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REMOND: Better quality of life means reducing car dependency

Column: Unironically Utopian

Car dependency adds to the stress of everyday life.  – Photo by Alexander Popov / Unsplash

It was August 2021, and I had just gotten my license. I was really happy as I was finally getting that important thing out of the way. My first in-person term at Rutgers was coming (after a not-that-enjoyable online year), and I was relieved that I would have a reliable and fast method of transportation for my future daily commute. Now, I was not going to depend on my dad to go anywhere. Now, I was going to be free!

It was all a dream come true, right? Unlike some unfortunate friends, my daily commute is not that long, being between 24 to 30 minutes (one way). It is lower than the average New Jerseyan commute — which was 31.7 minutes the last time I checked.

But for my dad, who drives to the city every day for his job from our suburban house in Woodbridge Township, it takes him way more than my half-hour commute (traffic is terrible).

Let’s do a little math. If you drive one way, 1 hour to work every day, and you work a normal nine-to-five job from Monday to Friday, then you will lose 2 hours from your life every day: 10 hours every week, 40 hours in a month and 480 hours — approximately 20 days — to driving per year! That is enough time to binge-watch several TV shows and go to the gym a few times per week.

Of course, losing time in your day is one of those things you can't really avoid. There is, however, a lot of time lost primarily due to driving. That time could be used for something more enjoyable than being stuck in traffic. So, then, what is the alternative? Using public transportation or any other method that is not driving? It is even worse, some people would say.

And to those people, I say you are right. Of course, it is worse! How could it not be if our nation's infrastructure was created specifically for the private car?

Just like me, many Americans live in suburbs, which have the same characteristics: a lot of sprawl, only single-family residential buildings around and, hence, car-focused. Do you want to go walking somewhere? That is too bad — some places do not have any sidewalks. Still want to walk anyway? Well, the closest supermarket is 30 to 40 minutes away. Want to ride a bike? Pray for a bike lane that is not being invaded by cars all the time (or even just a bike lane at all). Want to do anything else? Good luck.

Needless to say, it is not illegal to walk or ride a bike. But, realistically, unless you have a car, you are basically trapped in your suburban home. Due to the nature of the suburbs, it is difficult to ensure public transportation is efficient.

Because of how spread out suburbs are, they conflict directly with the nature of public transit: Higher population densities favor public transportation as more people in a certain area means more probable users and a higher selection of destinations in a smaller area. Really, how attractive can a bus stop be if it is only a sign, with a small sidewalk in the middle of a strip mall, that is not even accessible by foot? Or how attractive can public transit be if it always leaves me 2 miles away from my destination?

Now, do not get me wrong: I do not think cars are bad. I actually think they can be really fun, and there is no debate that we need them, even if only sometimes.

The root issue here is the dependency on cars in America. The issue is how a certain way of life is imposed on all Americans without any other choice. If you want to do literally anything outside your house, you need a car.

After I realized this, it made me rethink how I felt at the beginning when I got my license. I was not wrong — I did become more independent when I got my license. But that was only because of my car. Having a car was and still is the only option to live your life if you do not have easy access to reliable public transit. There is no other way. Now I ask: Is this really freedom?


Marcelo Remond is a junior in the School of Engineering majoring in civil engineering and minoring in urban planning and design. His column, "Unironically Utopian," runs on alternate Thursdays.


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