We all know cars are bad for the environment.
Even if you wore earmuffs and a blindfold for the past 20 years, you’d probably still know that cars are a major source of pollution, make a lot of noise and just plain stink up the place.
So I won’t go on about those things here.
Instead, I’ll tell you why I gladly sold my car thirteen years ago:
- Ongoing expenses galore
I didn’t have to pay for my car, but boy were there other expenses to be had.Gas, windshield wiper fluid and oil changes. General maintenance. Cleaning. New tires. Toll booths. Parking costs. Parking tickets!
And this was just when everything was running like it was supposed to. Which it frequently didn’t.
- Repair upon repair
By the time I got rid of the car, it felt like I’d had half of its parts replaced. - No parking spots
Endless circling before settling for a free spot 5 blocks away from where I lived. - Getting towed
Check your car every 24 hours or pay half a month’s salary in fines when we tow you to clear away snow or debris. - Insurance
What, you’re a male under 25? You pay double! - Break-ins
Hey look, a car that obviously has nothing of value in it!Let’s break into it and sit in it while we eat our hamburgers and toss the trash on the floor! Or steal a cheap flashlight with no batteries or ONE of those gloves!
Won’t that be hilarious?
Good riddance
When I sold my car, I was so fed up with all of the above that I would’ve been happy to sell it even if it made no difference to the environment.
I now lead a happier life without a car.
I get around by foot, bike or public transport. For most of my daily needs, this gets me where I want faster than the car did. And I stay in better shape.
I don’t have to worry about my car all the time.
And I save tons of money every year.
I wholeheartedly recommend getting rid of your car.
Voice your complaints
If you’re now saying “That’s all very well for him to say, but where I live there isn’t any proper bike lanes or public transportation, so I might as well go on driving my car until that’s magically fixed”, I hope you’ll forgive me when I say:
Boohoo.
Do something about it, then. Write reader’s letters to your local newspaper. Nag your local authorities. Demand better options.
If you don’t make yourself heard, no-one’s going to care or even know that you want alternatives to throwing your money away and sitting around in your car and cursing at rush hour gridlocks.
(This post is my take on Reduce Footprints’ current Change The World Wednesday challenge)
This post was tagged with: bike lanes, cars, expenses, good riddance, oil, parking tickets, pollution, public transport, public transportation