For a couple of weeks now, I’ve been walking to work. This is a radical move in Jo’burg, where one routinely drives to the neighbourhood convenience store for a bottle of milk and a loaf of bread, and where the new suburbs are designed on the assumption that you live in your car, going home only to sleep. I don’t walk far — only about 2km — and it’s a leisurely 25 minutes, which I spend looking at people’s gardens and getting my thoughts in order for the day. Yet people are horrified. Walking has become a subversive activity, for the middle class at least.
However, I won’t be able to walk for much longer. We’re moving next year, and my 2km stroll will become a 5km commute. I don’t like the idea of running to work, since there’s no shower and my sweaty self would offend my colleagues, and walking would take too long. The obvious solution is to buy a car. I don’t like that solution. Despite the hassle involved in obtaining a new licence, I’m keen to buy a scooter. Electric, if possible, though it seems petrol scooters still perform better.
It was the December petrol-price increase that did it. Petrol now costs as much as R7,40 in Gauteng, the highest price yet. I read the annoucement and coolly decided that I wanted no part of it. Petrol is set to rise even further as the world runs out of oil, and despite the rush to biofuels, which are not able to provide sufficient fuel security. Petrol, in short, is obsolete, as is the technology built on it.
The problem is clean technology hasn’t yet taken over. Sure, it’s there, but most of us can’t afford a Toyota Prius. Besides, car driving merely perpetuates the cycle of decentralised cities, inadequate public transport, long commute times and traffic jams. I thought about getting a bicycle, but I refuse to ride it at night (a problem for short winter days), which would put myself at the mercy of muggers and rapists. So with all that in mind, I’ve decided to get a scooter, which, even if petrol driven, is vastly more fuel-efficient.
And I’ve heard the arguments about how cars never see scooters or cyclists, how scooters and motorbikes offer less protection, and how I’ll be risking my life on the roads. I’ll be using back roads most of the time, but I acknowledge the possibility of an accident remains high.
But every time we buy a car, even if it’s for pragmatic, rational reasons, we’re adding to the problem. We’re taking pressure off the government to fix our inadequate public transport system, we’re allowing our cities to sprawl even further, we’re contributing to global warming, we’re adding to our own obesity epidemic with inadequate exercise and fast food, and we’re becoming ever more divorced from our own public spaces.
Of course it’s a difficult choice. I only have space to make it because between the two of us, we already have one car that can be used for the times when a car trip is inevitable. But I want to build a society where a car is an optional extra, not the must-have accessory of the middle class. And if I don’t start building that society, who will?
I’m dreaming of a society where the streets belong to pedestrians first and motorists last. Where streets are safe public spaces and walking is no longer a sign of poverty.
Jocelyn,
Well done on your transport decision. We are also a one car family, with me doing most of my travelling by bicycle. For the last few years this has amounted to five or six thousand kms annually. I can’t begin to calculate how much this has saved me. I did ride a scooter for a while too, but sold that because I felt immortal and that seemed like a dangerous idea. My advice to people thinking about this kind of choice would be the following: invest in some gear. Making yourself comfortable (warm, cool or dry) will make you much more likely to exercise the option. You might want to add something that makes you more visible, but I have too much Cool Handicap to opt for a flourescent pinny. Most of the close encounters I have with motor vehicles have less to do with motorists not seeing me and more to do with being treated as a second class road user. I always hold my ground and do ride assertively. Regarding the big T factor: Taxi drivers do behave rather robustly. However, they spend more time on the road than most of us and have a pretty good sense of the space their vehicles occupy. I would go so far as to say that they respect you for being assertive. They can even be friendly. As for crime, well, don’t ride in isolated places. If you are passing through a dodgy area (Gympie Street in Cape Town for example), try and ride in the traffic and save a bit of gas for some extra speed. Always watch out for motorists overtaking and turning left in front of you (this is actualy illegal and I always let motorists know). Watch out for people opening doors into you. Mostly obey the rules of the road. There are a few lights I disobey, simply because it is sometimes safer to look carefully and cross an intersection than to be jostling for lane space with cars on the other side as you both pull off.
God luck and watch out for oil on the road – those little scooter tyres don’t like it.
Paul
Congratulations on entering the world of Thought Leader. I have also attempted to walk in and around Johannesburg and you, like me, have probably noticed that this city just isn’t built for walking. There are no pavements in some places, pedestrians are forced into the street by construction work or poor road design and our local municipalities have a talent for placing pedestrian crossings in singularly dangerous places.
We need to renew ourselves and all march to work.
Sorry, I could not resists the play on your surname.
Our problem is that we are in short supply of all forms of energy. Back to crowded cities with high rise apartments we go.
I so agree with you. It all starts with the individual. For some time now I’ve been irritated by all the gas-guzzling, monster, 4×4 vehicles on our roads, the majority of which will probably never venture off-road in their lifetimes.
Why does a surburban housewife need a 4×4? If it is for image reasons (all the neighbours have one) then why not buy a Prius? The Prius is expensive enough that only the rich can afford it and stars such as George Clooney and Leonardo di Caprio have one so why is it not good enough for Mrs. Khumalo/Smythe/Van de Merwe/Petersen?
Vehicles in South Africa are usually more about image than utility. We need a mindset change.
On another point, I hear that cheap Indian vehicles might be available to the local market as early as next year. On the plus side private vehicles will now be within the reach of many commuters who are at the mercy of an unreliable and often dangerous public transport system (don’t get me started on taxi drivers).
On the negative side we’ll have more vehicles on our already congested roads, spewing out yet more greenhouse gases. Then there is the impact on the local car manufacturing industry to consider. What I would like to know is why South Africa has to constantly defend itself against external economic threats (e.g. China’s cheap imports)? We have a manufacturing base. Why can’t we develop our own energy-efficient green car that is affordable for the “masses”? South Africa should position itself as an innovator instead of a follower. It will boost our economy and create jobs, not to mention aiding the fight against greenhouse gas emissions. Now we just have to figure out a way to combat the road rage resulting from the day-long traffic jams.
all neo ecology wannabes who continual blurb abt pirus this pirus that , may i ask , where does the electricity to charge your little eco friendly car come from .
aaaaaaw the same coal powered stations that are used to pollute the environment .
let me drive my 4×4 ………lol.
ps dnt get involved in a accident whilst driving a pirius , that car has no safety at all .
So – sidakwa drives a 4×4 because it will be safer in a accident.
Problem is that 4×4 drivers seem to think they are immortal due to this presumed safety factor and thus develop driving habits that result in accidents (jump the stop street – the other guy will come off second best).
4x4s are gas guzzlers and a menace to other road users.
I tried this too. Mine was a 40 minute walk though, and I did get a bit sweaty.
What I don’t mention in the above link is that I lost enthusiasm for the the activity. Lazy bugger that I am.
It lasted for about two months, but then I stopped getting up early enough to walk, and so even though I would have still liked to walk I couldn’t because I’d be woefully late for work. Perhaps I should get a less comfortable bed?
As for the Prius:
Odete — it’s ugly, and even it wasn’t a Toyota is never going to be considered a status symbol. Not sure why people need those in the first place, but for those who do the Prius is never going to cut it. When BMW bring out a hybrid 4×4, we might have better luck with the likes of sidakwa.
sidakwa — The Prius is a hybrid electric vehicle, not an electric vehicle. Thus it doesn’t have to be plugged into the grid and be charged by coal-fired power stations (although this is an option).
Hybrid vehicles still have diesel or petrol as a primary source of energy — they just use less of it because of electrical power supplement (which is normally charged during the operation of the vehicle).
Even electric cars aren’t all as wonderful as they are made out to be though. When looking at the full life cycle of producing an electric (or hybrid) vehicle, we see that the carbon footprint of production is larger than that of conventional vehicles. However use, and not production, has the largest impact in terms of CO2.
But there is also the issue of heavy metals involved in producing the batteries (which I can’t find a reference to at the moment, but chances are that the hybrid and electrical car production will make more of a mess than conventional vehicle production). Transferring environmental problems from one sphere to another is hardly a solution.
Common misconception here – the Prius doesn’t run on ‘electricity’. Go and look at Toyota’s website. It runs on fuel, same as any other ‘normal’ car. However, it’s more fuel-efficient by a long-shot because it takes all the energy that is ordinarily just left to waste (from braking, etc) and charges itself so it can run on –that– electricity.
So unless we’re further along in the oil-from-coal stuff than I thought we were, that Prius ain’t running on coal, definitely not on power stations.
As for safety, that depends who you talk to. I think you’d probably find a sturdy sedan from a decent manufacturer beats most 4X4s hands down, especially if you then go and factor in the danger a larger vehicle is to other road users.
When I moved to Israel 5 years ago I decided to forego driving to become … an urban cyclist! For more than 2 years I cycled 25km a day to work and back on roads populated by drivers who all think they are minibus taxis.
Today I still ride my bike though I cycle less as I am no longer afraid to use public transport (suicide bombings have stopped, hopefully forever). The only time I drive is when we hire a car to go away.
Having visited SA twice in 5 years I made a point of using public transport to get around. Not a good idea, although it worked. Most of my fellow passengers told me that if I was a white man I should use a car. “These taxi’s are only for the masses,” I was informed.
I remember a time when public transport was really an acceptable and convenient means of transport. I could take a bus home at 4am from a jol in the Brow. And even rode (eco-friendly) electric trams and busses when I was a boy. Jocelyn there once was a time when Jhb was a safe, environmentally-friendly city. It seems you can’t have the one without the other. Good luck with getting a scooter. That may be my next purchase.
Paul, I have to agree with you re.riding assertively. The rule also applies to cyclists. “Own the lane” and you get home safe.
The end of petroleum is still a long way off – we are, however, approaching the end of the cheap and easy to extract petroleum.
ok i have had my 15 mins of fame with my 4X4 , for the record , i use it during the weekend when transporting the kids and doing grocery shopping , i live in england(the spiritual home of the traffic taliban and the over eager traffic warden ).
driving my mitsubishi challenger in the city is a nightmare , parking fees are prohibitive and a nightmare to find a place to park in the city, plus the congestion charge .
i have cycled to work as most do here for four yrs , until i was given a 40 mile per hour introduction to road safety by a elderly gentleman driving a Hyundai , which left me with a shattered kneecap and acute tendinitises in my left leg , 6 months of treatment and a life time supply of ibupofren has taught me the merits of cycling -none .
now i pay £3545 for an annual train ticket to and fro the city and have to endure 2hrs of train travelling and 40 mins in the tube monday to friday.
come weekend , a family of four on the train , yeah right , it will cost me 100 quid from home into the city , whereas i can fill up the tank for 40 quid , i can travel with peace of mind and the kids have their playstations and games to keep them occupied for long trips .
to each his own i say .
We’re a one-car family, it’s used to ferry the children and it’s necessary for long-distances and for safety (of my wife). I ride a folding bicycle to work. In the next month or two I hope to buy an electric bicycle or a kit to upgrade my bike. That will bring an end to sweaty summer rides to work, and enable me to travel further.
This should work for you too. Besides, you can create your own electricity from solar panels, but you can’t create your own petrol, which is on the verge of becoming scarcer and much more expensive.
Oil production is peaking and will soon go into decline.
Despite being able to buy a cheap new car for cash, I choose instead to use the our life savings for useful and enjoyable purposes rather than waste it all on a technology that is about to become obsolete.
Congratulations on your decision to get a scooter. I bought a scooter a year ago and love it after only ever owning a car. I now ride a larger motorcycle having done my full license and decided to upgrade but the freedom that comes with a motorcycle (any kind including a scooter) is awesome. The petrol savings are also substantial, my scooter was incredibly fuel efficient and could keep up with all but the craziest of urban commuter from the traffic lights.
You will love your daily commute even more when you are riding. But please dont play chicken with any of those 4×4′s because you will come off second best, remember that even if you think they can see you they probably dont care. Just think how miserable and stuffy they are inside their tin coffin and how free and happy you are on your scooter and just relax and take it easy.
there’s a whole modern city right there in jhb, complete with high rise bulidings and roads and everything. i wish we would use it, instead of simply letting that infrastructure decay
You simply have to be able say ‘no, thanks at that price’ at least once to the dealer. This gives them a strong message that you are serious about your research.
You should also bring a piece of paper to the dealership and make sure you do all the math of the finance calculations yourself. The point is not that they will do the math wrong. The point is you will see exactly how the deal is structured. Do not be afraid to take the time to do this or look like a fool for mapping out your car deal in the dealership.
My dad swears by this process, http://tinyurl.com/nxutm2
I discovered that Toyota is considering recalling all vehicles because of gas pedal malfunctions . My sister bought a Toyota, should the vehicle be driven before the repair?