, I have to admit here that some of the stats may be slanted), or number of pedestrians killed by automobiles (just under 5000 people annually in the U.S.). For me, as much as any of these, is that it's awfully difficult to connect with the earth or our neighbors when we wrap ourselves in steel.

On the other hand, I too enjoy whizzing across continents to visit friends and relations, see new and different places, and attend work meetings. There are even those occasions where I see a car as a thing of beauty (e.g. Brother Evans' Ford Fairlane). My purpose today is not to advocate the elimination of the automobile, but simply to report on the things we like and dislike about being carless.


What I like about not having a car:

•  Walking - it feels good, helps me think, and makes for nice legs.
• Biking - when I need to get somewhere local fast, the bike is fun.
• Saying "Good Day" to people - we rarely mouth "Good Day" to people we interact with on the road.
• Seeing things - architectural details, flowers, children playing, the river - all best enjoyed when not a blur.
• Reading - on the bus or train I can learn stuff and let someone else stress about getting me where I want to go.
• Looking at my Wife - when I drive she prefers I watch the road, on the train I can gaze at her all I want.
• Footpaths - where cars are less dominant, little paths for bikes and peds spring up and they are usually more interesting than a 28 foot wide strip of bituminous.

What I like about having a car:

• Carrying groceries during rainstorms - it's nice to have the flour dry when you get home.
• Visiting distant castles - there are places where it is just not efficient to take transit, either for the transit agency or for the infrequency of trips that then makes a short visit an all day trip.
• Home Teaching - when you want to visit multiple people in one afternoon (like for our home teaching program at church), the car is useful.
• Home Improvement - except a car doesn't really cut it, this is why a fella needs a pickup too.

Anyway, I felt no great loss at not driving for nearly nine months. My manliness did not diminish as far as I could tell and I felt a great freedom to just come and go. On the other hand, it was nice having a car for our week long vacation and it was kind of exhilarating zipping along on the narrow roads. Truth be told, I couldn't drive 55. I would have even bought a car if I could have found a nice old Škoda like this at a good price.


With that said, I need to buy a minivan - this Friday morning - because we'll be back in the land where, in the words of Antonio Toniolo (a grad student from Argentina) citing Dr. Gary Parker, "si no tenés auto, no sos nada" (if you don't have a car, you are nothing). We're looking for a 2005-2006 model year. Nothing fancy. Preferably not white. If anyone knows anyone selling such a fine work of engineering, please let us know.

-Peter