"When I had a car, I was always tense," Heidrun Walter said in the article, 'In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars', in the New York Times, "I'm much happier this way." In Vauban, Germany, people do not use cars. They find other means of transportation, such as biking and walking. In Bogota, the construction of bicycle paths has made 118 miles of passages for residents. According to David Goldberg, "All our development since World War II has been centered around the car." While that is not entirely true, it does have a good point. We should move on from the all-powerful box with wheels.

One major reason for not using cars is pollution. As most of us know, pollution is bad for the environment, and for most life on Earth. Unfortunately, our use of cars and power plants is generating pollution faster then plants can take it out of the atmosphere. "Transportation is the second largest source of America's emissions", Elisabeth Rosenthal said. In the article, "Paris bans driving due to smog", 60% of drivers in Paris stopped after five days of intensifying smog. That means that the smog was dense enough to where it was dangerous for drivers to go anywhere.

The article "Car-free day is spinning into a big hit in Bogota" mentions that: "The turnout [for car-free day] was large, despite gray clouds that dumped occasional rain showers on Bogota." Why would people continue to participate in car-free day if they hated it so much? Despite the fine of $25, it really isn't a big deal. One of the participants, Carlos Arturo Plaza, said, "It's a good oppurtunity to take away stress and lower air pollution."

Now, how can you simply stop driving? You need to get to your job! Nobody is telling you to move to Vauban. However, biking or walking to the park could help. You don't need a car to go to your neighbor's house. They're right next door. Of course, not using cars is not going to stop the pollution from power plants, but it will certainly slow down how fast it is going into the atmosphere.

We simply can't allow pollution to go where it is going. If we all stop relying on cars to get us to places, we will have enough time to think of an easier solution. Bill Ford laid out a business plan for a world in which personal vehicle ownership is impractical or undesirable. There is a chance that being car-free won't be as bad as everyone thinks. It might even be enjoyable. There is also a chance that it will despised. We'll only know if we try it, now won't we?