A life without cars

In the Facebook page of I saw several pictures of Angeles City and Mabalacat in the 70’s and 80’s. Quite noticeable are the near-empty streets, except for a few passenger jeepneys and buses. Traffic congestion was unheard of during those days. Those were the years when the air was cleaner, and travel time was short and pr edi ct abl e.

Today, traffic congestion is the norm. New roads were built and the old ones expanded but they can’t seem to cope up with the increase in the volume of vehicles. Look at EDSA, it becomes a big parking area during rush hours. There are simply too many cars on the road and there is no quick solution in sight.

In today’s past-faced living, motorized transport is a necessity. Can we live normal lives without cars? What would life be without cars? Interestingly, I just found out that there is a place in the modern world where there are no cars. And people there are not complaining. In fact, they love it.

Mackinac Island, located just offshore of mainland Michigan in the United States, is a carless place. Cars have been banned since 1898. According to history books, when the noisy automobiles first began to arrive along the island’s once-quiet roadways, startling horses and spitting out smoke, the residents agreed that this new invention was not for them. So on July 6, 1898, the Mackinac village council passed a resolution banning automobiles. To this day, the legislation has not been repealed.

Since there are no cars, transportation on Mackinac is limited to walking, horse-drawn carriages, and bicycling. Roller skates and roller blades are also allowed except in the downtown area. There are a few emergency vehicles though. Mackinac is home to the only carless highway in the U.S., the M-185. There are no parking lots or gasoline stations along the road. There is no need for these facilit i es.

And the benefits of being car-less? The air is cleaner and injuries from accidents are fewer. Island residents are healthier due to the exercise they get from walking and bicycling. And since they don’t spend for gas, car insurance and maintenance, they also save money.

The situation in Mackinac is ideal, but what about big cities? Can they be car-less? They can be, at least for a day or two. The polluted City of Paris imlemented a “day without cars”. The move led to a dramatic drop in both air and noise pollution. Measurements revealed that levels of nitrogen dioxide dropped by up to 40% in parts of the city. Sound levels dropped by half in the city centre.

Aside from banning cars, some cities implemented regulations to limit the number of vehicles on the road. London for instance has a congestion charge. If you wish to enter the city proper, you must pay this fee. Some built bicycle lanes. In Metro Manila there is the color coding and odd-even scheme.

One of the solutions to limiting vehicles on the road is an efficient mass transport system. I’ve seen Hong Kong and London’s subway system. They are so efficient that their citizens ride them instead of driving their cars.