Living in an automobile dependent community means that you have to drive your car everywhere. Each type of community is different, yet living in an automobile dependent community probably has the most negative attributes. In cities, you do not need to use the car at all. So many places are located in the vicinity, and public transportation is always available. Living in a suburban community is more difficult because not everything is located close to your home, and public transportation is not as prominent. However, you can drive your car in order to arrive at the places that you desire to attend. Within such a community, you may not even need to drive for an extended period of time. In an automobile dependent community, you may not have any stores located where you live. The closest convenience store may be located miles away. This is not convenient at all.
One of the drawbacks of automobile dependent communities is that it causes concern when contending with emergency situations. It is good to know if a hospital is located near your house. However, in an automobile dependent community, the nearest hospital may be located far from where you live. This means that it will take longer for you to drive to the hospital, and it will take longer for the emergency services to arrive. When dealing with life or death situations, the longer the patient has to wait for the proper care, the worse the situation becomes.
Another drawback of automobile dependent communities is that is contributes to a higher degree of environmental pollution. In an automobile dependent community, you have to drive the car on more occasions than you would if you lived in a community with public transportation. This means that more cars are on the road at a given time. Therefore, the air will be more polluted, and you will have to spend more money on gas for the car.
Being dependent on the car is a concern in itself. Having the ability to take public transportation is good, especially if your car breaks. Taking care of a car is not only a large responsibility, but it is also very costly. You will have to purchase gas for the car a lot, and take the car for maintenance. If the car breaks, then you will have to pay even more money. This is not only unfavorable financially, but it also contributes to a greater amount of stress.
When living in an automobile community, you have to be more efficient when you plan your trips. Since the stores are not located within walking distance, you do not have the option to spontaneously decide to drive to the store. Therefore, after work, you have to make sure that you purchase everything that you need to. Making a separate trip would only waste more time and money. This is inconvenient, especially if you forgot something important and need to make another trip.
Living in an automobile dependent community also means that you have to know how to drive, and have a driver’s license. Some individuals in cities do not have a driver’s license. Therefore, if they desire to live in an automobile dependent community, they need to learn how to drive. A person cannot be dependent on others all the time for rides when living in such a community. It is not always possible and it inhibits independence.
One of the biggest drawbacks of automobile dependent communities is the time wasted commuting from one place to another. If the stores and offices are located within walking distance, then this saves time. The time saved on the commute allows for more time to spend with the family and friends. However, taking the car everywhere means that people always need to set aside the proper amount of time to arrive where they need to be. This is not always as negative as it could be, yet when the work office is far away, commuting long distances everyday can become monotonous and stressful.
In an automobile dependent community, people are not able to be as active. They spend so much time in the car that they do not have as much time to exercise. When people live close to work and to the stores, they are able to walk to more places. Walking is a wonderful way to exercise, and walking to the stores is more enjoyable than riding in a car.
When living in an automobile dependent community, you will have to drive the car at least twice each day. This increases your risk of having an auto accident. Even though auto accidents can occur in any community, you have a greater change of being in one when you are driving. If you are a person that does not feel comfortable driving so frequently, then living in an automobile dependent community might not be the best decision.
Living in an automobile dependent community is not only composed of negative consequences, yet there are more drawbacks than positive attributes. With the time and money spent on owning a car and driving everywhere, you will not have that much time in your day to spend on other tasks. You have to plan your day more carefully and you cannot take a pleasant walk to the store. Before deciding to live in an automobile dependent community, you must consider these factors.
