"I'm much happier this way," What caused someone to say this? Simply no longer owning a car! Based on how car dependant mostly everyone's life is and how badly most people that don't have a car want one you'd think that going from having one to lacking one must be terrible. Well statisically speaking we might all be moving towards this idea and it might not be such a bad thing!

According to the short article

In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars

Vauban, Germany is home to people that have chosen to give life without cars a shot, many of which love the life style. 70% of Vauban's families do not own cars, and 57% sold a car just to go there. Although this has mostly only been done here many have started slowly adopting the idea. As the author, Elisabeth Rosenthal, of this article pointed out passenger cars are responsible for 12% of greenhouse emissions in Europe, and in more car populated areas such as the United States up to 50%. Robert Duffer stated in

Paris bans driving due to smog that in Paris Driving had been limited by their goverment due to extreme levels of pollution and after a short amount of time the ban was called off because the smog/pollution had lowered. Just one of the advantages of limiting the usage of cars would be cutting down these huge numbers and getting rid of these issues, and if you asked anyone im pretty sure they'd say that this one advantage is plenty reason already to look into this. Imagine how drastically improved the planet would be if others adopted what Vauban is already doing!

Want a holiday to promote the limiting of cars? Well there actually is one in Bogota, Colombia! Millions of colombians hike, bike, skate, or take buses to places like work on this day. It already has three years running so far, even if its raining that day, the mayor claims that it doesnt stop people from participating. This day is starting to also branch out to other colombian cities such as Cali and Valledupar, imagine if eventually it becomes an international holiday, the advantages are everywhere. Due to the limiting of car usage there are more people walking on the sidewalks and this has caused the goverment to improve those sidewalks by making new smooth ones and getting rid of the old cracked ones. More restaurants, parks, sports centers, and even entire shopping centers have been built and opened to the people walking which is a life style improving advantage. If the limiting of cars is done in more places then new things to do and try will open up in that area and in turn prove to be a great advantage from limiting car usage.

Elisabeth Rosenthal has writen about the possibility that in the United States the peak of driving has been reached. As it turns out Americans are buying fewer cars, driving less miles on average, and getting fewer licenses every year that goes by. If such a large population such as the United States is cooling down on car usage why not speed that process up and goverments start slowly but efficiently reducing car usage internationally? This would mean that in public transport there would be more socializing because the people that take that same bus everyday at 7:00 AM along with you would become your friends or at least aquaintances. So when you think about it friendships might even come with car limiting as well!

From the reduction of polution to the improvements of everyday life style to even possibly socializing with new people, the possibilities of car usage limiting are endless. Who knew that a simple taking of a bus or riding a bike to work could have such a large impact on the world around you!