Walk Not

It's been almost ten years now since I lived in the suburbs. And a lot has changed since then.

Upon visiting my old homestead, I realized that I actually lived quite close to a lot of amenities. My modest, but nicely maintained, street ran parallel to a major traffic artery. There was a Tim Hortons at one end of the street. (Back then I was a TH fiend - now, not so much...but that's a whole other story). My favourite grocery store was a mere 5 minute walk from my front step. Being an East Coaster originally, I used to frequent the Fish & Chips joint at the other end of the street - about 30 seconds away. Being employed as a freelancer, I had a couple of places nearby where I worked, both about one major street from my house.

But here's the weird part, I never walked. I never walked anywhere. Not even to the Fish & Chips spot at the corner. Not to the Tim Hortons at the other end. My places of employment would have taken 10 minutes by bike but I always drove. And I had a bike. In fact, I still use the same bike I brought 20 years ago when I lived in Toronto.

It wasn't as though I was uneducated in the ways of environmental care. I used to take copious amounts of time to sort my recyclables. I refused to buy tin foil and saran wrap. I kept my heat low in the winter and always turned off the lights. (I think the turning of the lights thing was programmed in at a young age by my mother, along with walking on the outer edge of the sidewalk "when you're with a lady.")

However, looking back, I think my aversion to walking was not an aversion at all. It just never occurred to me. Everybody had a car and everybody drove. There was no expectation that I would do anything else. And there were no visual cues either like people walking or ample sidewalks to walk on. Perhaps it was the wide roads of rushing traffic that suggested a simple walk to get groceries would not be a pleasant thing to do.

These days, taking the car is always my last option. If I can walk there, I do. If it's too far to walk, I bike or take public transit. In fact, I have actually biked to the vary same "work" building I used to live close to. It's now about a 45 minute bike ride but I've opted for that over public transit since that takes about an hour and a half.

I'm not saying that I am the new poster boy for the anti-auto lobby, I still use my car when life is going so fast that I don't have 2 hours to take a bus to and from my destination. When I transport my kids to and fro, public transition often proves to not be a feasible option. (Do I sense a future blog posting?)

But the difference between "me-10 years ago" and "me-now" is that I don't look to my car as a magical transporter that will take me everywhere I want to go. I live in a neighourhood where it's enjoyable to take a stroll down the street and get a great cappuccino at a Portuguese bakery, shop at the nearby farmer's market or work on my laptop at an organic cafe. And the neat thing is that I actually see people I know when I use my feet. The $27 I paid for my portable cart is one of the best purchases I've made and it makes it possible to shop and walk home.

I'm not saying the my former suburban world would have been transformed by my choice to walk. But at least I would have benefited from lower car costs and more exercise. Perhaps we sometimes assume we can't do something just because it's not what people do. Or like me, it's just not on the radar. But if everyone who lived in suburban areas, and urban areas for that matter, chose to walk to and shop at the places that are close to them, would we see a shift in the way our communities grow? Would we all feel a greater sense of pride and ownership in the public spaces that surround us?

Read more...

It ain't easy traveling green

This year my family and I decided to spend March break in beautiful Old Montreal. My wife found us one of those "older" grand hotels. You know, the ones which still attempt to cling onto their former glory days. But which have long ago been dumped for the sexier, newer hotels with sleek new hottubs and real WIFI access. Yet these old dames, they hang on, masquerading as upscale luxury ...but at Motel 6 prices.

So the plan was set. The "Hotel 6" sat directly over Montreal's RESO - French for "network." An underground cavern of tunnels and passages that connect the city's businesses, shopping centres and condos to the subway and each other. It's reminiscent of the 70's movie "Logan's Run" where the protagonists attempt escape from their domed world through an endless underground labyrinth. A perfect setup for a family longing for an urban adventure. And to complete this picture, the VIA rail station was directly across the street from our hotel. But I as soon discovered, our green family adventure was not to be.

When I enquired about booking train tickets from Toronto to Montreal, I discovered a return trip would cost around $700+ for a family of 4. My heart sank. The plan was so perfect. We didn't want to have a car in Montreal. There was clearly no need. Yet, this time we couldn't afford to take the higher track, finances did not allow it. In the end, we took our Corolla to Montreal and saved more than $500, after gas and parking.

The point I'm trying to make is that there is clearly something wrong with our national transit systems when people, like myself, who want to take public transit, cannot. People who are willing to endure the long cues, train transfers and the lugging of suitcases in order to take the greener path. As long as the easier way is the cheaper way, can I blame people for not always putting the environment first?

One could argue that a 5 speed Corolla loaded up with two adults, two kids and a lotta luggage, isn't so bad for the environment. And you could also say that a higher principled person could have opted for an alternative plan. But to what degree do we limit our activity? The Amish live light on the earth, as they buggy down Main Street, in a milieu of methane. But do you want to be Amish? (no offense to any Amish currently reading this blog).

The truth is that we need to move on as a society, "move" being the operative word. An analogy I heard in Montreal, from the "Solar House Guy" at the Biosphere, was this. If you live in the USA and you want to get to Canada, heading south towards Mexico will not get you there. Even if you slow down to half speed or a quarter, you still will not get to Canada. Could this be true... that our new and improved environmental policies and initiatives are just taking us on a slower trip to our eventual annihilation? (Melodrama intended) Perhaps, as a society, we need to consider heading in a radically new direction. If all of the subsides that we currently offer up to the auto sector and petroleum companies were shifted to support a national public transit system, would could that look like?

Read more...