I Dream of Trolley
This week, the New York Times published a front-page article about a town in Germany that was designed to be car-free. Today, the Times‘s website asks a panel of experts what it would take to make Americans less dependent on the automobile.
I regularly drive an automobile, and I wouldn’t want to not have access to one, since it is a big drag to go grocery shopping without a car. I ride my bicycle all over, but, due to weight considerations, I can only buy a few things from the store at a time, and ice cream can not be one of them. Plus, without a car, I couldn’t go anywhere more than about ten miles distant and expect to make it home.
But, the cost of owning a car is high. I estimate that we spend around $500 each month on car-related expenses, from the loan itself to gas, insurance, and parking fees. In just a few months the car will be paid off, and that will be a relief. But I do sometimes dream of living in a place where I can easily catch a bus–or, better yet, a trolley–and get to work quickly. On the plus side, Gainesville is generally bicycle friendly, if you live in the right place. But far too many people have moved out to developments west of the Interstate, where the buses don’t go, and the traffic and distance preclude cycling. I have, by and large, designed a lifestyle that doesn’t require I go anywhere near those places, and I would never live out that way again. It isn’t worth spending an hour in the car twice a day.
I only live three and a half miles from campus, but I dream of living even closer. If we can one day buy a house in the Duckpond, I can foresee doing away with the car for many of the things we now use it. I would still bike to work, but we could walk to the restaurants we love, and the park, and the library and so on.
Don’t get me wrong; the car is great when you want to go on a trip, or it’s raining or cold, or you need to get to work without being drenched in sweat. But I’d love to see more communities planned around public transportation and with bicyclists in mind. It would be better for everyone.
Filed under: Gainesville, Transportation on May 13th, 2009
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