About a year ago the 35W bridge collapsed. This came after record low spending on transportation infrastructure. This headline juxtaposes memorial for last year's disaster on the 'W' branch of Interstate 35 as it passes through our fair metropolis with chunks of the 'E' branch falling on passing cars.
And then, of course, there are those who will blame the funding shortfalls on spending earmarked for bike paths. Fortunately, there are some who understand that spending on non -war-for-oil transportation options is sound policy. I realize that the pie is only so big but the spending on alternative transportation is mere crumbs of that pie and, more importantly, is out of proportion with the value it delivers.
A final thought:
Why is Minneapolis consistently in the top five US cities for bicycle commuting even though we have long, harsh winters? It's because we have the infrastructure that makes it possible. How different would our addiction to oil be if our infrastructure were in place across our nation? Maybe we wouldn't feel the need to sacrifice so many of our young patriots to keep the flow of oil coming.
I'm just sayin'...
For some great ideas on alternative check out http://www.rmi.org
ReplyDeleteIt's a non political research center.
We could get by using less than 10% of the oil we use now simply by building efficient machines. It's worth checking out.
Hey midnight rider, great link, thanks!
ReplyDeletePerhaps with the increasing energy costs there will be more motivation to invest in alternatives.