Auto Stopped

I have seen just two hitch hikers – a couple outside of Florence – on the whole trip. What a change from forty years ago when I hitched around Europe for the summer. Back then you had to wait in line on the exit roads of each city for your turn to catch a ride.

Now all the main highways and autostradas have signs saying ‘no autostop’. Who decided on that? And on what grounds? It is clearly people who no longer have any interest in doing it themselves. Maybe the ones who were in front of me in the queue back then. It can’t be for safety reasons. I am sure that not many people got hurt hitching and, just like them, I can make up some numbers to prove it.

In my view it’s the demise of a great institution. It helped young people get around and led to conversations, a mixing of people of different wealth and age groups, who otherwise may be antagonistic. Avoided stereotyping.

Of course, it may have died out because young people have more money, higher expectations and less patience.  With more affordable air travel they now head off around the world for their gap year instead of across Europe. But I will never know since I won’t meet them hitching any more. I will just have to live with my stereotype.

The good news is that the roads are empty for anyone who wants to try it. The queues have gone. Now's the time to go.