There are no upcoming events right now.
Why not post one?
Recent Articles
- Justice for Indigenous Peoples is Long Overdueby Ryan McGreal, published June 30, 2021 in Commentary
(0 comments)
- Third-Party Election Advertising Ban About Silencing Workersby Chantal Mancini, published June 29, 2021 in Politics
(0 comments)
- Did Doug Ford Test the 'Great Barrington Declaration' on Ontarians?by Ryan McGreal, published June 29, 2021 in Special Report: COVID-19
(1 comment)
- An Update on Raise the Hammerby Ryan McGreal, published June 28, 2021 in Site Notes
(0 comments)
- Nestlé Selling North American Water Bottling to an Private Equity Firmby Doreen Nicoll, published February 23, 2021 in Healing Gaia
(0 comments)
- Jolley Old Sam Lawrenceby Sean Burak, published February 19, 2021 in Special Report: Cycling
(0 comments)
- Right-Wing Extremism is a Driving Force in Modern Conservatismby Ryan McGreal, published February 18, 2021 in Special Report: Extremism
(0 comments)
- Municipalities Need to Unite against Ford's Firehose of Land Use Changesby Michelle Silverton, published February 16, 2021 in Special Report
(0 comments)
- Challenging Doug Ford's Pandemic Narrativeby Ryan McGreal, published January 25, 2021 in Special Report: COVID-19
(1 comment)
- The Year 2020 Has Been a Wakeup Callby Michael Nabert, published December 31, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
(0 comments)
- The COVID-19 Marshmallow Experimentby Ryan McGreal, published December 22, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
(0 comments)
- All I Want for Christmas, 2020by Kevin Somers, published December 21, 2020 in Entertainment and Sports
(1 comment)
- Hamilton Shelters Remarkably COVID-19 Free Thanks to Innovative Testing Programby Jason Allen, published December 21, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
(0 comments)
- Province Rams Through Glass Factory in Stratfordby Doreen Nicoll, published December 21, 2020 in Healing Gaia
(0 comments)
- We Can Prevent Traffic Deaths if We Make Safety a Real Priorityby Ryan McGreal, published December 08, 2020 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
(5 comments)
- These Aren't 'Accidents', These Are Resultsby Tom Flood, published December 04, 2020 in Special Report: Walkable Streets
(1 comment)
- Conservation Conundrumby Paul Weinberg, published December 04, 2020 in Special Report
(0 comments)
- Defund Police Protest Threatens Fragile Ruling Classby Cameron Kroetsch, published December 03, 2020 in Special Report: Anti-Racism
(2 comments)
- Measuring the Potential of Biogas to Reduce GHG Emissionsby John Loukidelis and Thomas Cassidy, published November 23, 2020 in Special Report: Climate Change
(0 comments)
- Ontario Squanders Early Pandemic Sacrificeby Ryan McGreal, published November 18, 2020 in Special Report: COVID-19
(0 comments)
Article Archives
Blog Archives
Site Tools
Feeds
By Undustrial (registered) - website | Posted June 03, 2010 at 14:19:09
For most young people I know, spanning the range of very poor working class kids to ones from fairly affluent families, simply cannot afford a car without help from their parents, especially guys. It becomes a question of living on your own or having a car and living with your parents. In Hamilton, it's almost always possible for a 21-year-old male to get an appartment for less than insurance. Once you factor in car payments, gas and repairs, you could easily own a house. And I too have seen horror stories...people who have been cycling everywhere for years and are only now paying off (with fairly "good" jobs which pay well) cars they haven't seen in years. Hold onto that car for a year too long, and the repair bills alone can ruin a young person financially, especially if your car HAS to be back on the road in a day or two for work.
I'd suspect the drop in acceptability of drinking and driving has a lot to do with the decreases in driving as much as any factor. In many circles, even thoroughly "disreputable" ones, it simply is not acceptable among young people today; thank you MADD. I once watched a party full of anarchist street punks and drug dealers call the police because they'd been unable to stop a drunk guy from driving away (he wrapped the car around a pole before even getting to the next bar). The fewer people who own or bring cars to parties, pubs and bars put more and more pressure on a few designated drivers, and I can tell ya from personal experience that driving your drunk friends around regularly gets old fast. And as you lose out on the opportunity to show off your fancy car in social circumstances (like the Toronto club district on a Saturday night), the social impetus to own one drops a lot, especially high-end sports cars and SUVs.
The rising cost and complexity of cars doesn't help, either. In 1978 you could often buy a "beater" for less than many now pay a month in insurance. And because they didn't have onboard computers, anyone with a socket set and a few high school auto shop classes could keep one running. Now even people I know who've worked as mechanics can't keep their cars working without a shop.
A young person in Hamilton can typically pick up an old 10-speed bike for $20-50 at a garage sale or bike co-op, maintain it for a few dozen bucks a year in oil, inner tubes and replacement parts (often available for less than the price of coffee). And that allows them to cruise, without paying for gas, at 20-30 km/h with very little effort, more than fast enough to compete with cars in an urban setting. They don't need a licence, are subject to far fewer laws and obnoxious police stops (not to mention the main penalty for not paying tickets is suspension of one's driver's licence), are faster, cheaper and easier to park, and much safer to drive home after you've had a few at the bar (at least for other road users). Vintage bikes are quite hip (fixed conversions, cruisers etc), dirt cheap and not hard to shine up (some new bar tape/grips, a new seat or even a coat of spray paint), unlike either new or vintage cars. And since a flashy bike can be chained right up to (some) Hess Villiage patio fences, and slim physiques get ya at least as many girls/guys as a nice car, it isn't hard to see why the times are-a-changin'.
"Today, the notion of progress in a single line without goal or limit seems perhaps the most parochial notion of a very parochial century." — Lewis Mumford
Permalink | Context