Friday, July 02, 2010

Carless in Wellfleet?

We should have a day where cars are forbidden in Wellfleet, don't you think? A day different from the other 364, when people would have to walk into town. Or, bike. Rethink old habits. Consider our dependence on oil. This idea occurred to me when I went downtown yesterday evening, at twilight, for a pot of yogurt to serve today for breakfast. Despite the occasional flurry of interest in sidewalks, no town official has been able to get sidewalks built so far. Most roads are sidewalk-less, so pedestrians must struggle not to get hit by traffic, and, in summer, the cars whiz by, operating at a faster pace. There's no shoulder to walk on, either. When you walk, your senses experience the town in a totally different manner. Sense of smell gets hit with roses along Main Street, garlic at The Juice, exhaust by Commercial. Of course, last night, at Uncle Tim's Bridge, the sweet scent that rose from the flats was low tide, an earthy, sea smell that is so Wellfleet. Sight: You have time to observe gardens, paint jobs, paintings in gallery windows, earrings. You see things you have never seen before, although you have driven the same road hundreds of times. Hearing: the low buzz of a million insects in the reeds is only interrupted by the roar of a car engine, once or twice every minute. Touch: I sat down at The Juice and placed my hand on the bar, hard and cold, while awaiting my order. Taste: I drank a smoothie, coconut and pineapple, on the way home. It was getting darker outside. The surface of Duck Creek shimmered with azur and pink light. It was a beautiful sight, one I'm sure I would have missed had I taken the car ....

Comments (13)

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I think this is a wonderful proposal, not just for your town, but for all of us. What a difference even a day could make!
Since I now live in a small village and walk to the library, green grocer, grocery store, library and anywhere else in town, I gotta say "Good Luck!" I love being on foot, it IS a whole different experience than going everywhere by car.
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I think we should just have a law that cars with an even number on the end of the plate can run on three of the weekdays and cars with an odd number the other three days. Sunday, no cars. We could cut traffic in half like that!
The biggest thing the Cape could do to improve public transportation is make the roads safe to bike on. You can ride a bike on the Cape almost year round, but some places there is just no safe way to do so.
1 reply · active 768 weeks ago
Now there's an idea! That's what they do in some European cities, as I remember ...
I walk almost every day for my errands. I wish it was easier to walk to get around in wellfleet. There are lots of places for recreational walks, but getting in and out of town can be difficult. The sidewalk out to the harbor from town should be wider too ! :)
and so many neighborhoods being built today don't have sidewalks. then, when we walk in an area that isn't built for pedestrians, drivers stare at us like we're performing a human activity never seen before. cars are probably here to stay. let's get 'em running on vegetable oil.
awesome proposal
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Beautiful. Living in Japan, I'm very accustomed to walking or biking for most things. I love walking for errands instead of getting in a car. There's so much more to see, to sense, to experience! Would be quite wonderful if everyone did this even just one day a year.
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I'm with you. I love to walk and do it whenever I can. And there are a zillion senses that a walk puts you in touch with that you'd otherwise miss if you were in a car. It is a shame that there are so many places that prohibit walking by not having a sidewalk and way too much traffic. Lovely post.
Beautiful description of the car-less experience. Tucson has days when walking or biking is "suggested", but I've never seen any statistics about whether that appreciably cuts down traffic.
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I long to live in a place I don't need a car. Maybe some day! In the meantime I try to drive less. My husband often rides his bike to his office, which is totally cool.
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Yes, you're exactly right, Sandy. You see and experience everything differently (and better, in my opinion) when you walk. More sidewalks, please; you shouldn't have to risk your life to do something healthy.
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I do love walking places. Do you know what walking does besides the obvious? It makes you slow down. If you can't use your car to race to 100 different places, drive thrus, etc in an hour, you slow down a little. You schedule better, you forget trying to fit it all in. I loved walking my kids to preschool. Almost EVERY TIME I did, someone would slow down and ask me if I needed a ride. Especially with my daughter.. walking was sweet. We'd discuss the flowers popping up, house colors, squirrels, and any cat that darted across the street.
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Jennifer Margulis's avatar

Jennifer Margulis · 767 weeks ago

Lovely. I am ALL FOR a forbidding cars. We were walking in the parade down the middle of our town's main street just WISHING it could be car-free all the time (or at least once a week or once a month).
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