Americans
enjoyed reasonably good gasoline prices for so long that the recent
price hikes over the last 5 years have become a catalyst for change in
the American and world landscape. Bicycles are now in short supplies
in cities like New York, and there's a record number of people taking
public transit, but the chief complaint has always been the lack of
proper infrastructure. In this piece, I want to examine transportation
in America and see exactly how we got to where we are now.
Common Knowledge- transport in America
Starting
from the ridiculous beginning. . . . In the beginning there were
feet. People walked or rode horses- except in Alaska, where they used
dogsleds. It was pretty slow and they could only transport what they
could get onto wagons and waterways. When locomotives were introduced
in the US, the beginnings of land-based mass-transit began. Suddenly
people could travel from State to State on a train, but more
importantly, people were able to go from one end of the city to the
other with relative ease. (For a suicidally thorough examination of
the history of railroads in the US, check out the History Channels
archives, or stay up really late at night). Soon,
with electricity and diesel engines, America's cityscape changed from
bustling walking and horse-drawn carriage avenues to trolleys (the
major player in the early commuter mass-transit system) and buses.
Then, almost overnight, the trolleys disappeared.
Between 1936 and 1950, several companies bought up the rail-lines and forced their own brand of change. Dubbed the Great American Streetcar Scandal,
this contributed to the death of the trolley systems in the United
States. Coupled with the government-built interstate system during
WWII, people began driving cars more than ever. Gas was cheap,
mass-production was cheaper, and people were just returning from a war
to a booming manufacturing economy. All of this contributed to urban
sprawl. Except in a few places (New York being the main one that comes
to mind), the impulse was to buy up houses in subdivisions and
low-density housing zones. People began to commute to work via their
car. Eventually the single car family became the two-car family, which
became the families we see today: more vehicles than there are income
streams- truck for work, truck for play, minivan (or SUV) for the wife,
and vehicles for each of the kids- rule the American landscape.
Betting on the Future
AmericanGoy- an insane blogger whose writings can all at once inform, enrage and entertain- wrote this post
detailing the reasons why oil prices (and food) are so high. In the
last 6-7 years, gas prices have increased exponentially basically
because (if I understand this correctly) people are saying it's going
to increase. Nowadays, whatever the reason for high oil prices, it
seems that many people aren't willing to take it any more, because
people are driving a lot less
than they used to. There are reports of bicycle shortages and sold-out
bicycle shops all over New York City, and business is booming more than
usual here in Portland, OR. I saw a woman the other day in her late
forties riding a bmx bike. Strange days indeed.
I have resolved to learn some more about futures and report back to you guys. Until then, I can't say much. . . .
What I can say is that I am personally betting that gas prices will
continue to rise. Since I can't affect any change to that, I've
decided to insulate myself from that problem by minimizing my impact on
the environment and my wallet by changing my family from a 2 car family
to a 1 car 2 bike family. Within a year or two I hope to swap the car
for something completely gas-free. What do I get out of this? How
exactly is this helping me? The answer is that it's putting me ahead
of the Joneses.
Think about it: right now if you're making bicycling your primary form
of transportation, then you're going to find that you're saving well
more than $3k per year. If you take a combination of public transit
along with your bike then you're still going to save a couple of
grand. As gas prices get higher and higher, those who do
drive will have greater portion of their paychecks go towards
transportation costs, while those who bike will be completely
unaffected by any change in gas prices. The smart consumer will stick
away what they save in gas money into savings/investments and grow
wealthier the more gas prices increase (because what we used to spend
in gas is now called "savings"). The sooner I start biking, the more
wealth I accumulate.
Extending this concept into the public policy arena, I've started to
notice the effect of "setting yourself up for success" vs. naysaying.
For decades people have been saying that oil is going to get
prohibitively expensive, Europe taxed the crap out of "petrol" and
diesel and put the money towards massive and great public transit
systems. Now, when the gas prices hit hard, they have dozens of
options- all of them cheaper than the car. Where is America? In a
land where civic responsibility and creativity is at an all-time low
(among those with money), and suggesting any new taxes on gasoline is
one step away from being un-American, we are left with a second-rate
public transit system, an interstate highway system that was never
intended as a commuter road (mind-blowing source here).
Now, if congress were to impose new taxes on gasoline and diesel to
raise funds for a public transit system, Americans all over would go
broke (except for those who commute by bicycle- they might be able to
bear the cost since they'd only fill up once a month- maybe less),
since gas prices are already too high. Most activist blogs are here to
tell you to "act before it's too late!", but not me. I'm here to tell
you that it's already too late for the nation to do
anything about this in a painless way. We're going to have to (as a
nation) go deep into debt to re-tool this economy to run by public
transit. If we're lucky, we'll be able to also find a personal
transport vehicle to be able to replace the internal combustion engine,
but that will still only augment my bicycle travels and be an
afterthought in my own mind.
Hope found in unlikely places
For some reason Americans find it difficult to believe that a
single person's effort can make a difference. I believe that this is
misguided energy. Americans should be focusing on what saves them money
both in the short-term and in the long-term. Back in the early part of
this century, the culture in America was vastly different. Citizens
everywhere were encouraged not only to take a personal interest
politics, but also to take personal action within their households.
Something like $520 million in produce was consumed in personal "war
gardens" in 1917 (I'm not sure if that's 1917 dollars
or if it's adjusted for inflation). This helped us win two World Wars,
and got our forefathers through the Great Depression, and helped foster
a sense of national pride. . . healthy national pride.
What Americans can do to shield themselves from the consequences of
their own apathy, self-interest, greed, and short-sightedness (yes,
that'd be you- John Q. Public- I am sorry to say) is to make personal
changes in our lifestyles and habits. These choices are not things
that can be legislated (congress has clearly shown that it can't spell
it's own name in crayon much less discuss meaningful climate change
legislation), but must be a personal choice that benefits you as either
a consumer or a person; if it's not going to save people money in the
long run, they're simply not going to use eco-friendly option.
So where is the hope for regular gas-guzzling
Americans? By making the changes that you can, without making the
traditional excuses ("oh I just don't have the time", or "too busy"
excuse), you can at least help your bottom line. Then by putting the
money that you save into strategies like solar rental,
bicycles, one year or six-month bus passes (for the discounted rates--
may vary by location), and- when appropriate- hybrid and alternative
vehicles.
It's to the point now where you, the citizen, are now the only person who will affect change. The politicians are not going to act until you do.
