In celebrating the success of this weekend’s non-event known as Carmageddon, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, said he wanted to give everyone in the city “A big hug.” I will politely decline the political embrace, because instead of a big hug, all of us who drive the streets and freeway here want the big help.
This weekend, most especially Friday afternoon and evening proved something that I hope transportation planners, city leaders, and local citizens will keep in mind. It is as simple as it is true. Fewer cars on the road equal less traffic. Less traffic means better quality of life. So what is the real way to put fewer cars on the road, wider freeways and more HOV lanes? Of course not. We keep trying that solution and it fails again and again.
The best solution was the one we all learned on Friday with the only real expense being an over abundance of media attention. People stayed home. People worked from home. Employers staggered work schedules, enabling employees to take the day off, work from home, or leave early. And you know what.
It worked. It worked better than a multi-billion dollar subway, worked better than wider and wider freeways. People all over the Southland were given a crystal clear message and they responded. So, how do we repeat the sheer joy of Carmageddon. We do the same thing, all over again.
The future of modern transportation is right there on your shampoo bottle. Wash, rinse, repeat. With the key word being REPEAT.
We should select one weekend a month, maybe the third weekend of every month, or whatever, it doesn’t matter. Isolate a particular weekend, and isolate a particular Friday and give people the exact same message. Stay home. Work from home. Don’t take long trips unless absolutely necessary. Ask people to remember the pure pleasure of this past weekend. The chance to reconnect with family and friends at home, the chance to save some serious time and money and aggravation.
Disrupting the Borg is expensive and time consuming!
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Work from home?
What planet do these idiots live on? How many workers can physically do their jobs from home?
In Silicon Valley – maybe 50%
Forget Hotel California, it is truly Planet California.
We must find a way to eject California from the union before the big one hits and we are on the hook for more trillions.
We could sell it to China in a cashless transaction, just return our treasuries and we’ll call it even.
Fewer cars, better quality of life. Kalifornia should go all in. Ban all privately owned vehicle traffic, except by polictally protected classes (undocumented immigrants, drug dealers, Hollywood elites, politicians, democratic political doners) that will go with those wonderful animal protection laws. Soon there will be no economic activity except for growing dope, making worthless America hating films, and growing an unpayable debt. A progressives dream.
“The future of modern transportation is right there on your shampoo bottle. Wash, rinse, repeat. With the key word being REPEAT.”
The future of modern transportation is DANGEROUS!
Solar Car Explodes, Burns Corvallis Driver
CORVALLIS, Ore. — An Oregon State Universtiy student is recovering from first and second degree burns after a solar car he was driving caught fire and exploded on campus Saturday.
Nicolas Sitts, the driver of the OSU Solar Car Team, says he was just driving down the street when he heard popping. Seconds later, an explosion and fire erupts that destroys the $100,000 solar car. It took just a few minutes for the car to become just scraps of burnt parts.
http://kezi.com/page/218283
Hey Ralph! I can’t count the number of times that has happened to me. Oh, wait. Now that I think about it, the last gas powered car I saw burn was a VW Bug over 20 years ago. Nevermind.
Hey Gator! I was standing in a 7-11 a LONG while ago and watched a Porsche 914 pull up to a stop light, stop and saw a flame shoot out from underneath the car. The people inside the Porsche got out ok, but within about 2 minutes the flames were probably 25 feet into the air and set a tree on fire. The car was a total loss.
If everyone stays home how will thay be able to enjoy the improved traffic conditions?
An almost Yogi Berra like observation.
As he said once ( of Elaine’s) “No one goes there anymore, it’s too crowded”.
How about we start by having the UN stay at home, everyday, permanently. Talk about reducing hot air and noise pollution.