Jennifer Cox wonders if car-sharing could be the answer to relieving busy tourist routes
I’m in a travel-related quandary. It’s four years since I’ve owned a car, and I haven’t missed it at all. I get around locally by bike, and jump on public transport to venture further afield. Once I adjusted to a life limited to what I could fit into a daypack, I’ve never looked back.
In fact, there has been a wonderful, unforeseen benefit of not having a car: I’ve discovered my community. Every day as I sit next to people on buses and trains, or cycle around the streets, I feel part of my locale – and in a far more positive way than I ever would stuck in a hermetically sealed bubble in a traffic jam. And in a happy example of what goes around comes around, being car-less has also meant I’ve got to know my neighbours better.
Just last week the Polish builder from across the road rushed out to tie onto my bike the wooden CD rack that I was giving away via www.freecycle.org. I never knew my neighbours before I got rid of my car, and I never knew I liked them.
As strange as this must sound coming from a lifelong independent traveller, being less independent seems to have made me a better neighbour.
Over the past four years this situation seems to have been playing out on an international scale. And, in direct proportion, we’ve seen the rebirth and rise – with allotments, recycling centres, farmers markets – of community power. Although obviously concerned about climate change, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to feeling a tad self-satisfied, luxuriating in the greenness of my life. I cycle, recycle, shop local and only buy what I need (admittedly only because my daypack’s too small for excess).
But of course pride comes before a fall. In an act of kindness, my neighbour lent me her car when the trains weren’t running. Nervousness over driving quickly gave way to waves of pleasure as the sheer, unadulterated joy of driving hit me. I suddenly remembered what a thrill it was to be spontaneous. I was struck anew by Britain’s beauty as I tore along country lanes. Oh, the contentment of hitting the road again – just me and The Archers enjoying the British countryside’s quiet charms.
So now, of course, like a weak and pathetic lapsed ex-smoker savouring the first deep, drag of a forbidden fag, I want to be a car owner again. And I’m not alone in this dilemma: a recent survey has revealed that concern over carbon emissions and general anxiety about flying has made 60% of us vow to take more driving holidays in the UK. Sure enough, UK companies specialising in holiday cottages, barges etc have reported a 30% increase in enquiries on this time last year.
Since one in five people in Britain are employed in tourism-related jobs, that’s got to be good news for the economy. But I can’t help wondering what the effect of all those cars gridlocked on the motorway is going to be on the environment – not to mention our blood pressure. And Britain’s attractions – from the Peak District to the Gower Peninsula, Canterbury Cathedral to Shakespeare’s birthplace – are already struggling to deal with huge numbers of tourists. How are they going to cope with a 30-60% increase?
This is one of the dichotomies of tourism: economic benefits versus environmental impact and sustainability. But maybe we can incorporate our new found sense of community into the equation? I am aching to do more UK road trips, but perhaps I should buy into a car-sharing scheme and rent one by the hour/day? Or when I want to travel somewhere on the beaten track, maybe I should try one of the national lift-sharing schemes (www.car-pool.co.uk, www.liftshare.org, www.2carshare.com).
In fact, car sharing might turn UK holidays into magical mystery tours. A bit like the budget airlines allowing us to discover unknown European cities, random carpooling has the potential to take the pressure off Britain’s blockbuster destinations, allowing us to discover our island’s lesser-known sites – not to mention fostering a sense of community along the way.
Jennifer Cox was the spokesperson for Lonely Planet before writing the travel bestseller Around the World in 80 Dates
