Our friends across the pond are in the midst of celebrating (or not) “European Mobility Week 2007.” This year’s theme: “Streets For People.” EurActiv reports that some 1600 cities are holding car-free events aimed at “reclaiming road space for pedestrians and cyclists… to cut congestion and pollution without reducing people's mobility.” If that sounds like something of a challenge, the European Union (EU) wants to “combat climate change, boost economic growth and improve European citizens' quality of life” while promoting “more sustainable modes of transport.” In an article entitled “Severing car dependency in EU cities 'very realistic’,” Copenhagen’s vice-mayor (and Mobility Week cheerleader) Klaus Bondam offers a practical solution: “buy goods that come from your local area, so you don't need all that transport.” So the politician promoting an anti-car week created by an organization that began life as the European Economic Community suggests reducing trade with member states to protect the global environment. Go figure.
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I’m a big environmentalist (without crossing into “Mentalist” ground!) I do believe we need to drive responsibly and getting local produce and walking instead of using cars. But we also need to tackle other areas to decrease global warming. I drive a Toyota Yaris and that emits very little CO2.
Like, for instance, did you know that cows’ flatulence is more of a global warming agent that CO2? Cows don’t break wind, they smash it. A cow cutting the cheese, does more damge to the environment than a Land Rover! Think about that.
Also, manufacturing plants (especially car plants) are big polluters. Which is what is driving (no pun intended) them to move to Eastern Europe and China.
Having a policy on global warming is one thing, executing it sensibly, well, that’s another story…..
Katie:
First, what do you think of the Yaris? I have heard good and bad about them (mostly branding), but as an owner, how do you think it rates among other cars.
Second, I have never thought of myself as an environmentalist, but I can agree with what you said. I am a conservative person and I think it is our duty to be good stewards of the Earth. The problem I see with mainstream environmentalism is that is it mostly political or made religious by zealots. Misdirected good intentions are hurting the movement more than they are helping the environment.
It burns my biscuits that I’ve been driving a 4-cylinder car the entire time I’ve been driving– and a decade later– I can’t purchase a replacement that gets the same mileage and has the same spunk and the same room.
I, personally, think that the key to conservation is being a bit more heartless. You see, I drive a Dodge neon. The first-generation– 2.0 150hp 5-speed. It’s recorded mileage well into the 40mpg mark, but it’s light and ‘unsafe’ when most people talk about it.
At 2400 pounds, it’s the size of a Fusion or a new Sebring/Avenger. We could all stand to learn to drive a little bit more on the conservative side if there were a smidge more risk involved. Having economy cars that weigh as much as the 1979 240D is doing no one any good whenever most drive them like they’re some kind of invincible protection bubble.
I don’t know how this relates, but somewhere in my head it does. Please use your noodles and extract whatever bits of wisdom you may. =)
Its much easier for European society to function without a car. In North America the car facilitated the creation of suburbia with all the positives and negatives that are associated with suburbia.
One of the negatives of suburbia is the extreme reliance on a car.
RyanK02,
My Yaris is the first generation (not the second), but it handles well, but a little shaky if you throw it into corners. I’ve taken her around the Nurburgring and she took what it had to offer and then some!
The interior is a little poor. The plastics do go the distance, but look and feel cheap. If you do buy one, get the auto version, the gear change is smooth and a God-Send in town driving. Plus, it holds the value of the car better (at least, in the UK). The main bugbear is the rear visibility. It’s very poor. When reversing, take great care when you look back.
Other than that, great car. I recommend them.
Katie,
As unpopular as it might be, my next car will probably be a early to mid 90s Chevy Blazer diesel. I have heard that they get in the neighborhood of 23-28 mpg and I have been itching to get my hands on a diesel to modify. I have a Civic for mileage, so I need something fun for a project. My fiancee wants a small family car when she trades up, but I think she is already in love with the RX8.
Sooo…Buying a Land Rover with leather interior is, um, global warming neutral.
And water is by far the worst cause of global warming….Or maybe it is the sun…Or maybe Taco Bell…I’m confused…I need Klaus to set me straight since he is much smarter that a cow.
In my protest of European Mobility Week, I’m setting my BMW up on jack stands and setting the cruise at 70 mph for the next 4 hours. F the EU. These are dangerous socialists. Nothing more.
I had been leaning towards a Yaris as my next car until my stepson got a Honda Fit. And a coworker just told me that one can reserve a 2008 Smart for $99.
http://www.smartusa.com/
I missed the Smart Road show two weekends ago, but I watched three of them go by just as I was walking the half mile from the parking garage to my apartment. Then a Yaris went by, and it didn’t seem much larger.
Will TTAC review the Smart?
My comment got butchered. Consider it deleted.
Bummer, cuz it was a good one.
Donal: Will TTAC review the Smart? Lesley Wimbush gave us a look at the Canadian-spec diesel version last year. As soon as the new US version is available we'll cover it as well.
I haven’t driven the Yaris yet, but my friends brother has one. They drove from Winnipeg to Vancouver on one tank of gas. That was convincing enough for me, although I’ll have to admit I like the styling of the Fit more.
Katie,
You took your Yaris to the Nürburgring!
What was your best lap time?
Did you get a 4 lap Ticket?
Did the Yaris get to 155 km/h on your way down there?
I want to hear the whole Nürburgring story :)
If you have told it somewhere else.. maybe you have a link?
I’m from Belgium.
I love(d) (to drive) cars, and used them too much. I had a 1990 Mazda 323F as a daily driver, and a 1978 Toyota Crown for fun. But I also walked to the bakery, supermarket, butcher, etc. There’s a train and bus station across the road. I bicycled to work now and then (29 km one way).
Every year more and more European capitals have car-free Sundays. And you know what? It’s great! Thousands of families bicycling in downtown Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam. Impact on business? Ask the small bar and restaurant owners.
In the 70s’ oil crisis we had car-less Sundays. People still talk about how they could bicycle on the motorways/highways/freeways.
Now I live in Cambodia. I don’t have, need or want a car. Now I use cyclos, motorbike taxis and minivans. And I bicycle to work.
Different countries have different cultures and geographies. Saying No to having a car is easy in the city, difficult in the countryside, even more so in countries with limited public transportation. But it’s also a state of mind. Getting over that “How can I live without a car??” idea.
Don’t look at this EU initiative (this time it’s the EU, other times it’s local governments, or just local people organizing a car-free day in their neighbourhood) as a bad idea for business, but as a good idea for quality of life.
P.S.: I just read that 50,000 families in Belgium traded in their car license plate for a 3-year bus subscription. Kudos to them!
Solbeam,
I wasn’t really timing because it is phenominally dangerous to do that whilst doing the Nurburgring. Apparently, when the police investigate crashes on the Nurburgring, 90% of all cars have a clock or timer in there. They were so concerned about their time that they didn’t concentrate!
My best lap time was about 15 minutes, which is about a mile a minute, which isn’t too bad for a 1.3 petrol. If you want to shave time off your lap time (and I recommend that you don’t, just enjoy “the ring”.) here are a few tips:
1: take the spare wheel and jack out of the boot. You can save about 10 kilos that way.
2: Try to follow in the line of a much faster car in front of you, that car in front of you will have already cut the air which means less resistance for you.
3: tape up the gaps between metal panels on your car (i.e between the bonnet and on the bumpers) again, less resistance.
4: only carry about 20% of the petrol you need. For example, the Yaris has a 45 litre tank. I only carried 10 lites. Which saved me carrying 35 litres of petrol or to put it another way 26 kilos!
The Nurburging is fun. It one of those things a petrolhead must do before they die. I plan to go again, but always check your brakes before and after. The Nurburgring really does need them! Only on the straights did I go up to 100mph. On the corners I went very carefully. Remember, the Yaris isn’t designed for driving like this. And PLEASE be careful on the Karousell! It is soooooo dangerous!
Oh and I bought an 8 lap ticket.
68stang – might want to check that mileage; according to google maps Winnepeg to Vancouver is 1600 miles – I’m pretty sure the Yaris isn’t getting ~160/135 Mpg (imp/US). Stated mileage is from the Toyota US website is 29/36. For comparison sake, my 3Ltr BMW Coupe gets a bit over 30MPG on average; and I do push the petal to the floor at least once in any given drive… however I’m also a big fan of coasting in neutral (as long as I’m not hodling up traffic) which probably helps a ton.
I do actually applaud the EU’s efforts to get people to find alternative transportation; it would be a bit more difficult here in NA since our cities are so much more spread out, but if you try you can cut back your vehicle usage significantly by walking/biking for groceries, etc, etc. With the gas money we saved, we bought another car! ;-)