Today I read a blog post.

I think it was linked to by the hughtrain person. I wish I'd delicioused it. Here -- I found it. Anyway, I think the blogger, ranting blatherer (The title of the blog is actually, "Raving Lunacy," -- I was close) or some such, was talking about how lousy the Big 3 "employee discounts for everyone" programs were because cars are quickly being made obsolete by the Internet and a bunch of other trends. I hope this is true! I loathe cars. I agree that meatspace shopping, at least for the purpose of buying stuff, is probably going by the wayside and good riddance. What's the point of driving all over the place to buy something? However, shopping and going to stores isn't just about buying stuff. There's a social, promenade aspect to the whole thing as well. You go to the mall (or cruise the plaza) to see and be seen. What about that part of the activity?

We primarily use our car to go to appointments -- to connect with the service economy -- and to visit friends. How is that going to be replaced with online activity? It's not. Now if public transit were better, maybe car-free living would be a pleasant prospect. As it is, I do not think we will be selling our automobile anytime soon.

Technorati tag: car-free