MetroRiderLA

Image courtesy of Steven Vance via Flickr.  Remixed under Creative Commons.

Rain!

Heavy grocery bags!

Nighttime!

Like a late-night infomercial extolling the horrible alternatives to life without the pitchman’s product, an article published by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) presents these as just a few of the unexpected hardships one might encounter while getting around without a car. The article brings these issues to light just before World Carfree Day, an informal worldwide “celebration of cities and public life, free from the noise, stress and pollution of cars” that takes place on September 22nd.  The free-market think tank admits the event is likely “harmless” but fears that an uninformed populace may be fooled by the disingenuous images that sugar-coat car-free living and may eventually influence policy-makers “to use taxes, fees, zoning restrictions and other regulations to make owning one’s own car more difficult and expensive”.

In a classic reality-check, CEI asks those who may be considering a car-free lifestyle to try living without a car under the following conditions before buying a bike and a TAP card (picture these in black and white with actors struggling way too hard):

• When it’s raining
• When you’re carrying several bags of groceries
• When you’re carrying a baby, with a toddler alongside you
• On crutches
• After midnight
• Without using a car or cab to get to the train or bus station
• Any combination of the above

With so many compelling reasons, how can I not ACT NOW! and order a car in the next 15 minutes?  Check out CEI’s Anti-”World Carfree Day” video from last year for more infomercial caliber nonsense. In the spirit of the free-market, I wonder if there are any solutions to these problems that are low-cost, offer freedom of choice, and let citizens avoid costly tax-payer funded infrastructure projects like our nations autoroads?

An umbrella comes to mind for the rain problem.  Any others we can send to CEI?

Related:

• MetroRiderLA 04/03/2008 – Exposing Socialist Libertarians

Inspired by a comment by Dan W. on the One Year Without A Car post, I present MetroRider readers with this question:

Poll closes March 5, 2008 at 12:00PM.

What is the main reason you have chosen what is clearly an alternative lifestyle in Los Angeles? Sure, there are many reasons that go into the equation, but for me, the main reason I decided to go car-free was the fact that driving (and car ownership) in Los Angeles just sucks! Everything about it was dehumanizing to me: it was stressful, boring, scary, and annoying. Environment and economics are pluses, but they weren’t really a consideration to me when I decided to get rid of my car. What’s your story?

As of today I’ve now lived a full year without a car. Now that might not seem like a big deal to an eleven year old but for some reason Zach Braff 20-somethings all over are blown away; not to mention the 30 and up crowd.

Yep, the last Friday of February exactly one year ago I exchanged a red metal burden for $1900, which I was able to use to pay off one other burden, which was caused by the first burden. Now I’ve still got burdens, we all do, but one of the biggest ones is now in the hands of a 21, 22 now year old (they grow up so fast) in Burbank.

So what comes of a year without an automobile anyway? Have I gone out less? Have I been trapped by the shackles of inaccessibility? Have my girlfriend and friends abandoned me for a new guy that can drive when they need to go to the grocery store four blocks away? Well—No, I can now go out and not ever have to worry about a designated driver. No, I can get anywhere I want/need to go by way of public transit and my feet and every once in a long while, zip-car (grrr). No, my girlfriend is now pretty much car free and I just meet my friends near the deli after they finally finish parking. Simply put, things have only improved. (more…)