Reply #8: Car dependency [View All]

[Rjnerd]

The median auto trip in the US is under 2 miles. Yes, even with sprawl zoning, "zipper" suburbs, big box regional stores, etc, half of the time someobody gets into their car, it moves less than 2 miles.

Just imagine how much less oil we would import if even 10% of the trips were converted to human power. Not to mention its impact on our obesity epidemic. It should not take 2 tons of steel, and a cup of petroleum to transport a healthy 12 year old a mile to an athletic practice. (or an 8 ounce video tape a comparable distance)

One of the differences with the European system, is that their fuel taxes actually come close to covering the cost of providing the road system. In the US, the gas tax covers a small fraction of the cost of building and maintaining the road system. (most of the cost comes from local property and sales taxes). This makes the apparent cost of auto use artifically low. It also means that public transit pay a far higher share of the costs. (those without motor vehicles subsidize those that use them. All of us subsidize heavy trucks, they do a lot more damage to the roads than they pay for their use)


Cycling (even as poorly practiced in the US) is safer than driving. (done correctly it is significantly safer). Still not as safe as public transportation, but... In the UK, where cycling is comparable in risk to driving (due to narrower roads, and higher speed limits) the health benefits make it a net gain over driving.


One of my favorite bumper stickers says "If I had ridden my bicycle, you could have parked here"