I chose not to ride my bicycle downtown because the roads were still too icy this morning. And walking was out of the question because few sidewalks have been shoveled (except across the MSU campus) and snow piles have been push into sidewalk intersections creating mounds to climb over. Not gonna put up with 2+ [...]
… and for public transportation. It’s snowing like crazy today. So I walked. I also used the Bear Line to get downtown, so I didn’t miss my Tuesday/Thursday appointment to hang out and read the newspaper at the Mudhouse. A short conversation this morning in the kitchen: Wife: I’m happy to give you a ride, [...]
I swear I’m not making this up. The following is a snippet of conversation I heard at the Mudshouse. The interlocutors were high school kids: Kid 1: “There’s just too much sprawl here.” Kid 2: “Yeah, not enough density.” Kid 3: “It doesn’t matter. We’re not going to live here anyway.” How do we make [...]
From Planetizen comes word that 88 percent of Americans want high-speed rail. Sounds like good news to me. But the numbers may be a bit suspect as they come from a survey conducted by HNTB Corporation. HNTB, based in Kansas City, would be just the outfit to design, build, and maintain such infrastructure. Now, just [...]
The Missouri Transportation Alliance has been studying what sorts of MoDOT policies citizens will support. Click here for a report on the findings by Brent Hugh of the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation: The good points from our point of view: MoTA is recognizing that people want to be able to have the choice to bicycle, [...]
I had to go to Kansas City yesterday to take care of business. I decided to go multi-modal. Mode #1 was our Honda Civic. One could fly to KC from Springfield if one wished to pay more than $600 to do so (according to my search of Expedia for a booking with 5 days advanced [...]
I love living in an under-developed country because I know it’s possible to go from this uncivilized state… Los Angeles Rush Hour At $4.70 gallon, regular from videorizing on Vimeo. …to this civilized state… Convenience from Amsterdamize on Vimeo. …once we finally come to our senses. It’s only a matter of time really. We’ll either [...]
Up until a few minutes ago I had no idea about the price of gas these days. My daughter and I walked to school this morning because it’s sprinkling. I’m good to go in the rain on my bicycle. But I don’t make her ride in the rain. It’s a teenage hair thing. Ah, I [...]
Here’s a fascinating look at… hmmmmm… what to call this? The future? A future? In any case, vehicle design student Marten Wallgren and his group recently won a Seymour Powell award for best concept in the “Future City Mobility” competition. They created a city system in which a futuristic bicycle is at the heart of [...]
The following is a press release from the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: WASHINGTON — House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James L. Oberstar (Minn.) will release a white paper next week to outline plans for the new surface transportation authorization bill. The news conference is scheduled for Wednesday, June 17, at 11:00 [...]
Suppose you want to spend some money — call it stimulus — on projects that will 1) employ people who badly need employment, 2) give citizens real transportation options, and 3) do a lot of good things for the envionrment and public health (just to name a few). Hmmmmm… what could you build? How about [...]
Today I used a Springfield city bus for the first time. I rode downtown to Stick It in Your Ear to buy the new Bruce Springsteen CD. I’m listening to it as I write this. I missed buying it yesterday when it was first released because we had an ice storm followed by about four [...]
Here’s interesting news from the North American International Auto Show: Automobile manufacturers would like the federal government to raise the tax on gasoline. From USA Today: The carmakers acknowledge that raising the gas tax is an unpopular idea, but they also saw how fast consumer preference shifted toward small cars when gasoline prices topped $4 [...]
I highlighted a few columns from the papers last Sunday that seemed to me to indicate a “tipping point.” That’s not the best term to use. It’s merely trendy and, perhaps, a bit optimistic. Today I want to comment on How High Gas Prices Can Save the Car Industry, by Daniel Sperling and Deborah Gordon. [...]
Looking for a carpool? Want to find a friend for walking and/or cycling? Want to keep track of how gloriously green your transportation choices are? Then you need to visit the new OzarksCommute.com, a new service of the Ozarks Transportation Organization. Technorati Tags: bicycle commuting, green transportation, public transportation, sustainability, walking
