I probably risk getting a bit polemic if I do more than simply link to This story. As it goes to one of those forehead smacking obvious problems in society. The solution to which is very simple, helps the environment, helps our kids grow up to be responsible adults, as well as keeps them from leading sedentary car dependent lives. (The link, by the way, comes from this very good blog Which is the companion to this very good book.) Said solution, will of course, never happen. Seriously, I risk going all Penn and Teller if I keep going. (NSFW)
The short of it is, since the 60’s VMT (vehicle miles traveled) tripled. This, of course, leads to a crap load of traffic, congestion, and pissed off drivers. What is interesting is that adults commuting to work miles traveled has only increased about 36%. The other miles come from parents driving their kids all over tarnation. And at the same time parents are driving their kids all over tarnation schools are clamping down on kids doing for themselves. (In one case, I’m not kidding, a kid had his bike impounded and got detention for the audacity of riding his bike to school on bike to work day this year. What makes this even dumber is, he rode to school with his parent (who, by the way was then forced by this asinine school to go get the car so they could drive the bike home) If the parent thinks it’s safe enough to ride to school what the hell is the school doing getting in the way of that? And the reason the school thinks it’s unsafe for johnny to ride his bike? Why all the parents driving their kids to school of course!)
Of course parents are driving kids everywhere because as we all know crime is at or near record low levels at the moment… Wait, record low? Yes low. A kid is less likely to be abducted and or molested by a stranger today than the 70’s, 60’s or you know, really anytime in US history. So obviously it is vitally important to smother children.
This whole things goes to two of my pet peeves, one is stupid transport policy. The other is parent’s smothering their kids. Seriously folks, you don’t need the baby is learning to walk helmet (perfectly safe for work as long as you can control laughter), you just don’t.
The short of my point is, perhaps if we let kids walk together, or ride their bikes together to sports practice or to their X lesson we might have happier kids that are in better shape, and that have a feeling that they can legitimately fend for and take care of themselves. Perhaps they might even run about and engage in unplanned ad hoc fun. Your first experience of these things should not be college or getting your drivers license. Of course in most cases our communities are not particularly well suited to this kind of life style. Which goes back to pet peeve one, stupid transport policy.
New York’s Time’s Square gives a wonderful example of this. Before the “street closure” experiment 300,000+ daily trips through Times square were accomplished on foot. Approximately 50,000 daily trips were accomplished in cars. So can you tell me which transport mode was alloted over 75% of the available space in Time’s square? Obviously it is cars as they are more important and move more people… Oh wait. The street closure moves the needle so it is about 50/50 now. And it turns out the crowds of people move a lot more smoothly through the area now. And the crowds moving more smoothy means that car traffic is moving more smoothy. In fact traffic problems in the area have gone down. Better for the pedestrians better for the car drivers. Clearly the experiment will be shut down, hopefully I’m just being pessimistic but taxi drivers seem to not like the move and motorists are complaining even though they get through the area faster.
Apologies for the rambling, hopefully better discussion will come from it.
