There are so many advantages to being car-free, especially living in a city with a great infrastructure. By walking and using public transport we have all managed to get to know our way around Berlin very well. I often think if we were driving around the city there would be added stresses of one navigating while the other drives, learning new road rules (so many I still don't understand), and finding street parking out and at home. At it is, using the U-bahn is an added part of any day out. Working out which line we need and how that will get us to our destination becomes second nature. And I must say I love the incidental exercise.
It concerns me how easy it is to just jump in the car and zip to the shops for that bottle of milk. When everything is so hectic and time is so precious, it seems that those few extras minutes needed to walk the journey just can't be found. When you don't have a car, there is no option.
During a walk back from the supermarket yesterday, we were talking about how relaxing this journey is, and how we really need to be more conscious of our car use back in Perth. We had the idea of a no-car-zone: any trip under two kilometres should not involve the car.
I found this
great piece of online software that draws a given radius around a point on a map. My plan is to make a copy and stick it to the fridge for the whole family to use. It is amazing how many places we visit fit inside the ring.
Why not have a go and see how many places fit inside a one or two kilometre radius of where you live.
Take care
