First, we heard that cities like Washington D.C. are initiating bike share programs. Then, there was the amazing news that about consumers are turning in their monstrous SUVs for smaller, more fuel efficient cars (hurray!). Now, we’re learning that gas prices have urged commuters to take the train, subway or bus instead of their personal vehicles. It seems that the way to change in America really is through our wallets, not through our heads and hearts. Though we’ve been warned for years that we needed to shift our way of thinking about transportation and energy, we haven’t listened, until now – when gas prices have reached $4 a gallon in many cities and are steadily rising.
The New York Times has it:
Mass transit systems around the country are seeing standing-room-only crowds on bus lines where seats were once easy to come by. Parking lots at many bus and light rail stations are suddenly overflowing, with commuters in some towns risking a ticket or tow by parking on nearby grassy areas and in vacant lots.
“In almost every transit system I talk to, we’re seeing very high rates of growth the last few months,” said William W. Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association.
“It’s very clear that a significant portion of the increase in transit use is directly caused by people who are looking for alternatives to paying $3.50 a gallon for gas.”
This is exciting. It’s a brilliant illustration of why high gas prices are a good thing for America. With the disturbing fact that Americans are the least fired up about global warming despite being the most educated about it, it seemed as if nothing could shake us up enough to make people willing to change. Even the specter of gloom and doom in the form of food and water shortages, towns being so polluted they have to be evacuated and insanely severe natural disasters (hello, anyone remember Hurricane Katrina?) didn’t seem to be enough to spur action. Now we know for sure. It’s all about the Benjamins. Crazy, but whatever works. Now we just need local and state governments to start putting money into transit systems, so people don’t get disenchanted with them when they show their limits.
The New York Times has it:
Mass transit systems around the country are seeing standing-room-only crowds on bus lines where seats were once easy to come by. Parking lots at many bus and light rail stations are suddenly overflowing, with commuters in some towns risking a ticket or tow by parking on nearby grassy areas and in vacant lots.
“In almost every transit system I talk to, we’re seeing very high rates of growth the last few months,” said William W. Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association.
“It’s very clear that a significant portion of the increase in transit use is directly caused by people who are looking for alternatives to paying $3.50 a gallon for gas.”
This is exciting. It’s a brilliant illustration of why high gas prices are a good thing for America. With the disturbing fact that Americans are the least fired up about global warming despite being the most educated about it, it seemed as if nothing could shake us up enough to make people willing to change. Even the specter of gloom and doom in the form of food and water shortages, towns being so polluted they have to be evacuated and insanely severe natural disasters (hello, anyone remember Hurricane Katrina?) didn’t seem to be enough to spur action. Now we know for sure. It’s all about the Benjamins. Crazy, but whatever works. Now we just need local and state governments to start putting money into transit systems, so people don’t get disenchanted with them when they show their limits.
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