Reply #48: Depends on where you are

[nadinbrzezinski]

cities have different ways of dealing with this. But for example in SoCal it is STILL policy that we need to expand the freeway system and NOT reduce Miles traveled per day. Incidentally this leads to the expansion of the Freeway system instead of... the expansion of the public transport system.

Here is a silly example, but real. Both my sister and my husband WOULD LOVE to use public transit to get to work. Using the freeway both take 20-30 minutes to travel to work. Using public transit, same distance incidentally, it would take 3.5 hours. That is your problem in a nutshell. And the local freeway BOTH drive every day was at one point meant to carry light rail in what later became a toll road. That is your problem and mine

But if you are really curious, Caltrans does publish those studies, and realize their goal is not to reduce miles traveled but congestion. This is the kind of policy change needed, but it goes beyond just that. It goes well beyond cars... we need to change, FULLY the way we live. Good luck telling the average American, guess what your way of life IS OVER. Why do you think Muricans voted Carter out, among other reasons? That is exactly what he told us in that famous Malaise Speech. Yes he was right, and your point? Most Muricans still don't get it.