Why Your Car Is Pissing Me Off
Friday, December 12, 2008, posted by Q6 at 6:14 AM
There was a very short narrative I read in high school that came back into mind the other day. (I don't remember the title; I could look it up, but it's not that important.) In this narrative, the planet Earth is viewed by first-time visiting aliens and they are describing the life forms here: round, metallic, and fast. It's the cars. They're describing the cars.

In other parts of the country, cars are merely functional; in still others, they're altogether unecessary; here in Southern California, your car helps to define you as a person. People would rather drive their cars (than carpool or use public transportation) because those cars make a statement.

Last month we voted here on what was called Proposition 1A. It was a public transportation bill that would increase light rail construction. It wasn't all that great of a bill, and it won't really accomplish a whole lot. I voted for it, though, because I feel that something must be done. My vote was more in favor of public transportationas an idea than it was for this specific proposal. If we have more public transportation, perhaps we'll get more people out of their cars.

Of course, the Catch-22 is that unless people stop identifying with their cars, we won't get any more (or better) public transportation. (Anybody remember the PeopleMover at Disneyland? There's a system being used in Virginia--and being proposed in areas in and around New York--just like that. Check this link for it.)

The pollution will not decrease, the highways will not decongest, and the oil prices will continue to matter to us (no matter how low they go) until WE decide to do something. Until we decide to make progress as a collective group, I'm gonna have to go and find some solution of my own.
 
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