CBC Radio's The Current has an interesting discussion on moves in Canada's two largest cities to facilitate commuting by bicycle. Both Toronto and Vancouver shut down a car lane on one of their main streets and turned each into two bike lanes. Not surprisingly, the move to expand transportation options has proved controversial. But as Toronto's mayor rightly pointed out, the purpose of roads is not to move cars, but to move people. I suspect Jim Kunstler would agree.
In addition to the obvious environmental and quality of life costs of society's fetish with the automobile, one of the guests points out the huge economic opportunity costs of so many cars. Expensive urban land that's devoted to ever expanding roads and parking lots is land that's not being devoted to something that produces economic wealth. So we're spending money in order to reduce the possibilities of making money.
4 comments:
I agree with your sentiments but don't get the "self-absorbed" shtick, and think it's more productive to find allies among drivers (who are, after all, most people) than to insult them.
Well, I believe it to be true (a commentary as much on what seems to be a cultural value as anything else). Perhaps just annoyance at things like nearly being hit by drivers yacking or texting on their cell phones or being yelled at to get on the sidewalk by drivers... even more stupefying when done so on roads without sidewalks. Though I take your point that perhaps some things are better left unsaid.
I guess my point is more this: You wouldn't make such statements about other groups, or you'd be called a racist or whatever, although you can make general statements like bicycling being better for the environment than driving, and by all means pursue pedestrian-fiendly policies and civic design. I do not doubt that some drivers behave badly, but that behavior should not be used to characterize the entire group, which includes most people. And when (in the somewhat distance past) I was a bicycle messenger in Manhattan, there were plenty of my colleagues riding recklessly and endangering pedestrians. I was not one of the more reckless, but like most did not abide by the rules of the road. Once, to my mortification, when going the wrong way on a one-way street, I braked to avoid an elderly pedestrian who was looking the other way, but was unable to prevent him walking into me and falling over. I guess technically he shouldn't have been crossing in the middle of the street, but I still do that when I'm on foot. Our society relies on driving, and people have to do it, and none of us is perfect.
There are two points here. The truth of my assertion and the wisdom of stating (er, publishing) it.
I stand by the general truth of my statement. I don't claim it's true of all drivers. I'm speaking of a broad mentality of the dominant culture. It's little different than the vast generalizations you frequently make about "liberals."
Gas taxes only cover about 60 pct of road construction and maintenance which means that the other 40 pct comes from the general fund, into which I pay. I feel that gives me a right to comment on transportation policy. The reason my statement matters is that the mentality to which I refer affects policy. One of the general characteristics of the driving culture is the abhorrence to the idea of having to walk, even in a more or less pedestrian friendly setting like GF.
The GF mayor and developers are trying to hoodwink people into believing there is a parking crisis in downtown. However, if you actually go downtown on a weekday afternoon, you will find plenty of empty spots. One downtown businessman did a week long count and found that on the average weekday, only about 40 pct of downtown parking spots were used at any one time. I know that when I went to a sold out hockey game at the Civic Center, arriving late, my friend parked right in front of City Hall. If there's plenty of parking when all city workers are in the office and when there are 6000 people in the Civic Center, then when could there possibly be more demand for parking?
The "problem" is that for many of the spots, you actually have to walk a block... ie: half the distance you'd walk if you parked at the mall. That's how the mentality can distort policy discussions.
As to the wisdom of stating this publicly, I've already conceded the point to you.
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