Cars are the Real Enemy of the Environment

Margaret Thatcher is supposed to have said "A man who, beyond the age of 26, finds himself on a bus can count himself as a failure." The sentiment is still strong as the private car continues to be dominant. Lynsey Hanley pulls no punches in the Guardian, blaming most of our social and environmental ills not on the car, but the driver, saying
"The real enemies of the environment are the obdurate millions who refuse to accept they can function without driving." and "the car does more damage to our bodies, our built environment, our climate and our communities than anyone who drives a lot seems prepared to admit, even to themselves."

Strong language. "People who have always driven, and were driven around as children, have no idea what it's like to be a pedestrian. They don't care about the fumes they emit, because they can't smell or sense them inside their cars. They don't care about the noise they make, because all they can hear while locked inside their car is a low, comforting purr." He damns the government for investing in highways and runways instead of transit; he thinks we have a responsibility to give up our cars and take transit, and concludes: "I'm over 26 and regularly find myself sitting on a bus, I'm Thatcher's definition of a failure. Anyone else care to join me?" ::Guardian