Riley and Sarah

I have been fortunate enough to have owned a car since I was 16 years old. It all started with an ’87 Acura Integra before moving up to an ’89 Honda Accord. The most recent car we drove was a ’96 Hyundai Accent, which we sold before leaving for Europe. Since I’ve basically owned a car as long as I’ve had a drivers licence, being truly ‘car-less’ is a new reality for me.

Yet, over the last couple of years Sarah and I have become more and more uneasy about car ownership, despite the fact that we owned a car. We’ve tried to do what we could to avoid using our car and this took on different forms; cycling year round, using public transportation, and living close enough to work that we could walk almost everyday.

The reasons for our uneasiness range from soaring fuel costs and the general cost of maintenance and repair to environmental concerns and our society’s increasing dependency on vehicles.

Sometimes I wonder if the idea that we must have our own vehicle has been so deeply engrained in our minds that we don’t stop to think about the alternatives. But then again, why would ‘they’ want us to stop and question this idea and ponder the alternatives?

Here’s what I mean: while I think that there are benefits to car ownership, with the number one benefit being convenience, I wonder who benefits the most. Could it be the manufacturers who build the vehicles? Could it be the dealerships who sell the vehicles? Could it be the insurance companies who protect the drivers and vehicles? Could it be the mechanics that maintain and fix the vehicles? Could it be the oil companies that keep our tanks full? Or could it be us, the consumers, who have to continually pay for each of the above services, while the value of our ‘investment’ continually decreases?

I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that the price of this convenience is too high and I want to hear more about the alternatives.

The context that I am most familiar with is Manitoba (where the alternatives tend to stink), but since we began traveling my perspective has been broadening.

Here are a few consistent things I’ve noticed as we’ve traveled through the U.K., Ireland, and France:

Extensive bike lanes and paths

 Community bike rentals

Excellent city bus routes and metro systems 

Regular and affordable intercity travel by coach and train

This isn’t to say owning a vehicle is unheard of, but I have seen some excellent alternatives being offered and many people actually using them!

Here’s the catch: in much of North America, we have gone so far in one direction that I don’t think it can be just be a small minority of people pushing for and utilizing alternative modes of transportation. Not to mention that vehicle ownership has become a huge multi-faceted industry that pushes for each of us to own a vehicle.

Instead of each person or household owning a vehicle would it not make more sense to use our resources to further explore alternatives? I know it can be hard to let go of this highly priced convenience, but if the minority can become the majority perhaps one day we will have viable alternatives that rival vehicle ownership in convenience, while lowering the cost of getting from point A to point B.

Don’t forget, there are alternatives.