Bob Paolino wrote: > In Message: 3 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > A. "Miles Less Traveled", p. 10 of: > > http://www.danenet.org/bcp/bta/spokenword_1199.pdf > > or see: > > Plan to Reduce Auto Usage: > > http://www.danenet.org/bcp/vmr.pdf
> Perhaps, and the basic concept has some merit even though some of the > specifics are flawed, but regardless of what you think of the details of > this paper that continues to be trotted out as the answer to nearly > everything imaginable ill, Mike (Barrett) is still correct. You simply > can not, repeat CAN NOT, realistically begin to reduce auto usage in the > absence of decent transit. A decent rapid transit system that runs > frequently, efficiently, and at affordable fares is the prerequisite to > anything else you could ever hope to do to get people out of their cars > more often. The Madison area already has an excellent and well-used transit system, comparing very favorably to systems in similarly sized areas as well as peer transit systems with similar service levels. Yet despite having such a system, and a bicycle path system for much of the city that's top notch compared to most similar sized cities around the country, most Madisonians continue to choose driving their own cars to work everyday, mostly alone in their vehicle. According to the Draft Comprehensive Plan, the percentage share of City of Madison commuters driving alone to work increased from 61 percent to 66 percent from 1990 to 2000, and the percentage share taking mass transit dropped from 7.7 percent to 7.2 percent. A decent public transit system is clearly NOT enough of a draw to Madisonians to get them out of their cars, SUVs and other motorized vehicles and using a more environmentally sustainable and community-friendly mode of travel such as Madison Metro transit. The answer is clearly not to provide yet another mass transit system on top of the one that's currently not even being used to capacity. The answer is to find ways to make it more desirable for Madisonians to choose mass transit and non motorized forms of travel options over driving their own personally owned automobiles, particular driving alone. (See above links.) Now go have a beer, or two, or three... but whatever you do, please don't drive! Mike Neuman "It is never pointless to think about alternatives that may at the moment seem improbable, impossible, or simply fantastic."-- Václav Havel _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
