For years, the United States has been mass producing and using cars. It may sound surprising, but America has already reached its peak when it comes to buying cars (source 4). More and more people around the globe have begun to realize the benefits of using alternative means of transportation. Places such as Vauban, Bogata, Paris, and even New York have implemented programs to encourage the limitted use of cars. The idea of giving up such a comfort may sound tragic at first, but reducing car usage has many advantages.

We use cars everyday for pretty basic purposes. To get to work or school or to run errands are just a few examples. Now, imagine what would happen if a car were not available to you. It probably would not be the end of the world. You could catch a bus or ask for a ride from somebody. If you really needed to, you could even ride your bike or walk to wherever you needed to go. People in the past tended to fear using alternative transport, for varying reasons. Maybe friends or family are not willing to give rides. Maybe the sheer thought of walking a mile may seem terrifying or ridiculous. The most common reason is probably that having a car is just too convienant, it seems that there is no need for any other way of transportation! But life can and should be adjusted to fit into these sources of transport. In Vauban, Germany, for example, residents have given up their cars in favor of a life without them (source 1). I just proves that contrary to popular belief, cars are actually not a neccesity!

Citizens in Vauban, Germany walk or ride bicycles when they need to go someplace (source 1). It's almost needless to say this, but they have a much healthier lifestyle than most car-owners in the United States! They are not afraid of walking or riding a bike a bit to get where they need to. Not only are these people in better physical shape, but one mother, Heidrum Walter, tells us that when she had a car, she was always tense, but now that she has given it up, she seems happier (source 1). Carlos Arturo Plaza, in Bogata, Columbia, says that using his bike on their annual no-car day reduces his stress levels. There is a direct corrolation between physical activity and mental well-being. The more activity, the better you feel. By limitting car usage, we are also encouraging the physical exercise that comes in place of it, making us a happier, healthier community.

Maybe the most important reason to reduce car usage is to protect our enviroment. By obtaining and burning fossil fuels, we are both running out of this resource and posing the threat of spills and air pollution to our environment. The gasoline we use to fill our cars certainly won't last forever. It won't even last for much longer at the rate we are burning it at. Also, spills can be devasting to the ecosystem it impacts, as we have seen in the past, for example the BP oil spill. Perhaps the biggest disadvantage to the gasoline we use to fill our cars is the air pollution it leaves behind. Transportation is the second leading source of emissions in the US, behind power plants (source 4). Also, in Paris, the smog from automobiles got to be so bad that they set laws to ban cars on certain days (source 2). Just by reducing car usage for a few days, the smog cleared tremendously. It wouldn't be hard at all for each individual in this community to cut back on the amount of time they spend driving in their cars, if for no other reason than to keep our Earth clean.

Over the years, we Americans have grown accustomed to relying on cars for our every need, but we can't do that anymore. As a community, we need to open our eyes and see the changes happening around us. Cars are not a neccesity. We don't even need to completely get rid of them, but it is neccesary for us to cut back, for the sake of our health and our environment. It may take some getting used to, but I promise, it is more than possible. In the words of Bill Ford, we can soon move forward to a world where "pedestrian, bicycle, private cars, commercial and public transportation traffic are woven into a connected network to save time, conserve resources, lower emissions, and improve saftey." (source 4).