Hanging up the keys
My car-less weekend
by Rob Power
A funny thing happened to me last week. My girlfriend’s car broke down and she later discovered that the repair job would take 6 days. She relies on her car a lot more than I do (work etc.), so I told her she could borrow mine. Oh, and she lives a two-hour drive from my home. Shock horror. No car for Rob for almost an entire week. Stranded!
I am one of the few people working at Carma who doesn’t normally need to carpool. That’s because I am lucky enough to live a 20 minute walk (or 5 minute cycle) from the office. But what about my weekend? Suddenly I was facing two entire days of isolation from the civilized world. I was about to grow a massive beard and start cataloguing my DVD collection in a dimly-lit room. Or was I?
On Saturdays, I like to do some shopping for the week ahead. Food, shampoo, etc. Boring stuff. Maybe an ironic postmodern t-shirt if I’ve just been paid. This week, instead of driving in to town, shouting at traffic and then finding a parking space (not to mention paying for it), I strolled in. After I’d gotten lunch somewhere, I looked at the sunshine and thought how nice it would be to wash it down with a beer. Then I realised I was allowed one. Take that, world! I then did my boring shopping and strolled back home. Simple. For the record, I know that few people have the option of walking into town, but I’d have been equally happy carpooling or on a bus if I lived further out from town.
“Do you own your car, or does your car own you?”
On Sunday, I found myself bored of being indoors once again. Normally I’d drive somewhere to visit friends, catch a movie or something like that. Then I caught my bike looking at me. After losing yet another staring contest I decided to head out for a quick spin, which somehow turned into a two-hour trek. While on the bike I discovered parts of Cork I had never seen, including some cool restaurants and bars — my mental ‘to do’ list was growing all the time. I arrived home feeling great, and again, not a penny spent on parking or gas. My weekend of incarceration had turned out to be really enjoyable.
There are so many alternatives to driving. Of course, there is carmacarpool.com. But there is also walking, cycling, or public transportation. Losing my car for the week was one of the most liberating experiences I’ve had in quite a while. It felt really strange (in a good way) not having to worry about parking, fuel, or even having a beer. Plus, of course, I must have had my lowest weekend carbon footprint in years.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s really useful owning a car — actually, it can be critical to those who live more remote areas. But as someone who lives in or near a city, I’m starting to see mine as useful instead of essential. All thanks to my car-less weekend. So, I’ll leave you with one question: do you own your car, or does your car own you?
