Where For Art Thou, Thrill of the Road?
More and more frequently these days you hear, or read, the complaints of people concerning the abysmal amount of time they spend stuck in all that motorized traffic clogging the (ironically named) freeways and streets of Southern California. Less frequently do you read about someone who concludes enough is enough, and decides to do something about it - make a life change. Check out the story in the Los Angeles Times today by Rick Rojas, "A Daily Ordeal on the 405 Kills the Thrill of the Road."
I read it with a glimmer of hope, that here was another person, finally come to realize that private automobiles are not the answer to our transportation needs in our crowded urban settings. Unfortunately, it degenerated into a tale of woe and deprivation, the author almost, but not quite, getting to the bigger picture. On the one hand there is the realization that the author is spending far too much time stuck in traffic. His response is admirable, one that too few consider, he moves closer to work - 2.2. miles from work to be exact. Now, someone like you or myself would see this opportunity to ditch the car on a daily basis; I mean 2.2 miles takes how many handfuls of minutes to ride? And I am not talking about time trial mode either. Just a leisurely turn of the pedals. Five to ten minutes, including time for lolligagging.
But then maybe I am being too harsh. Maybe, like an alcoholic, the first step in finding a solution is to realize there is a problem. Far too many people simply accept that mind-numbing commutes are part and parcel of life in the city, and do nothing to seek a solution. A large part of the problem is that advertisers have created this image that driving is, in fact, a thrill, as the title of the Times story suggests, rather than another item on the list of daily chores. I mean who would buy into the image otherwise?
Good reads in the Times have become less frequent, but I would put this one in that category. Much of it mirrors my own life, and I am sure the vast majority of people in the US over the past three-quarters of a century. The anticipation of finally getting your drivers license, and then the slow realization that it is just not all it is cracked up to be. They say there is a change in the air, that younger people, in increasing numbers, are putting off the drivers license / car purchase. My own son, who is far too quickly approaching that age, insists he is not interested. How much of that is for my benefit, only time will tell. Hopefully he will continue to realize that the waste is not worth it.
But then maybe I am being too harsh. Maybe, like an alcoholic, the first step in finding a solution is to realize there is a problem. Far too many people simply accept that mind-numbing commutes are part and parcel of life in the city, and do nothing to seek a solution. A large part of the problem is that advertisers have created this image that driving is, in fact, a thrill, as the title of the Times story suggests, rather than another item on the list of daily chores. I mean who would buy into the image otherwise?
Good reads in the Times have become less frequent, but I would put this one in that category. Much of it mirrors my own life, and I am sure the vast majority of people in the US over the past three-quarters of a century. The anticipation of finally getting your drivers license, and then the slow realization that it is just not all it is cracked up to be. They say there is a change in the air, that younger people, in increasing numbers, are putting off the drivers license / car purchase. My own son, who is far too quickly approaching that age, insists he is not interested. How much of that is for my benefit, only time will tell. Hopefully he will continue to realize that the waste is not worth it.
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