How to Reduce Use of Cars?
“I am sure we all take remedial action, especially when petrol prices increase, but how about if we tried to do a bit more? How about if we shared our experiences of not using a car, even if it was just in a small way? From tiny acorns…” April, 2012
Introduction
A long time ago when I was a child in Scotland in the 1950s, my parents would say on a Sunday morning, “Let’s go for a drive.” I think that we decided on a place to go to, but the thing was we didn’t actually have to go anywhere, it was just a joyride. I wonder if people still do that or if we have changed a bit, realising that car use should be more purposeful. That’s surely a move in the right direction, but I do wonder sometimes if we were to get seriously organised we could really make a huge difference.
Perhaps still now there are some people who so love their cars that they go for joyrides the same as 50 years ago. Maybe they find being in their vehicles more comfortable than being at home; maybe their cars have stereo, air conditioning, ipod connectivity and a built-in telephone, even a drinks holder. I’ll bet they wear driving gloves! That’s all very alluring I’m sure, but it’s an expensive way to have fun and it comes with risks.
Another persuader to do something about the number of vehicles on the roads is to consider that they are America’s biggest air quality compromisers, producing about one-third of all U.S. air pollution. The construction of cars also has a huge effect on our air with the use of materials like steel, rubber, glass, plastics and paints. One bit of good news is today’s average car, including much of the steel frame, can be 75% recycled. Still, the fuel consumption and emissions from vehicles causing air pollution and greenhouse gases is huge, a big cause of climate change. These gases in the earth’s atmosphere keep heat from escaping, thereby warming the planet.
There is no doubt that reducing one’s use of a vehicle helps tremendously in protecting our environment.
Seeing the Light!
I went to Parliament on Tuesday, March 12, 2010 for the handing in of the 392,000-signature petition against our government’s proposed Asset Sales. I was ready to go by car because we live south of Paraparaumu station about 50 kms from Parliament. Considering driving north, finding a carpark, waiting for the train, which may be late, I thought I could be nearly a third of the way to Wellington in that time – that’s how the rationalising goes. In no time I could be in my little four-wheeled box listening to the radio. I also attended another protest in Wellington on April 15 against “dinosaur” motorways.
However, on both of these occasions a light went on and I thought I’m going to make a difference; I’m going to go by train and not make the big solo car trip to Wellington. This will be an antidote, really doing something in response to the disappointment of the Board of Inquiry consenting a motorway to run through our property. In fact, I went further (so to speak), I walked the two kilometres to Paraparaumu station!
Share Your Ideas on Reduced Car Use
I am sure we all take remedial action, especially when petrol prices increase, but how about if we tried to do a bit more? How about if we shared our experiences of not using a car, even if it was just in a small way? From tiny acorns mighty oaks grow! We would all feel that we were really contributing something substantial to reducing using our roads.
It could be simply organising better, waiting until there were several things to do all at once on one trip to the shops or to somewhere, especially if there’s alternative transport to get there. Anyway, the thing is to make a conscious decision to reduce car rides, even just once a week or three times a month. Then to share it so that others can feel they can do the same or feel our collective action is making a meaningful difference, something bigger than just our little personal contribution.
Carless Days
A long time ago in the 1970s when there was a serious oil and petrol shortage, our government told us to nominate a carless day, no use of your car. I chose Thursday, so found myself either walking or cycling to work, maybe about six or seven minutes by bike, so distance no problem for me, except for Wellington’s ugly 400-metre road tunnel to go through. It was a great feeling to be doing something to save the use of car and petrol. I think it lasted for about a year. Maybe it’s a good idea to be revived now in this 2026 increase in petrol prices by 40%.
Decide on a goal or how to reduce vehicle use
Many years later when I have no need to drive so much I’d say I manage to do several things on one drive. It’s not always the case but I try, even though I’m prone to forget something. Actually, I usually give up on it and save it for next time, it being a three-kilometre drive from home to town. It’s simply a case of letting something go, especially if it involves a repeat trip or a bit of a distance.
Further Reading as Food for Thought
Summary of Rowan Atkinson Article on Electric Vehicles
In a fine essay in the Guardian Weekly (June 3, 2023) Rowan Atkinson wrote that he bought his first electric hybrid in 2005 and his first pure electric car nine years ago. He suggested checking the facts on EVs to find out that they’re not the environmental panacea they are claimed to be.
In the UK, the government says it may ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030. The problem with this is it’s based just on exhaust emissions. The truth is more to do with the production of electric vehicles. The greenhouse gas emissions in the manufacturing of them are nearly 70% higher than the manufacture of a petrol car. The reason is the lithium-ion batteries in all EVs. They’re heavy and huge amounts of energy are needed to make them, and they don’t last more than ten years.
The answer lies in developing solid-state batteries, a third of the weight of lithium ones. Also hydrogen is emerging an as interesting alternative fuel. Hydrogen is being researched as a way of powering heavy long-distance trucks. If this succeeds, then with the number of filling stations needed to supply it, it could be a popular and accessible choice for cars.
However, the biggest problem with cars is our “fast fashion” sales culture that’s been around for decades. If we changed the current three years that people keep a new car to say, five years (nearly new cars such as these can last for 30 years nowadays), we would save a lot on car production, CO2 emissions greatly reducing. We should also look at ways of better retaining our old cars in spite of their polluting effect. There should also be less use of them. Further it would be wise to speed up developing synthetic fuel, which is in use in motor racing. The German car company, Porsche is developing a fuel using wind to power a process with main ingredients of water and carbon dioxide. If it was developed for use in all petrol-engine cars, they would be CO2-neutral.
Our use of motor vehicles causes serious environmental problems. We must keep developing hydrogen and synthetic fuels to continue the lives of older cars, as well as keeping using our new vehicles for longer.
So Atkinson advises friends asking him about getting an electric car, simply saying if they now own a fairly old diesel car and they do a lot of city-centre motoring, they should go electric. Otherwise just wait for a better future. The day of electric propulsion has yet to be proved beneficial for the global environment.
I must say that Atkinson’s thoughts above are persuasive and pertinent, certainly making me think twice about my vague plans to buy a hybrid. The car I use at the moment is over ten years old, and I’ve reduced my driving to 30 kilometres a week by only going the few kilometres into town and having several things to do. It would be nice to drive something silent with zero emissions though. By the way, my mother’s maiden name was Atkinson and my cousin Billy’s name is the same. Maybe I could write to Rowan!
Please try to remember to share with others your way(s) of reducing the use of your car.