What we lose when cars silence the neigbourhoods
Translated from Esperanto, original article can be found at Esperenta Retradio What we lose when cars silence the neighbourhoods When we criticise cars, the conversation typically focuses on issues of pollution, accidents and the vast amount of space occupied by cars in cities. These are all true and important consequences of car dominated societies, but there is still another problem which is discussed far less often. Cars do not just change the air and the streets, they also change relations between people. The car makes our lives more isolated, more closed off and less human. When we travel on foot or by bicycle, or using public transport we see the world differently. We notice the vendors at the street corners. We meet familiar faces, we muddle through a conversation with a neighbour, we see children playing, dogs walking and people sitting on park benches. Even a short trip can become a small social experience. But, in a private car we sit alone or nearly...
