| Driving Thru | The Toronto Star Wheels - 03/16/02 | |
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Drive-throughs: are they the epitome of laziness or the ultimate in convenience?
Some would argue they’re an essential time-saving service that makes life easier for busy people, including the less ambulatory and grateful parents spared from the constant tussle with car seats. Others believe drive-thrus, with their long lineups of idling cars spewing toxins into the already polluted air, are the scourge of the earth. In fact some cities, such as Atlanta Georgia, have enacted legislation that restricts drive-through use on days when an ozone emergency or smog day is declared. Well, while the debate rages on, more and more drive-throughs are popping up all over the world. Fast-food restaurants certainly top the list of establishments offering this popular service, but these days it’s also quite common for pharmacies, banks, photo developers, dry cleaners, and even florists to have a drive-through window. |
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But other enterprising businesses have also taken up the idea, and are offering drivers some rather unusual products and services via their pick-up windows.
Authorities in the Netherlands recently announced plans to open two drive-through drug shops, which will sell small quantities of so-called “soft drugs” (This, from the country that also has drive-thru brothels.) It’s hoped that the new drive-throughs will be a safer, faster way of dealing with overflow crowds of German tourists who flock to the Dutch border town of Venlo to buy marijuana and hashish. The drugs, though illegal, are currently sold openly in many Dutch coffee shops. Meanwhile in Pitea, a Swedish town just south of the Arctic Circle, a fast-food outlet is catering to a totally different type of crowd. Snowmobilers, of which there are over 6,000 registered locally, have been given their very own drive-though lane at the local McDonald’s. Food and phones are both major distractions for drivers, but a South African company is offering an alternative to dialing while driving. Drive-though phone booths have been installed at highway gas stations enabling motorists to safely chat while still comfortably ensconced in their car. Governments are also getting in on the act, offering drive-through service for everything from voter registration in Hawaii to San Franciscans dropping off their hazardous waste. It’s also a convenient way to return library books, pay utility bills or straighten out college registration problems. South Carolina’s Department of Revenue holds annual drive-through days where taxpayers can pick up and drop off their income tax forms. Similarly, the City of Regina operates a drive-through service booth for three days prior to their tax deadline. Why not roll down your car window, stick out your arm and get a flue shot? At the drive-through flu shot clinics held throughout California, all they ask is that you wait a few minutes afterwards to ensure you’ve suffered no adverse reactions. Motorists wishing to get into the Christmas spirit might try a drive-through nativity display. Staged at churches from Grenfell, Saskatchewan to sunny New Zealand, this contemporary take on a traditional Yuletide activity is apparently quite popular. Spirits of a different kind are also available. While Canadians must make do with take-out coffee, Americans can actually drive through for a keg of beer in Rochester, New York or a daiquiri in New Orleans or Louisiana. Not to be outdone, in Las Vegas you can drive to the Fiesta Casino and place your bet at “Sports On the Run” the state’s only drive-through sports book. Still feeling lucky? Then motor on over to the Little White Chapel’s Drive Thru Tunnel of Vows, where for a mere $40 US (you supply the marriage license), driver and passenger can exchange “I do’s” at the drive-through wedding window. But certainly the most bizarre drive-thru service is being offered by several American funeral homes. At one location in Florida, you simply pull up to the funeral home’s drive-up viewing window, press the buzzer, and tell them whom you wish to see. While your loved one’s casket is rolled up to the window, privacy screens roll down all around you, thus allowing for a private visitation, all without ever leaving the comfort of your own car. |