Politicians will say anything to get your vote. They want to save the polar bears, rescue rain forests, proliferate fair trade, and bomb the daylights out of innocent civilians to ensure national security, so we can all sleep at night (with one eye open). They guarantee higher wages, then, instead, wire tap your phone. They also want to ensure that you can keep driving your Hummer, and at an affordable price. Inflated gas prices seem a more pressing concern to legislators than global warming, the war, or the very real, apocalyptic prospects we face if the U.S. and other countries don't act to cease emissions and save ourselves from imminent, polluting doom. If this isn't cause for a carectomy, would a $10 per gallon price pry people from their cars?

Presidential candidates McCain and Clinton are shamelessly pandering for votes with their proposed gas tax holiday, which contradicts their promises to ease dependence on foreign oil, lower emissions, stimulate the souring economy, and create a more sustainable infrastructure. Despite nationwide greenwashing and the overwhelming popularity of allegedly eco-friendly products (most of which do little more than produce waste, assuage consumer guilt, and promote mass consumerism), Americans are standing behind the gas tax holiday because they think it will put money in their pockets. A brief holiday from the gas tax may offer temporary relief from rising gas prices, but the fiscal benefits to drivers will be minimal; $60-70, at most. Thus far, Obama has been the only candidate with the wits, sincerity, and candor to point this out.

For a short but sweet argument against the gas tax holiday, check out this article in the Salt Lake Tribune.


Photos via flickr by christhedunn.

Forget tea, bangers, and bad teeth: Britain's new legacy may be its
progressive steps toward sustainability. The success of former Mayor
Livingstone's carbon tax program in London has made major headway for publicizing problematic emissions and raising eco-awareness. In the private sector, Sustrans, a charitable organization, is making a case for
sustainable transport that encourages both good health and a healthy
planet (thus, walking, cycling, and getting out of the car). Sustrans
endeavors to implement "practical, innovative ways of dealing with the
transport challenges that affect us all."

The charity isn't full of hippie hot air; their impact is real.
Sustrans founded the National Cycle Network, which boasts 10,000 miles
of bike paths that support 230 million journeys every year. The
organization is working to increase the number of journeys by
encouraging more people to walk or bike with their Travel Smart UK
program, which educates the public on how to travel (and function)
sans car.

Decades ago, all you needed to hitch a ride was a wayward thumb and a willingness to walk a few miles. Today, thanks to text messaging, cell phones, and advanced computer networks, hitchhiking is making a comeback—sans the sketchy side effects of picking up a stranger.

Goose Networks is a forerunner in wireless hitchhiking. It helps members literally pimp their rides to nearby pedestrians who need a lift along their planned route. Big employers in Seattle and Boston are piloting the Goose plan (think: “birds of a feather flock together”). Employers engage in real-time ride sharing by sending a text message to the system’s main computer, which then searches for a ride along the rider’s designated route. The service, funded by the employer, is free for both the rider and the driver, and drivers are compensated for a fair fraction of gas and mileage costs. If Goose and its compatriots enjoy success on this scale, they plan to take their text messaging carpools for a longer, grander ride.

Goose reduces emissions and, for many commuters, dependence on cars. Motor vehicles are hardly good for the planet, regardless of how many passengers they carry, but a packed back seat is better than a single passenger behind the wheel. Goose and its compatriots offer a real, salable solution to creating a more sustainable, eco-friendly, and convenient commute.

For more on the nitty gritty of how Goose works, read this review by the Seattle Times.

Sources: Goose Networks, Seattle Times, and Sightline Daily.

Photos via flickr by Gregory Williams and massdistraction.

Think of it as a warmer, friendlier, kookier Critical Mass, with fewer anarchists at its helm. Times Up! hosts festivals for folding bikes and Doggie Pedal Parades, and believes that “Bicycles are traffic, and as such they have the same right to be on the road -- and travel at their own speed -- as other road users. We believe it follows that bicyclists also have the same responsibility as other road users to comply with the traffic laws, including observing such basic requirements as one-way street restrictions and traffic lights.”

In 2006, the New York City grassroots group was voted The Best Activist Organization on Two Wheels by The Village Voice, It’s stood up to ridiculous legislation and lawsuits (like when, in early 2006, NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly tried to outlaw biking in groups of more than two cyclists; the presiding judge ruled that the cyclists weren’t at fault), but maintains its sense of humor. They also offer bike repair workshops, take bike donations, host rides to raise awareness of cyclists, and strive to make New York a “more sustainable, less toxic city.”

Of course, “time is up” not only in New York, but globally. While Hillary Clinton makes a case for an American gas holiday, sensible folk shake their heads. The solution to the nation’s gas crisis isn’t to tap Alaska for oil and destroy the national budget (meanwhile, spewing more emissions into our already sullied air), it’s to hear the essence of this group’s message: time is up, they heyday of cars is over, and it’s time for change. And if it takes Doggie Pedal Parades to make a difference, so be it.

Photos courtesy of Times Up!

The Los Angeles' Times "Emerald City" blog recently ran a great post illustrating how Southern California turned from sunny citrus paradise to car-choked hell. Cassandra Davis mixes an historical account of the evolution of car culture in SoCal with her own firsthand experiences growing up as a Valley Girl.

The Ventura Freeway was completed by 1960, and by 1965 there were already novels written about The Valley’s car culture. City planning, including transportation, was dictated primarily by housing developers.

While housing developments spread, businesses were shaped by the needs of drivers, starting with Valley Plaza in 1951, the first shopping center nationwide designed for the freeway commuter. Shopping shifted to center around busy intersections and thoroughfares so workers could pick up what they needed on their way home.

It is no surprise that high school for my generation revolved around driving a car.

We didn’t carpool because our parents didn’t. The majority of us didn’t take the bus either (again, neither did our parents). The bus was unreliable, dirty, unsafe, and for people who couldn’t afford a car. In fact, very few of us knew how to take a bus.

Companies can encourage their employees to use mass transit by offering tax-free commuter benefits. Employees with access to such programs can use pre-tax dollars to pay for train, subway, and bus passes – saving them money and incenting them out of their cars.

According to a recent study commissioned by TransitCenter, Inc., one in five employees who sign up for tax-free commuter benefits ditches the car in favor of mass transit. The study also indicated that 53% of employees who don't have access to these benefits would use them if available.

From BusinessWire:

• Four in 10 employees surveyed report that their employers offer tax-free commuter benefits programs

• Among those who reported working at a company offering commuter benefits, 62 percent say they participate in the program

• Among employees who signed up for commuter benefits, 41 percent increased their use of mass transit, and 46 percent increased their mass transit usage during weekends
• 18% of employees enrolled in the program went car-free.

Commuter benefits packages may save employers money in the long run: companies need to maintain fewer parking spaces on site. Employees using mass transit are likely to be healthier and perhaps more productive as a result.

Of course fewer cars on the road benefit us all in terms of reduced pollution, cost of subsidized infrastructure, and individual costs of car ownership.

See also: Public Transportation Could Save the World.

Photo via flickr by Different Wave Photography.