Thoughts on the Third Rail

In a recent posting Glenn Mercer took the courageous step of touching the "third rail."  He wrote:

We need to ask or compel vehicle manufacturers to make more efficient and cleaner vehicles.  We need to ask or compel fuel suppliers to provide the fuels that will enable supply of such vehicles (e.g. ethanol, electricity, hydrogen...).  And we need to ask or compel drivers to consume less vehicle miles. 

The "third rail," fatal to touch (like social security or seat belt interlock) purports to reduce VMT - vehicle miles traveled.  It is true that VMT has been increasing faster than population and faster than GNP.  We
need to seriously ask ourselves what it takes to reduce VMT.   Some high percentage (I seem to remember 80%) of VMT are due to work commute.

Many times it is not a matter of choice.   People cannot afford housing nearer their work place - lack of urban planning!  Sure, in the end we do it to ourselves, but land use (mis)planning should be mentioned along with (as Glenn puts it), "evil Detroit and evil Big Oil."   We require an environmental impact statement for any major project.   We should also require a transportation energy use impact statement whenever a new subdivision is built or a suburb stretches out far beyond places of work.

It is not so much as "we need to ask or compel drivers to consume less vehicle miles," as we need NOT to compel drivers to have to drive such long distances to work.   Incidentally it is one of the worst health hazards too and not just due its effect on air quality.

Comments

[Autoguy]

Interesting thoughts.. and definitely forward thinking. But how far forward do we think the government may stretch???

Keep posting and getting the word out- The Manufacturers and Society will eventually listen :)

[Bankruptcy]

Yes! People cannot afford housing nearer their work place - lack of urban planning and it's good that you require an environmental impact statement for any major project and a transportation energy use.. thanks!
http://insolvency.freehostia.com/
Bankruptcy file
http://bankruptcy.site40.net/
Wage earner bankruptcy
http://bankruptcy.freewhost.com/
Business bankruptcy

[Melanie Perry]

It also depends on the city...

I commute, not because of expensive housing in the city near work, but, because of the substandard educational system.
I LOVED living in the city. All of the great attractions as well as the minuscule commute made it ideal.

But, almost everyone around here (St. Louis) who moves to the county and commutes back to the city are doing it for the good of their children's education (and sometimes safety).

But, those things might also be able to be addressed by better urban planning.