Effects of Automobiles
Ameera Sirhan
Schoolcraft College
12 November 2014
English 101 Essay I think it is clear the automobile has influenced our lives. It is the mode of transportation and just about everyone today aspires to own one. They are a matter of convenience, why walk twenty minutes when you can drive there in just five? Why be cold when you can escape the winter in your automobile? It makes trips shorter, and if you think about it, it was this idea of shorter trips that invented the automobiles. The automobiles led to the invention of airplanes and ships and many more. We can also look at this 'shorter trip' convenience and then claim that the influence of automobiles had made human even lazier, why expend energy when we can save it for something else? We live in a fast paced environment today where automobiles are a big part of our lives. Automobiles made it virtually impossible to imagine how the roads were like in the olden days. By the end of World War 2, the automobile shaped the American cities deeply. The automobiles (trains, planes, submarines etc…) were used to transport weapons and food to the soldiers. They helped a lot but now they are taken for granted. “Walking isn’t just good for you. It has become an indicator of your socioeconomic status” (Leinberger). Neighborhoods are ranked from Car Dependent to Walkers Paradise. If you look at some European countries (healthy ones) you will notice more emphasis on healthier choices for modes of transportation. There are bike lanes, more sidewalks, and slimmer roads for cars. You will also notice in those same European countries the standard of life may be higher than in other countries, also those European countries will have healthier people with less health issues. Also, Boston is known to be rated as the third most walkable city in the US. But New York is rated as the first walkable city in the US; it has excellent public transportation and is somewhat bikeable. “Our research shows that real estate values increase as neighborhoods became more walkable, where every day needs, including working, can be met by walking, transit or biking.” Also “People who live in more walkable places tend to earn more, but they also tend to pay a higher percentage of income for housing” (Leinberger). People are willing to pay more for homes that allow them to walk and bike to get where they have to go. In Minneapolis and metropolitan Washington some people say that “it’s easy to imagine a future in which the population gets around primarily by bicycle.” Now, what if personal automobiles were banned from Michigan? My guess is that most people would become healthier, active and the atmosphere would become a whole lot cleaner. Most people would get around by