When you have a car, you want to drive fast and comfortably. Which makes sense. But what if other options are not only faster but also safer ánd are less bad for the planet?
Until some 100 years ago, people in the US lived in walkable cities. Until their shops, small streets, buses and trams, squares and even buildings made way for the oil industry's biggest supporter: the car.The automobile industry ran a highly succesful PR-campaign: pedestrians were ridiculed and the term 'jay walking' was invented. 'Jay' at the time meaning 'stupid, barbaric, nitwit who doesn't belong in the city' and you only meant something if you had a car. Walking and cycling was for cowards
Something similar was happening in the Netherlands. But the people succesfully protested. Resulting in far less traffic deaths than the US suffered.
Annually some 40,000 people a year get killed in US traffic. That's almost twice as much as in all the EU countries combined. Even when you look at the numbers per capita. Here are some explanations:
In the USA the people were pushed out into suburbia and practically forced to drive a car. Often two or three per family. Because a ten minute walk or bike ride to the grocery store or a bakery was replaced by a half an hour drive to Walmart or Costco.
In about 47 years from today (August 6th 2026, Gregorian Calender) the last of the oil wars will have been fought and the last drop of the stuff will have been violently squeezed out of the planet.
Will future people take back the streets of US cities or will they still be the domain of the car?
Would you rather walk ten minutes to a grocery store or drive for half an hour to a Walmart?
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