{"id":23714,"date":"2018-02-06T11:05:59","date_gmt":"2018-02-06T11:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145710.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=23714"},"modified":"2018-01-26T18:09:45","modified_gmt":"2018-01-26T18:09:45","slug":"mackinac-island-city-where-cars-have-been-outlawed-since-1898","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikocity.com\/mackinac-island-city-where-cars-have-been-outlawed-since-1898\/","title":{"rendered":"Mackinac Island — City Where Cars Have Been Outlawed Since 1898"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can you imagine what it would be like if there weren’t noisy cars everywhere spewing out smelly exhaust? Sounds nice, right? Well, apparently, there is a place that is just like that, and even located within the US — Mackinac Island, located in Lake Huron, has been car-free since all the way back in 1898.<\/p>\n

\"cars<\/a>
Image Credit: Mackinac Island Street<\/a> via Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While most people nowadays are used to the presence of cars — and all the noise and pollution that accompanies them — when they first came on the scene more than a hundred years ago, there was actually quite a lot of opposition to them. They were even completely banned within some cities\/towns. Over time, of course, priorities have shifted and those in power have relaxed the restrictions, but not everywhere.<\/p>\n

Mackinac Island — located offshore of mainland Michigan, in Lake Huron — never rescinded the ban on automobiles, or as one resident at the time called them, “mechanical monsters.” The residents at the time apparently objected to the noise and exhaust — in short, they wanted a cleaner, healthier, quieter environment. Pretty easy to relate to, no?<\/p>\n

While the city now serves primarily just as a vacation spot during the summer months, it does give us a glimpse into what life would be like if gas-powered automobiles were completely phased out and replaced with bicycles, electric vehicles, or some other option — and it certainly seems nice….<\/p>\n

“The air is cleaner and injuries are fewer,” writes Jeff Potter, of Bikede<\/em><\/a>. “Island residents are healthier due to the exercise. There\u2019s a cherished egalitarianism: everyone gets around the same way. They also save a tremendous amount of money that would normally go to commuting by cars.”<\/p>\n

\"car<\/a>
Image Credit: Mackinac Island<\/a> via Flickr CC<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n