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September 22, 2004
A Day Without Cars
Today is Car Free Day across the globe. It reminded me of a few years back when I was living in Barcelona. In order to save some cash a friend had lent me his bike so that I could make the trip back and forth to school in the center of the city from the outskirts where we lived. After a few months of biking, my roommate told me that in a few days they were going to be having a Car Free Day (it was in the spring so I belive they might have changed the date). Major roads were to be shutdown to traffic, only accessible if you were walking or biking. He wasn't too happy about the holiday as it meant he would need to take the metro to work since the streets that were open would be gridlocked with traffic.
I was excited though. The thought of cruising right down the middle of streets like Gran Via without having to avoid traffic sounded like a dream come true. When Car Free Day finally arrived I started out down the street and laughed to myself as I saw larger than usual crowd heading towards the metro. I took a little joy in the fact that I would be enjoying a traffic free ride to work while almost everyone else would be jam-packed in the metro or buses. It was right about then that my back tire blew out. I had to put my bike on my shoulder, run it back up to the apartment, and then jump on the metro with everyone else. It was crowded, hot, and the lines took forever. To top it all as I exited at my station and started walking towards the university a guy on a bike cruised by right in the middle of a road closed to traffic. It was the first and last time my bike broke down in Barcelona.
Taking the overly crowded metro that day made one thing clear: there is a reason people drive cars. As the Competitive Enterprise Institute points out:
"Since so many anti-car activists are young and healthy, it’s no surprise they forget what a car-free world would actually be like,” said Sam Kazman, General Counsel at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. “For many people, a car isn’t a luxury – it’s the only way to get to work, transport their kids, or pick up groceries.”
Ultimately, I would have enjoyed biking into the city that day if my bike wouldn't have broken down. But for those who are too old, have kids, or have too much to transport to walk or bike the day seems counterproductive. While the purpose is to forcibly show everyone how easy it is not to drive, making everyone use the public transportation on one day more than likely leaves them thinking: "I'm glad this only happens once a year..."
Hat Tip: WSJ
Posted by Peter Mork at September 22, 2004 5:58 PM
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