Dear (un)leash,
In this neck of the woods (Idaho improper) the choice of poisons is the 10
cylinder Dodge 4X4 chew-up-the-terrain all weather off-road. In political
environmental conversations, the statement always comes up, "but we're so spread
out and there is no mass transit" (which there isn't). I felt like I stepped over
the line last semester, when I asked a relatively decent political science
professor what he drove, after his long tyrannical lecture on US oil and energy
consumption and how Americans equate autos with freedom... he admitted in an
"it's not me" way, that his wife talked him into the poison of choice.
I sold my '83 4X4 slant-six Dodge Ram 150 1/2 ton status camp truck the next day
for half of what it's worth. I lived a few months without a vehicle this winter,
outside of city limits with children. It was near impossible to make it to my
son's piano lessons, or much of anything else after dark in this year's fortunate
few ice storms, if it weren't for graduation this May I'd live on campus in
family housing and pay three times the money, potentially saved by forfeiting the
vehicle. Bites when you're trying to organize and not able to get around.
Yesterday I purchased a car, the smallest car I could find for the price I could
afford. A tiny, boxy Mazda, '86 model when cars were being made for gas mileage,
may it hold the icy road. I feel good about it, but not good enough. I miss LA
for transit, but I don't miss being a literal victim of violent crime (husband
murdered via transit by gun) or the residual fear I felt riding the bus system in
LA. I know I am fortunate to have a child able to take piano lessons in Idaho,
but at what cost? Bike Now is making inroads to this community, after more than
one bicycler's death on the road this year. Horrid realities. Is there any way to
up the protection anti for travelers? Or is this idea just another way to
separate the haves from the have nots? Is there any way to instill community
civility or some way to share life under the circumstance that prevents the very
real threat of murder?
I will once again write Idaho's new governor, former senator Kempthorne and
insist that he accept the federal offer of mega-bucks to build a transit system
here. I will tell him again that Idaho's strange precarious need for
individuality and separation from federal laws is nothing more than a
stranglehold on progress.
/donna
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> "AND USING (ah, too many
> people say they want public transportation and then don't use it!)"
>
> A lot of public transportation is not safe.
>
> I tend to dress differently and can easily become a target for xenophobia. A
> car provides protection. I would say a great deal of my negativity towards
> public transportation has to do with this safety issue.
>
> Also, I am subject to frailty, and irregular timing of buses plus no weather
> sheltering makes it more difficult.
>
> Also, I am a night person, and there is rarely public transportation of any
> reliability at night.
>
> I'm not complaining. These are legitimate grievances that if solved would go a
> long way towards facilitating my entry into the public transpo system.
>
> Also, it's not cheap.
>
> (un)leash
