Genevieve Simms
A four-step treatment program for car junkies
Lately words like diabolical and rapacious are being used in the media to describe parking rate increases. How can an issue as innocuous as parking produce such a vehement reaction?
The Calgary Parking Authority recently announced a 25 per cent increase to downtown street-parking rates and up to a 50 per cent increase in areas just outside of downtown. According to the Calgary Parking Authority this extra money will go mainly towards creating thousands of additional parking stalls downtown.
Getting so worked up over increased parking rates and making poor decisions such as increasing the number of city parking stalls is just further evidence that cars are more addictive than heroin. Undoubtedly the time has come for us to enter a four-step car-oholic treatment program.
The first step is denial. People in denial are oblivious to the harmful effects of pollution and global warming. Some even get a kick out of contributing to the problem. On the street where I live there is a Hummer with flame decals on its sides. I’m guessing the owner is unaware how ironic it is that he is literally heating up the Earth. Burn baby burn.
The second step is to acknowledge the harm that our addiction is causing. Most people are at this step. According to Statistics Canada in 2006 77 per cent of commuters in Calgary travelled by car. People in this stage know driving is harmful but keep on trucking. Their attachment to their automobile is so strong that they can’t even imagine life without their beloved car.
The third step is changing your driving behaviour. For most car junkies this is the most difficult step. Despite being disgusted at pollution and global warming I still couldn’t let go. It was only when I realized how much money my car was costing me that I finally did so. The average person driving a small car 12000 kilometres per year spends over $8400 on gas maintenance insurance licence and registration finance charges and depreciation per year while a minivan costs over $11100 per year.
A pet peeve of mine is listening to oil addicts describe their cash-flow problems. You can save over $7400 per year by getting rid of your small car. This adds up over a lifetime. When I mention this and get the blank stare I know I am talking to someone whose car controls them. They still feel powerless.
The key to step three is acceptance. At first I got angry waiting 45 minutes in the freezing cold for the next bus. I got angry thinking about how long public transit took compared to driving. I went cold turkey but I suffered withdrawals for about two years.
In time I began to relax. Though it took a while I was eventually able to shut out all distractions. When I take transit I immerse myself in great books. Before I know it I’m at my destination. When taking a break from reading I even get into some memorable conversations with fellow transit riders. The ride can be long sure but it can be relaxing and even enjoyable.
Many relapse in stage three but don’t give up. Think of loved ones your wallet the Earth and whichever higher power you believe in. Stay strong.
Step four is the final step in which you go from being passive to being assertive and transformational. At this stage people advocate for more efficient and affordable public transit and are actually happy about parking rate increases. According to Dr. Noel Keough assistant professor at the University of Calgary’s department of Environmental Design “parking fee increases and decreases in parking space have been shown to be among the most effective strategies for decreasing the use of the automobile.” He further states that “It has to be accompanied by the carrot — better transit service — or it will be counterproductive and get people angry.”
To reach step four — nirvana — two challenges need to be overcome. One the public bus service needs to be improved to the point where there is peak service for 15 hours a day seven days a week with buses arriving at least every 10 minutes. Two we need to eliminate even the need for parking by creating car-free communities. Keough recommends that the city create a pilot project in Victoria Park East Village or along the river north of Sunalta. Giddy up and contact your city councillor or call 311 even if you are not at step four. We shall overcome.
It is quite evident that to get off this bad trip we’re on we need to enter the four-step treatment program. Otherwise we will end up overdosing like a strung-out heroin junkie. Instead choose more money in your pocket. Choose less stress. Choose clean air. Choose life.
David Wilson is an activist who believes in a more equitable and sustainable Calgary. He works for a community economic development organization.
