As in every other U.S. city, the needs of citizens and community are being held hostage to the needs of the automobile. The hunk of metal and plastic that was supposed to be America's ticket to freedom is increasingly imprisoning us at home. As an adult I can be almost blind to a world circumscribed by cars - but as a parent it's apparent. In Arcata proper, the time is long past when you could safely let your child run over to his buddy's house. Little kids are hard to see as they come out from behind parked cars, and drivers are much less cautious when they're running a bit late.
Most people do seem to be running a bit late lately.
So a three block walk in a kid's own neighborhood now requires adult supervision - at least until the age of late seven or eight. I've gone tumbling through the air in a car, looked down the receiving end of guns, faced white water and vertical granite cliffs - but never have I been so frightened as when I taught my first child to ride a bicycle on the streets of Arcata. Because of the automobile we have to exercise caution just to run across to the neighbor's house. We don't even notice it anymore, but we're always somewhat on our guard - watching, listening. And listening itself is more of a challenge every year.