h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's early Friday morning, and as I sit at my desk, looking out the window at the ‘quiet' suburban neighbourhood of Dickson, the road past my window is as clogged as any major Asian urban thoroughfare. The traffic will quiet down in a little while, I don't doubt, but there are still far too many cars on the road, polluting, colliding, making noise and stinking. Most of the cars that there are outside my window have fewer than two people in them, which is, fundamentally, a waste of resources.

Being a cyclist, and never having had a driver's licence myself, I am suspicious (at best) of drivers anyway. I tend to find that a lot of what they claim to be able to use their vehicles for, I do anyway, with just as little trouble and with far fewer personal and environmental consequences. I find car drivers incredibly selfish road users, far more willing to take something they want than acknowledge another's right of way. When they hit things with cars or motorcycles, as they all too often do, they damage them - possibly irreparably, which is not much good if what they hit, as is often the case, is people.

I do not claim that cars should not be used, nor that there is no place for them on city streets - all I ask is that the consequences of car use be sheeted home to the users.

Okay, I see you're point. However, I was looking at a map of you area just now and it seems to me that everything is within a concentrated area.

When I was working at Hard Rock Cafe, I live 42 miles from work. A car is necessary in instances like that. St. Louis and its Urban Sprawl, what're ya gonna do? I must admit, I drive to the gas station that's 4 blocks away. I would be more than happy to walk except for the fact that I live in the ghetto and would get shot (there were two drive-by shootings outside my apartment in the last week). So, yes, I do that for my own safety. I would actually prefer to walk or cycle wherever I go. It's just not possible in this area.

I'm glad to see that someone actually cares about the environment enough to make their feelings known. Kudos!!!