I’ve been thinking about our transportation/energy problems here in the US of A.
Bare with me as I explain the flow of my thoughts. Because the US is big, successful, and spreadout, trains are not able to provide a large level of transportation solutions as is they do in Europe. Partly because trains aren’t available on a large scale level, we are instead nearly completely reliant on automobiles.
In the US, because trains aren’t necessarily a viable solution we must focus on improving our various modes of personal transportation.
The first avenue and possibly the most effective avenue to look down is to make automobiles more efficient. This should be done through both incentives and penalties.
The second avenue is to encourage means of alternative transportation for local transport. Every person should have a bike, moped, motorcycle, or electric car for local transportation.
Even with a significant shift, people would often still need to rely on cars for long distance travel, carrying large items, traveling in bad weather, and traveling for the disabled. But for local transport there is an incredible under use of alternative transportation that is vastly more efficient than using an automobile.
How do we get people to use alternative transportation?
Can we offer tax incentives?
Can we create coalitions of alternative (secondary, local) vehicles for bikes/mopeds/motorcycles/electric cars?
Can the government give out bicycles?
Can a business somehow lead or show the way?
How about a business that offers all of these transportation alternatives?
How about getting more infrastructure to support these alternative vehicles?
Why don’t environmentalists and bicycle advocates form coalitions that support all forms of light weight, efficient transportation:mopeds. motorcycles, electric cars, etc?