Traffic Life : Passionate Tales and Exit Strategies
Edited by Stephan Wehner
An Anthology
 
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236 The Autoholics Anonymous Car-Free Pledge 11. We sought through spontaneous and convivial inter- action to improve our contact with Neighbours and Community Members, reclaiming where possible the public space lost to the rush of traffic. 12. Having had a personal awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other auto- holics, and to practice these principles in all our af- fairs. None of this is to suggest that responsibility for our cur- rent mess-noise and pollution, death and injury, auto- blight and urban sprawl-rests chiefly on the shoulders of the individual driver. On the contrary, the existence of a powerful and self-serving transportation industry has a lot to do with why alternatives have lagged so far behind. This isn't another conspiracy theory, it's simply a reason why the car has become in many cases the most convenient and practical option-as opposed to traditional car-free cities like Venice, Italy, where we obviously wouldn't need this program. Just as in former Communist countries people were not hypocrites for opposing the regime while relying upon it to put food on the table, there is no contradiction in reluc- tantly using the car when and where it has genuinely be- come the only viable option. A regime is a system imposed from above-one does not always have the luxury of non- participation. Still, one's opposition to the regime is crucial, as acceptance precludes action, and even desire for change. So the entry point for Autoholics Anonymous is a desire to take an individual stand, no matter how small and in- complete, against auto tyranny and above all, for a happy, healthy, independent life. But let's relax and take our time with this. There's no point in taking on a huge project and finding it so overwhelming that we quickly back out and forget about it. Better to break this down into realistic, manageable yet reasonably challenging steps. Let's forget about guilt, blame or notions of purity. Let's just go at our own pace and not focus too much on success or failure. We won't always live up to our goals, but that's to be expected
  
Carbusters 237 and it's no reason to stop trying. So let's enjoy the positive benefits and have fun with it! So, take the Car-Free Pledge yourself, see how you do in the two-week program. If you can manage a car-free week once, you might do it again. And again. And if you've already gone thought the detox process, why not hold sem- inars or workshops, helping others to overcome their prob- lems? Pass around the pledges to addicts among friends and family. The Car-Free Pledge Congratulations on making this attempt to break your car dependency. Thanks for taking part. This is intended to provide motivation and pointers to help you plan for the two weeks and succeed. You'll find day-by-day tips, suggesting ideas and steps you can take to make the most out of car-freedom, and should your will falter, you can work out how much money is going up in fumes by using the Count Up Your Car Costs form. Hope- fully, you'll be mentally prepared, having read the 12-step Autoholics Anonymous program. The golden rule: Plan ahead! Cars, mobile phones, emails everything conditions us to an instant lifestyle, everything on demand and at high speed. So let's slow down a bit and think ahead. Before you begin your period of abstinence, decide which combination of transport modes is going to re- place your car. The bicycle, public transport, longer walks, taxis and car sharing might all play their part in getting us around. And another question we should be asking our- selves is: do we need to go on that trip at all? Can we cut down on the number of trips we do perhaps by using local shops and facilities, or by doing many tasks in one trip? Another golden rule to remember: there are always al- ternatives to car-dependency.

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