The real solution to climate change is explained quite eloquently here. Let me summarize: the solution is not clean cars or hybrids or biofuels or carbon emissions caps or geothermal electricity. The solution is mass transit.
No other method would reduce carbon emissions so quickly, efficiently, and elegantly as a massive shift in the popularity of mass transit. Mass transit is effective at reducing traffic, congestion, pollution, carbon emissions, and accident deaths if--and only if--it is used by a large enough percentage of people traveling. Low-use mass transit is worse than solo driving. But mass transit is better than any of the solutions politicians and lobbyist groups are so excited about today for a host of reasons, the most obvious of which is that it requires absolutely no technological breakthroughs in order to be effective. All it requires is a psychological breakthrough--a shift in the way Americans think and what they expect, and therefore a shift in the way they behave.
Would it be un-American for politicians to push for a shift away from the mass use of cars as primary means of transportation? Well, maybe. But here's an idea that's perfectly capitalist and American: what if we put the real cost of using cars back on the consumer, while shifting some of the subsidies currently going to cars back to where they benefit everyone in mass transit solutions? What if we decreased subsidies to highways and increased highway tolls? What if we subsidized mass transit solutions and delegated funds away from new roads and toward new railways instead? What if we taxed gas? If it were more expensive to drive and more convenient to take mass transit, then consumers would willingly choose the more convenient, more healthy, less expensive solution.
And even apart from climate change, traffic, and peak oil, mass transit is good for a whole host of reasons. It forces you to rub shoulders with your neighbors, even if they look different from you. It helps you battle individualism and recognize your interdependence with those around you. It allows you to rely on others outside of yourself. All of these are very Christian disciplines.
Oh, but wait--I think those are exactly the reasons why Americans don't like it.
Friday, February 16, 2007
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4 comments:
I've been on the mass-transit soapbox for a while now. I so wish Atlanta had a decent mass-transit system! If the subways served more areas, I would totally use MARTA every chance I got. I love the idea of mass transit!
Oh, and I'm sure more people riding bikes wouldn't hurt, either.
As far as the whole "meeting different people," this is exactly the reason why the county I live in won't let MARTA in: they're concerned that it would bring in "undesirable people." Sigh...
¡Viva la mass transit!
It's true that Atlanta doesn't have a very good system, but I've been surprised by how much I can use it. The rail system, of course, is unpleasantly simple, but the buses actually cover a lot more area than I expected. It's just that it's so terribly confusing--and time-consuming--to figure out when the buses go where and match the times to the rails. But with a train ride, a bus ride or two, a bike, and a lot of patience, you can get pretty much anywhere in Atlanta by public transportation.
Lucky for you. I tried said county bus system to get from my home to my piano teacher's house, but the bus schedules simply won't work. To get there on time, I'd have to get home from work about an hour earlier, or I'd have to reschedule my lessons for an hour later.
BTW, do you take your bike on the train? I was wondering if they allowed that...
Marta's answer to your question. In a word, yes.
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