Raise the Hammer

I'm torn on this one... both Ryan and Schmadrian make some good points. I understand Schmadrian's somewhat cynical view but I share Ryan's opinion that we can still do something. But just "doing things" isn't necessarily going to make things better.

We do need to make the shift and simply stopping some of what we are currently doing (i.e., widening highways) and promoting (i.e., new car purchase incentives) is a start. But as I posted in your other article Ryan this is where dealing with the truth, facts and reality is crucial. If we don't deal within that frame work than we are doomed to fail and when people can't even understand the(unfortunately) vital component to our society and economy the car currently plays than good luck making decisions that will work. We need to put down the biased studies and reports, the "lies, damn lies and statistics" and deal with reality if we hope to accomplish anything positive.

The bike-lobby needs to clue in to the current importance and cash cow status of the car in our society and economy - personal transportation and specifically the car is a major driving force of our economy (no pun intended) that hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs within our city alone depend on the car and the pro-car people need to clue in that we can't just keep doing what we're doing, we can't just build more roads for an increasing population and their personal transportation needs, we can't keep burning fuel in our vehicles, alternative modes and means need to be found. The vocal minorities on the fringes need to cool the rhetoric and move to the middle… that's where the majority of people are sitting and waiting for real solutions to be presented.

So I agree with Ryan, we can and must do something… but I have a hunch that Schmadrian's analogy of the challenges ahead of us:

attempting to thread a sewing needle while riding a mountain bike over rough terrain...while reciting the capitals of the provinces and territories...alphabetically. Backwards. In iambic pentameter. While having rocks tossed at you."

...is probably accurate to.

Comment edited by Kiely on 2010-04-16 12:31:49