Carless in Den Haag...

I am enjoying not having a car. I like the fact that I can walk to the local shopping area. I have to bear in mind that I can only buy as much as I can carry - a bag in either hand and a back-pack, maximum. I love the accessibility of public transport. Having armed myself (on Lauren's advice) with an OV Chipcard at Schipol, Amsterdam, I have only to wave the card in front of a device on trams and trains, as I enter and exit, to pay my fare. Very hassle-free (as long as I don't lose the card). The system appears to rely on people's honesty. However twice now I have had my card checked on the tram by inspectors. The last time there was a heated exchange between an inspector and someone who clearly hadn't 'checked in'. So I'm guessing that the possibility of being caught - and a fine - is a sufficient deterrent for most.

If I want to cross the main road from the area where I shop to the area where I live then I have to do the following. Check for bikes and scooters. Cross the bike lane. Check for cars and trams. Cross the road and tram tracks. Check again for bikes and scooters. Cross the bike lane. This is serious stuff. Initially I was on the lookout for cars. Seeing a carless space it was possible to step out right into the path of a fast-moving bicycle. And then to find that a tram was heading straight for me at speed! I've had several close calls and am now more alert to unfamiliar road hazards.

The parking out on our street is designed only for small cars. A gas-guzzling SUV would be a liability here. I like seeing families out on their bikes. It's not a quaint, traditional custom - it's an eminently sensible way of getting around. I so hope, in the rebuild of the Christchurch CBD and the reconsideration of transport options, that we can have a really efficient, accessible public transport system and high status given to cyclists. Of course that does not solve the problem of living in Governors Bay....

I know - odd photo, but these are cute. You can carry them, as we would a basket in the supermarket, or you can  pull them (the handle unfolds). Big trollies are available but this is much better if you are only buying what you can carry. How our supermarkets conspire to encourage motorists and higher consumption!