Sunday September 22nd - 2:32 p.m.
Nothing of the sort is going on when I get there.
Again, white plastic fencing, marking off a couple of blocks along Augusta, running south from College. Folks stroll about - and they walk their bicycles this time. Lots of people hang on the sidewalks. People hand out literature (and poetry) from folding tables. Kensington's always like this, I think. The flower potting classes being held in the middle of the intersection soothe my skepticism momentarily.
No one here would object or notice if cars disappeared completely, I suspect. So it's a minor feat at best. A nice gesture, but up on College, cars roar along. Down on Dundas, it's busy as usual, even on a Sunday afternoon.
How to make a dent in the automobile? How to stem the tide?
|
In 2000, the Big Three - General Motors, DaimlerChrysler
and Ford - sold a record 17.4 million cars and light trucks in
North America. In 2001, they sold 17.2 million. In 2002, GM, as
one example, increased sales 24 per cent December over December.
It's early still in 2003, with a February sales increase in Canada
of barely one percent all told. Still more than 100,000 new cars
on the road. In the shortest month possible! Arrrrgggghhhhhh!
|
 |
Who's buying all these things? What do they need 'em for? Aren't there enough vehicles already?
Increased car sales may be good news to some, but I think they reflect:
* a careless selfishness among owners and drivers (see SUVs)
* a care-free - not car-free - attitude toward the health of our cities,
our selves, our planet
* a blissful disregard for the real costs of owning the darn thing in
the first place
* a scornful disrespect for alternative ways of getting around
Maybe increased car sales reflect the absolutely suicidal purchase discounts, special deals and zero per cent interest rates auto dealers and manufactures are offering.
But I want car free days, not a free car daze. READ ON