I have chosen to be part of the committee at our local Resident’s Association. It is mostly boring but also important work. My main goal there is to be a voice for the environment, kids and alternative modes of transportation, (other than cars).
It is noteworthy that the single most recurrent issue is parking spaces. Our community doesn’t have enough car parks for the amount of cars people own and bring expecting to park, and also people get annoyed when this car excess ends up parking in inappropriate spaces, blocking footpath, damaging berms or knocking down young tree saplings.
The solution is obvious to me, we need fewer cars in the community.
The obvious solution to a surprisingly large section of the community though, is that we need more car parking spaces.
My main proposal is to sacrifice one car park spot and turn it into a car share. Thus allowing residents the opportunity to reduce their privately owned car numbers without losing access to an extra car when they need it.
The community’s main proposal is to sacrifice green areas, berms and trees and turn them into more parking spaces.
I vehemently oppose this option, not only because I am a green tree-hugging freak and because I do not want to live in a car sewer where every last bit of space is dominated by our four-wheeled overlords, but also because the research has shown that the more parking you provide, the more cars you get and therefore you can never ever have enough parking space.
So what now?
Well, we deliberate, consult and decide. Besides my personal disagreement with the idea of getting more car parking, I don’t think it would be easy, cheap, or maybe even possible, to talk our local council and related authorities into changing more public space into public parking. I certainly am not willing to do any work towards that goal and will argue my case against it.
The car-share proposal was voted down as a budget item, but I am also not completely giving up on the idea, which I genuinely believe is the better option environmentally, financially, logistically and in terms of quality of life. So I will re-frame it and try a slightly different approach. I am willing to put in time, work and effort for this outcome.
But in the end, I am aware I can only do so much. And if my values and priorities do not match those of the people around me and it turns out that we are destined to be completely surrounded by car parking at the expense of play areas, green spaces, plants, birds and insects… Then I guess I will have to pack up and leave and find a place where I have more in common with my neighbours.
Time will tell. All is not lost yet.