Bill Ford: A future beyond traffic gridlock | Video on TED.com

I’m glad that in this talk Bill Ford addresses other issues the use of automobiles is causing beside the environmental ones. Don’t get me wrong, the environmental issue is very important but there are others with equal importance.

Look at our cities, how they are mostly designed around a chaotic network of roads. Look at our buildings, how they have to be surrounded by endless rows of parking spots and buildings dedicated to parking. Look at our daily schedule, how much time we are spending inside our cars. Look at our stress levels, how much is caused by being stuck in traffic, by not being able to find a parking spot, by that a*hole who cut in front of us. Look at our finances, how much money we spend a month on car payments, gas, insurance, repairs and parking. Look at our life, how many are lost because of traffic accidents.

Making cars and car grids smarter and environmentally friendly is a good start but we need to get rid of humanity’s dependency on cars. Get rid of roads, get rid of parking spots, get rid of cars. I believe that better massive public transportation systems is the way to go.