Carrot 0, Stick 1: Gas Prices Cause Boom in Bikes, Transit
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 4.08
As gas prices soar, so does interest in bicycling in Mass. BOSTON--Drivers clear a lane, bicyclists are taking to the road in record numbers in Massachusetts. In Cambridge ridership has soared 70 percent in five years, the MBTA is launching a "Bike Coach" to let riders bring their bicycles to beaches this summer and across the state bicycle shops are struggling to keep up with demand. ::Bike Commute Tips
High gas prices lead to surge in mass transit It's standing-room-only on many commuter buses from Washington's suburbs. Rail systems from Boston to Los Angeles are begging passengers to shift their travel to non-peak hours. And some seats have been removed from San Francisco's subway cars to allow more people to cram in. Around the country, high gas prices are pushing more people to leave their cars at home and crowd onto trains, buses and subways. ::Associated Press
The American car culture is running out of gas:Across the nation, the price of gasoline is sending more and more Americans to public transit. This ridership surge points up three things: (1) These millions of new riders can do it. Most of them always could have. They just didn't. (2): We're not at the end of car culture yet . . . that's a few generations off . . . but (3) it's clear, in not-quite-hindsight, that the U.S. car culture does not work. ::Philadelphia Inquirer
See TreeHugger"
Public Transit Looking More Attractive in the Face of Record Gas ...
Transit Should Be Free : TreeHugger
Invest in Transit , not Cars, Says PIRG : TreeHugger
Have You Reduced Your Dependence on Cars? : TreeHugger
Are Gas Prices High Enough? : TreeHugger
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Our local Park n' Ride lot is FULL and the state is discussing small commuter van/bus lines. We're a very rural state so its pretty hard to do mass transit, but someone is finally thinking about it. I just wish the ATV riders lobbying group hadn't managed to convince a couple towns to rip out the existing railroad tracks to make ATV trails. That was one of the Dumbest things I've ever heard of.
I'm purposely limiting my job search to companies within ten miles or that are willing to let me telecommute.
There's no way I'm driving 25 - 45 miles with gas at $5 a gallon, even if I do get 40mpg on the highway.
I'm finishing up my M.A. and my criteria is being able to bike to work and the store. It makes life much more enjoyable.