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Learning to Slow Down

If you divide the distance we travel by the number of hours we spend not just behind the wheel but also working to pay for our cars or doing other things in some way associated with the car, our net speed comes to around five miles per hour. But when you show this to people, they still say, “I’ve got to have a car, because I’m in a hurry.”

~ Jan Lundberg, antiroad activist

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This entry was posted on Friday, October 21st, 2005 at 12:48 am and is filed under Quotes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

3 Responses to “Learning to Slow Down”

  1. tmz_99 Says:
    October 22nd, 2005 at 10:53 am

    This is interesting, because it is a statistic and statistics can be made to say pretty much whatever the person quoting them wants them to say, it’s all a matter of justification. I’m sure if you factor for instance, that most families have two cars and are therefore unaffected by downtime caused to one being worked on. Or drive to your house mechanics.. *sigh*

    Anyway, it’s not just the fact that you’re going fast in a car, it’s simply the pure joy you can get out of driving. In today’s modern living and 2.5 kid family the car on the way to work is one of the few temples of solitude and reflection that man gets.

    2. Posted from Singapore Singapore
  2. admin Says:
    October 23rd, 2005 at 5:38 pm

    Yeah tmz — everyone will have their own opinion on this one. Lundberg has some strong anti-road sentiments. I just liked this statement because it reminds me how my life has slowed down (in a good way) since I sold my car. It may not work for everyone, but it is a welcome change for me. Since I walk to work everyday, my solitude is found on those short walks, but for others, I do understand that drive time can be key to peace of mind.

  3. Los Angeles Says:
    October 24th, 2005 at 3:43 am

    I don’t know how i could work without a car. My job is 3 hours-drive away from home. Just imagine how much time i would walk there… A long time i was living without a car, but now my life without it is impossible.