Smart Travel
and attractive that on any city street “you could cast a commutes, while even on The League of American Bicy-
Pepsi commercial in 30 seconds.” clists’ “Bike to Work Day” each May only 6.2m - in a
“In the 1970s, bicycling still wasn’t a priority in the nation of 300m – arrive on two wheels.
way of planning in the city,” transportation planner Lasse Efforts by such notaries as economists Robert Samuel-
Lindstrom says. “We have photos of bicyclists in town son, Robert Frank and Nobel laureate Gary Becker, col-
hall square demanding better facilities for transporta- umnist Tom Friedman, energy guru Charles Maxwell
tion and that lead to political awareness and then the and even the American Trucking Association to seri-
planners followed. “Today, bicycling is so normal it’s ously hike the national 18.4 cents per gasoline (24 cent
like putting on your shoes.” diesel) tax to decrease usage while paying for infra-
structure improvements continue to fall on deaf con-
On the waterfront gressional ears. In times of economic decline, like today,
Copenhagen opened an already-crowded US$6m bike- politicians are fearful of addressing the voters’ one
pedestrian bridge across the Sydhaven waterway in bright spot – declining energy prices – while in boom
2006. And in the latest twist, a huge, beautiful new opera times the rapid rise in auto fuel prices makes it impos-
house on the waterfront held its ribbon-cutting in 2008 sible for politicians to offer pain to the voter’s palate.
without the construction of a single automobile parking There is never a “spoonful of sugar to help the medicine
space, saving an estimated two-thirds go down.”
of the comparable American con-
“The Commission on
struction costs.
In every possible way, from eco-
the Future of
Voyage into space
Policy-makers and planners, at all
nomic health to planetary survival,
Transportation in
levels – who typically are drivers
moving daily transportation toward
muscle-power is a prime solution but
Virginia noted that
themselves – instead sensibly refuse
to challenge the deep-seated Ameri-
in America, the country which pro-
it’s counterproductive
can notion that cars equate with free-
duces 45 of the world’s total automo-
tive greenhouse emissions and has
to attempt to free
dom; a cultural phenomena exhibited
in every car commercial which shows
the world’s most obese population,
drivers from
countless vehicles charging down
another economic crisis is leading
toward the building and repairing of
congestion with
open roads in spectacular outback
locations and a phenomena exhibited
“shovel-ready” car facilities by an
construction”
in every film and television show
administration allegedly dedicated which never has any hero in his or her
to being green. hot car desperately seeking an urban parking space.
It’s the ultimate “Catch 22.” American policy-makers The data, however, indicates that American cars aver-
can’t change infrastructure policy from driver-first for age spending 95 per cent of the day parked and the
fear of losing voter support and American voters can’t Texas Transportation Institute reports that Americans
change behavior because they have little infrastructure lose 4.2billion hours and US$78billion dollars stuck in
to battle their fears of sharing space with cars. With traffic annually.
more cars per household in America than drivers today, In 1998, The Commission on the Future of Transporta-
statistically speaking bicycle and pedestrian transpor- tion in Virginia noted that it’s counterproductive to
tation simply doesn’t exist. The Department of Trans- attempt to free drivers from congestion with construc-
portation reports that 60-65billion annual trips are car tion. “Urban planning experts say it is a futile exercise
Melbourne
Barcelona
www.thinkinghighways.com Thinking Highways Vol 4 No 1 53
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