Taking a look at America's car obsession and how you can help.
How many times a day do you use a car?
Perhaps you drive to school, to the grocery store, or to scouts. I’m sure we’re all too familiar with the image of a backed up freeway, the end nowhere in sight. Cars have become the norm for us.
It’s easy to let it slip to the back of your mind, but there’s no doubt that cars have become the foundation of American society.
But, does it have to be that way? Transportation is Fremont’s greatest source of greenhouse gases, contributing to 60% of community emissions. And while the simple answer to issue of clean transportation would just to be to switch to public transportation, I wish it were that simple.
In Fremont, and the greater San Francisco Bay Area, the suburbs are built around the idea of cars as the primary mode of transportation. Although there are of course public transportation options available, they’re rarely used by the majority of citizens. And it’s not hard to see why.
For example, let’s say I want to go to my local Trader Joe’s for a quick grocery trip. According to Google Maps, it’s an easy 11 minute drive. Convenient, right? But if I were to take the bus, I would have to walk and take multiple buses, resulting in a whopping 52 minute commute. One way.
I want you to think back to that question of how much you travel via cars. Now I want you to think about this: do you really need a car for all of those things?
True, it probably wouldn’t be the best option to walk 15 miles to your math classes every week, but I promise you that you can eliminate at least one car trip in your life. And the solution to this can be different for everyone. Maybe this means you can take those math classes online instead, or that you can take the bus to school instead of driving (it’s not that bad, I promise), or biking to your favorite boba shop instead of dragging your parent to drive you every weekend.
Remember that even the smallest of changes help. Carpooling with your friend to scouts, or finding a grocery store that has a shorter commute–all of those things add up.
And even if it’s not possible for you to eliminate cars even a little out of your life, try public transportation. Plan a bike ride to the library, take the bus to go to a movie, or BART to go to a museum. One of the biggest factors behind the lack of public transportation usage, especially in suburbs, is the mindset surrounding public transportation. So, dear reader, I leave you with a challenge. Use public transportation. And no, carpooling doesn’t count. It’s scary at first–biking, taking the train or bus, instead of being safe or comfortable inside your car. But over time, I promise that you’ll come to realize how much cheaper, cleaner, and more fun it is when you don’t drive.
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