> From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Scott Rose Wrote: > > > I moved to Vancouver BC in 1999, .... Parking on > campus? Deep cuts as surface parking lots have been converted to > high-density housing so that several thousand of the people commuting > into campus daily can eliminate the need. More recently, the proposed > city transportation budget was unveiled-- there was almost as much > funding for bicycle and pedestrian improvements as there was for MV > improvements. > > It's possible for governments and universities to take steps to reduce > automobile traffic. It just takes political will.... > > > Vancouver BC is clearly way ahead of UW-Madison and the City of Madison in > encouraging less automobile driving. Here, the UW-Madison believes all it > needs to do is to convert their existing campus parking lots to parking ramps > (give or take a few thousand spaces). > The City of Madison is even worse in their planning for the status quo. But > the Madison community as a whole is not much better. For example, I > testified at the City of Madison long range "Comprehesive" Plan hearing > earlier this month. I was the only person demanding an aggressive stance by > the city in reducing motor vehicle driving to and from the city. I reminded > them that we've have way more bad air days in Madison in 2005 than in > previous years (4 ozone action days and 7 days having air health advisories > for combustion particle pollutants), and that Madison should do its fair > share in reducing greenhouse gases from motor vehicle driving (and flying). > Unfortunately, when only one or two individuals raise concerns about problems > such as health concerns and excessive motor vehicle congestion, the effects > are trivialized. > You're right that it takes political will by government, universities and > other public officials in a community to reduce automobile traffic, > especially since most people prefer to drive cars. But unless some of the > deadbeats in Madison come out and demand change to the status quo of too much > auto driving in Madison, the auto pollution, traffic and number of bicyclist > collisions with automobiles in Madison will just continue to grow.
Well, all the "political will" and all the "deadbeats coming out" in the world won't make up for the obvious, overriding factor here: Canada: government has a modicum of control of industry U.S: industry (esp. the oil industry) UTTERLY controls government --------------- Paul T. O'Leary Desktop Insurgent Madison, WI USA _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
