wejetset - magazine - GERMANY'S CAR FREE TOWN

GERMANY'S CAR FREE TOWN

When you’ve had a car for the balance of your life, it’s hard to give up. It’s integrated in your psyche that you need one. As soon as you envision parting ways, your brain probably jumps to the extremes. Of course you have to have a car for that emergency run to the hospital. You’ll need one for when you bring home a village size quantity of groceries from the super market. What about those rainy days? But, what if we all abandoned our iron horses and depended more on public transportation, bikes, scooters and walking?

The New York Times recently published an article about a town in Germany where the residents gave up their cars. As reported, “Street parking, driveways and home garages are generally forbidden in this experimental new district on the outskirts of Freiburg, near the French and Swiss borders. Vauban’s streets are completely “car-free” — except the main thoroughfare, where the tram to downtown Freiburg runs, and a few streets on one edge of the community. Car ownership is allowed, but there are only two places to park — large garages at the edge of the development, where a car-owner buys a space, for $40,000, along with a home.” Click Read More for additional information and photos.