I Hate Cars

I live in Los Angeles, home of the automobile. This is one of the reasons I hate Los Angeles. When I lived in San Francisco, I did not own a car. But upon moving here, I had to purchase one because there is no other way to get around practically (I tried taking the bus--there is no subway anywhere close to where I live--but it takes literally hours to get anywhere). Now I am one of the evil masses destroying our surroundings. This is another reason I hate LA.

Cars contribute to the destruction of the planet, as we all know. But since everything else in modern life does too (plastic bags from the grocery store, air conditioning, all consumption basically), this is not the real reason I hate them.

In order to use cars, the entire human environment must be designed to accomodate them. Thus, strip malls, multiple lane highways and lots and lots of concrete arrive. The urban landscape of Los Angeles is the result. Not coincidentally, all the attractive cities of the world were constructed before the car was common. The utter ugliness of a car-designed city discourages its inhabitants from walking in it (often impossible to do anyway, since you cannot cross multiple lane highways on foot) and as a result, they do not leave their homes except to go to specific destinations. Public space is thus eroded.

Moreover, since the city must accomodate millions of people plus hundreds of thousands of cars, it becomes much more crowded. Traffic would exist in a city navigated by foot too, but since cars are much bulkier, yet can travel on fewer routes, traffic in a car-dominated city is much worse. As a resident of Los Angeles, I spend a lot of time stuck in traffic, even if I just want to go to the grocery store (since I must drive there): there is traffic all day long (the only time I haven't seen traffic is late at night, like after 10 pm). Parking is another problem, since once you reach your destination, there must be space there not only for the people but for all their cars: naturally, there rarely is. So parking is rationed by its expense (it can easily be $20 to park) or by time (you might spend 30 minutes looking for somewhere to put the car). Thus, going anywhere is a huge endeavor. Even though Los Angeles has a lot of diverse neighbors, it's pretty rare for people to visit other parts of the city, because it's too much effort. You are effectively marooned within a small radius. This further erodes public spirit and isolates people.

Cars also isolate because not everyone can drive them. In a car-centered city, this means that the young are completely dependent on their parents to go anywhere, as if you had to carry your child around like an infant until they were 16. As people age, and lose the ability to drive, they become completely isolated and dependent as well (or drive around causing accidents). Those who can't drive as a result of disability also have no way to get around, and are forced to be even more housebound and severed from society. Public transportation or walking puts everyone on a more even level. Additionally, to own a car is really expensive. I own a used car, which I bought outright, and thus have no car payments. Even so, I spend thousands a year on my car, for maintainence, gas, insurance, etc. When I lived in San Francisco, I spent $50/month on transportation. So the poor are also isolated, and may not be able to work as they have no way to get there reliably.

So cars 1. pollute 2. make the environment ugly 3. ruin public spirit and public life in general and 4. isolate people from one another, particularly if they are already vulnerable. With cars, you have less free time (stuck in traffic), less exercise (you are driving, not moving your body), less money (spending it on the car), and less exposure to new experiences, the natural world, or your fellow human beings. A lot of our current problems in the US are probably due to our reliance on cars.