Martha Sandberg
Kingfield
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 00:36:03 EST
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Mpls] Pregnant Women On Pedicabs, Peaceful Infrastructure, Healthy Hospitals
>From the sound of Jeff Carlson's post on the last STRIDE meeting, good things were accomplished.? We had a Sustainable Transportation Project last week as well - more folks are joining in this process of creating an infrastructure of peace in our city.
It seems that the topic of getting pregnant women to the hospital came up at STRIDE.? I do want folks to know that at least one pregnant woman chose to ride a pedicab to the hospital to deliver her baby -- not here in Minneapolis, but know that the OrganicEngines SUV (Sensible Utility Vehicle) can give a safe and comfortable ride for many people in many circumstances.
Also note that bicycle ambulances are a part of emergency response teams in an increasing? number of cities.? Bike paramedics can move through crowds of people or other traffic with bike-adapted "lights and siren," arriving to provide assistance long before any motorized ambulance.? Bike ambulances can safely carry quite a bit of equipment, and can even tow specially designed trailers if needed.
It is important to note, also, that our current "infrastructure of violence" harms the environment and people here and around the planet.? Cars kill more people with pollution than with crashes, and now we know that they kill people as our foreign policy and military dominate and decimate countries around the world in order to control the oil supply.
We can liberate ourselves from the need for this by using more peaceful technologies.? Our Mayor, City council, and State Reps should immediately shift city and state diesel vehicles to biodiesel.? This will support local agribusiness, cut pollution, and contribute to global peace. Other cities and states may follow suit. Remember that the diesel engine was designed to run on peanut oil, not on petroeum-derived diesel!
The most peaceful urban infrastructure of all favors and encourages active transportation -- walking and biking -- over all others.? Walking and biking build communities, whereas overloaded, hyperexpanded freeways destroy them.? Peace begins in the way we move around our city in our daily lives.? Auto-based transportation is violent from the start.? Driving a car is like driving a machine gun through the environment -- not only greenhouse gasses, but 66% of airborne carcinogens come from cars and trucks.
Allina and Abbot-NW Hospital should consider encouraging sustainable transportation from a public health perspective.? Health care costs will be greatly reduced by active transportation and improved air quality. If we do not flood hospitals with preventable disease and injuries, medical costs can go down while the medical professionals can be freed up to concentrate on those problems we are not creating for ourselves. Our healthcare dollars could be spent on improving health instead of undoing the damage we inflict with our passive, violent, polluting infrastructure.
Our planet is in very serious trouble.? The violence of our lifestyle is catching up with us very quickly.? "We the people" have the power to make changes in spite of all the forces working to lock us in to the violent, over-consuming, self-destructive lifestyle we have been sold as the American Dream.? It is time to dream our own dreams again - not dreams of personal comfort, but dreams of peace.
I dare to dream of pregnant women on pedicabs, of peaceful infrastructure, of healthy hospitals.? I am working to make these dreams come true.
--pedaling for patriotic peace in King Field -- Gary Hoover
