It is always easy to put things in extremes: Henry is the guy who hates cars. Henry is against cars, thinks they are the worst thing in the world. In some sense, the preceding is true, but I am not unaware of the tremendous benefits car can bring.
Only 150 years ago, quote, "sixteen miles by coach took almost four hours, and it would have been an exceedingly unpleasant and uncomfortable four hours, swaying and bumping over rutted, muddy country roads." Sixteen miles took four hours. It would take four hours -- four hours -- to get from here to Interlochen -- and the hours would be uncomfortable, swaying, bumping, rutted roads. What does it take by car? Twenty minutes? And how far can we go by car in four hours?
Some of you know that I love to Contra Dance. Not infrequently I go downstate to Ann Arbor to dance. Ann Arbor is 240 miles away -- and I cover those 240 miles in four hours, by car. And the journey is not over rutted roads -- and I do not sway & bump. And on the way there and back, someone reads a book to me. I always listen to books on Cassettes when I travel by car.
So why don't I love cars? They get me 240 miles away in 4 hours, not sixteen miles away in four hours. Can't I see the advantages of cars? It is a personal missile: you can leave when you want, come back when you want. Aren't cars truly wonderful?
Well yes and no. It is not that I hate cars -- I hate the fact that cars are the ONLY way from here to there. Of course it would be great to have cars available -- but it would also be great to have high speed trains available.
Nowadays, by car, I can get there in four hours, and the 4 hours are far more pleasant than they used to be. But the average speed of trains in France -- the average speed, is 180 miles per hour. By train, I could get there in 1 1/2 hours -- and I could sleep for 1 1/2 hours -- not have my eyes glued to the road, often half asleep and often in danger of killing myself.
Yes, 240 miles in four hours is better than 16 miles in four hours. But 240 miles in 1 1/2 hours -- and being able to leave the driving to someone else -- is a heck of a lot better than four grueling hours on the road. Any car trip -- any four hour car trip -- is bound to be grueling.
I hate our reliance on cars. I think it is as stupid as relying on bicycles for long distances. There is a better, cheaper, communal way from here to there. The common people's way -- not just the way for rich owners of cars -- and that's the high speed railroad. Cars are a thing of the past -- they soon will be -- and I hate the fact that it is taking so long for them to get out of the way -- for us to learn that we must build alternative ways from here to there. Nowadays it is the car highway or no way. We need alternatives to cars.
Copyright © 2004 Henry Morgenstein