There’s no debating that we live in a culture that puts a lot of focus on automotive transportation. Most local governments spend more money on building and maintaining roads than they do on public transportation systems or making roads bike-friendly. And why not? The automotive industry involves billions of dollars in production and advertising, all to market a lifestyle to you that is becoming decreasingly cost- and time-efficient.
A lot of people are spending and making a great deal of money to sell you something that, because it’s so culturally and conveniently engrained in our minds, we think we have no option but to need. The truth is, there are lots of options to driving a car. And endless benefits to life without one.
Green Friendly Good Time
Simple put: cars are mean to the environment. And we no longer have the sweet luxury of naiveté about the ecological consequences of automobiles that generations before us enjoyed. The information is there and we are beyond the point of ignoring it. Many people are choosing to make the switch to more fuel-efficient vehicles, which is obviously a step in the right direction. Ditching the wheels entirely is the best way to minimize your eco-footprint in this area.
Built-in exercise
When you get rid of your automobile, your alternative modes of transportation are a bit more physical. Walking or biking are obviously great ways to get in shape. When the way you get around town comes with inherent physical benefits, you get the dream team of being productive and working out at the same time.
Join the fight
The more people who put down the car keys and start looking to alternate ways of traveling, such as public transportation or biking, the more local governments will be inclined to start focusing on the needs of those groups. A surprising number of cities have shockingly sub-par public transit programs and few or no bike lanes. If an increasing percentage of those populations start demanding greater attention be paid to these city essentials, it could reverse the transit trends all over.
Save Money
Okay, let’s say you don’t care about the planet and you already have a hot little biker booty without trading four wheels for two and local politics don’t interest you at all. Unloading your car is going to save you a ton of money and that’s something everyone can get onboard with. Imagine; no paying for gas, no car repairs, no taxes, no tolls, no traffic (which I know has nothing to do with money, but it does save time, which is another commodity we can’t seem to get enough of)…who wouldn’t be in favor of doing away with those pocket-draining nuisances?
