Advocacy & Safety - My (car) commute sucks petition

Just saw:

embargoed until 8 a.m. eastern time on Friday, May 15

Please wait.

My car commute does indeed suck. It's much faster than cycling in the morning, by like 10minutes (which equates to half the time). On the way home, however, cycling takes about the same amount of time and can, on occasion, be faster (and wayyyyy less frustrating).

My car commute does suck. Drive down very narrow streets with cars trying to cut you off, turning parking lanes into driving lanes, pulling up on the right to try and get ahead of traffic, even just blatantly running red lights.

Also get honked at, flipped off, etc when I go the 20MPH posted speed limit through school zones. I laugh though as they pass me because the cop that always parks on the corner ahead pulls them over.

I much prefer riding my bike. Go through a different street which is much calmer and very few cars.

I hate any automotive commute which involves traffic congestion. Except for a 25 mile / 40km each way solo freeway commute to a summer job after high school, I have always enjoyed a good carpool, pedestrian, bicycle, and/or transit option.

My current car commute is opposite of the congestion... and thus not too bad. If I biked it, it would be over 20 miles each way and up some pretty steep hills and in some pretty fast traffic.

Driving it takes about 25 minutes; cycling, it would take me near an hour and a half. Those hills would just make it take time. As it is, I work long days, so the cycling commute, along with the work day would take sun up to sun down. So I am not cycle commuting right now.

I get home and then either walk the dog or go for a quick bike ride... just to transition from work to life.

I can't drive to work. I wouldn't know where to park. (I mean that in all seriousness.)

I have a couple options for my 8 mile commute:

30 minutes by bike or car through town following the river.
20 minutes by car or 40 minutes by bike going over the hill.

My commute by car is about 2 hours shorter than riding it by bike. I also don't get up at 2:30 in the morning.

Ok, now I can post:
http://mycommutesucks.org/images/header.jpg
Sign the Petition!

See-sawing gas prices, crazy crowded roads, noxious fumes - who would love their commute?

Not us. Join Americans all over the country, in big cities and in small towns, who are making their voices heard in Washington. Tell Congress: "My commute sucks and it's not getting any better. Stop pouring billions into a broken system. Transportation shouldn't be an expensive, dirty burden. Fix it, clean it, make it work!"

http://mycommutesucks.org/

Um, so I visited the site.... and I honestly don't know what they are trying to do. Seriously.
If your commute sucks, it's because of where you've chosen to live and work, and you have control over that. I don't think our transportation system is perfect by any means, but ranting about it randomly without any actual suggestions on improvements doesn't seem like a productive use of time.

For me it isn't the traffic, it's the physical distance, ranging about 35-40 miles. :(

I got this, too. My first thought was, "My commute is pretty good, actually, though I don't like thunderstorms."

Um, so I visited the site.... and I honestly don't know what they are trying to do. Seriously.
If your commute sucks, it's because of where you've chosen to live and work, and you have control over that.

Agree completely. I have a bad feeling that this will be used as justification for some transportation infrastructure that I don't need or want, but will be forced to pay for anyways.

Stop pouring billions into a broken system. Transportation shouldn't be an expensive, dirty burden. Fix it, clean it, make it work!"

Let's see if the highlight helps any.

I don't think our transportation system is perfect by any means, but ranting about it randomly without any actual suggestions on improvements doesn't seem like a productive use of time.
I agree. And the funny part is, bicycle infrastructure is not even the answer...mass transit is a more likely and possibly viable solution.


Let's see if the highlight helps any.
The only thing that highlights is that the linked website is long on foot-stomping and whining, and short on actual suggestions for solutions.

Believe it or not I bet most people are not as outraged with their commutes as you think they are. I'd also venture to guess that if given the option to bike to work, even with improved infrastructure, they would still choose their current commute, warts and all.

Let's see if the highlight helps any.

Wut?

Too bad most of my recommendations would be to actually make it cost more by making the system intelligent...

Then it grows self aware and kills us all.

Wut?

Too bad most of my recommendations would be to actually make it cost more by making the system intelligent...

Then it grows self aware and kills us all.

Currently it is total unaware and non-intelligent and doing a good job of killing us (leading cause of death directly for ages 0-34 and indirectly for ages 35+) and costs too much as it is.

Currently it is total unaware and non-intelligent and doing a good job of killing us (leading cause of death directly for ages 0-34 and indirectly for ages 35+) and costs too much as it is.

Well the question is how do you make it smarter by spending less?

Well the question is how do you make it smarter by spending less?


Drastically cut back on roadway expansion for cars.
Promote bicycling in areas that are currently broken as a way to patch or a fix.

Bikeways in congested areas.
Bikeways and accessibility to mass transit lines that are currently working well. So people can bypass the lines that are not serving the greater public well.

Well the question is how do you make it smarter by spending less?

So I looked at this site again, because I'm bored at work I guess, and there's a little link at the bottom to "Transportation for America" website, which is apparently a transportation infrastructure advocacy group. No idea what the source is.

They recommend DOUBLING transportation taxes and spending. So i think the "commute sucks" website is just some hype to get some more followers to push their agenda. It doesn't look all bad, but I seriously doubt they will double spending and somehow get "smarter" in spending it. Washington doesn't seem to work that way.

Tell Congress: "... Fix it, clean it, make it work!"

Fix it. Our local city and county governments have screwed up my commute beyond all recognition, and we think congress could make it better? They can't be serious! :roflmao2:

Clean it. Our city manager can't organize a street sweeper schedule, but no doubt we can expect Nancy Palosi to get a committee on it right away. They have plenty spare time! Perhaps a federal program to insure every community has a new street sweeper and and a snow plow! It could be called No Street Left Behind!

Make it work. Congress has done such a swell job on the war on poverty, Social Security, airport security, immigration, and tax reform, they are obviously the perfect agency to make my local commute better!

Um, so I visited the site.... and I honestly don't know what they are trying to do. Seriously.
If your commute sucks, it's because of where you've chosen to live and work, and you have control over that. I don't think our transportation system is perfect by any means, but ranting about it randomly without any actual suggestions on improvements doesn't seem like a productive use of time.

:thumb::thumb::thumb: