Cars are just a con
I do not agree with Jacques Beaugé, president of Les Autos du Coeur who says ( Connexion June) that “cars aren’t luxuries”.
I am now 64 years old, and at various stages in my adult life I have lived in Poole, Reading (both UK), Kiel (Germany), Groningen (The Netherlands) and now St-Pol-de-Léon (France). I have never learned to drive: when I choose where to live, I do so on the basis of using public transport – or walking.
Strangely, M.Beaugé has nothing to say about the other expenses of car ownership: driving lessons, licence, maintenance, repairs, depreciation, fuel, tax, insurance, garaging, cleaning, parking, tolls, fines…
And, remember; when I use public transport, I just pay my fare, take my ride and get off: all those other problems are taken care of by the undertaking.
Most of the time, I walk, thereby getting enough exercise. Car owners initially buy a car to avoid exerting themselves, but usually realise they are becoming more and more unfit.
Then they spend more money going to keep-fit classes, oblivious of the irony: often, they drive to the gym and back! If they walked, they would get enough exercise and there would be no need to go inside the gym.
From where I’m standing, the absurdity is comical.
It isn’t necessary to build your lifestyle around car ownership: there are other ways, for those people who don’t follow the herd but who think for themselves.
Stephen D. MORGAN, Finistère
