Author Topic: Cities without cars  (Read 2991 times)

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Offline Sal Atticum

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Cities without cars
« on: May 13, 2009, 08:26:14 AM »
I'm easy to convince.  If I had to live in a town the size of Grand Forks for the rest of my life (which really isn't that bad of a size, and thankfully isn't a suburb of some vast city), I think this would be an awesome solution for each neighborhood.  I think it can happen, but I like to dream.  What do you think?

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VAUBAN, Germany — Residents of this upscale community are suburban pioneers, going where few soccer moms or commuting executives have ever gone before: they have given up their cars.

Street parking, driveways and home garages are generally forbidden in this experimental new district on the outskirts of Freiburg, near the French and Swiss borders. Vauban’s streets are completely “car-free” — except the main thoroughfare, where the tram to downtown Freiburg runs, and a few streets on one edge of the community. Car ownership is allowed, but there are only two places to park — large garages at the edge of the development, where a car owner buys a space, for $40,000, along with a home.

As a result, 70 percent of Vauban’s families do not own cars, and 57 percent sold a car to move here. “When I had a car I was always tense. I’m much happier this way,” said Heidrun Walter, a media trainer and mother of two, as she walked verdant streets where the swish of bicycles and the chatter of wandering children drown out the occasional distant motor.
Continued at the New York Times.

One of the comments made me happy too:
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I live in Toronto, Canada, and use my bike to get everywhere I need to go. I have not owned a car for over 20 years and find myself in a car about three times a year on average. During the winter I walk 25 minutes to work or take the subway/busses on extreme weather days (about 3-4 times a year only). My bike ride to work and home again is a very enjoyable part of my working day.

Every single time I am on my bike, I am held up by car traffic, and every time I ride anywhere, I have close calls with cars - being cut off, pushed into a rough gutter, being passed too fast and too close, people in parked cars suddenly opening their doors. And I am constantly being held up by traffic. I have to slow down or stop because cars are simply in the way. If I slow down a car, I get honked at, or yelled at.

I would LOVE to live in a car-free town. The reduction of pollution, noise, stress, danger is welcome. The increase in peace, safety, calm, fun, joy and health is also welcome. Let's face it: all this is good for your heart.

People found a way to survive well enough on this planet without cars for thousands of years. Cars have been a recent experiment which many are starting to realize simply didn't work.

Being addicted to the car is simply that: an addiction. Once you are free of the car addiction: you look back at the old you, shake your head, and say to yourself, "wow, I can't believe I lived like that for so long."

Cycling is SO much fun: especially when there are no cars on the roads.
Can you imagine that freedom?
Bikes can move so fast on an open road.
Ditch the cars once and for all.
Get on your bike.

— Heartbiker, Toronto
« Last Edit: May 13, 2009, 08:34:24 AM by Sal Atticum »
JUST EXTRA POLISH. I DO SOME WORK WITH EXCELL SO I KEEP THE CAPS LOCK ON :-P

 

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realistic