Commuting - Go Governator!

Gov. Schwarzenegger inadvertently furthers the cause of bike-commuting: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-transpo15jan15,1,1104978.story?coll=la-headlines-california (If you need a login:http://tinyurl.com/54p43)

I can't wait 'til every SoCal freeway is choked and moving at 10 MPH all day long. Maybe then people will realize it's kinda stupid to live 50 miles away from your job, and cycle-commuters will be envied instead of despised.

-Trevor

Yes, and perhaps it will also stop the blind rush for more transportation "improvements," which will, in the long term, do nothing to solve the problem of automotive congestion and take up valuable space which could be used for other projects (affordable housing, maybe? I dunno).

But only perhaps. I am not optimistic.

ITs not just highway construction that is being cut but also public transit projects. The problem is town planning which preumes that everone uses a car to go to work, or to school or to the hospital or to the shops. There should be a transportation property tax surcharge if they are beyond walking distance of the facilities they use or the people they serve.

This is from the same governator who raised his fist in the air at La Conchita (where the mud slides were) and proudly declared for the cameras, "We Will Rebuild!" Is that the stupidest thing you ever heard?

He was supposed to save us from all these financial shenanigans, but he's no different. Borrowing from Peter to pay off Paul...Anything to look good on camera.

Don't they use that tranportation money to maintain the same roads we cyclists use?

-- Somebody out there help me on this, but I seem to remember reading (20 years ago) that it would cost less to build a six-foot-wide paved bike path from Oregon to the Mexican border than the cost of one mile of an eight-lane freeway.

Can anyone confirm or refute this?

ITs not just highway construction that is being cut but also public transit projects. The problem is town planning which presumes that everone uses a car to go to work, or to school or to the hospital or to the shops. There should be a transportation property tax surcharge if they are beyond walking distance of the facilities they use or the people they serve.

Hmmm, good point. It's not just building for cars, it's the (correct) assumption that everyone would much prefer to use their car to get everywhere than to walk or use public transit. Kind of self-fulfilling, isn't it?

What would you say constitutes walking distance? A mile? Two miles? Three? What about cycling distance? What constitutes the upper limit on that? Is this assuming, not commuting distance, but a distance that allows timely traffic back and forth between two points?

And it is good to remember that we are using the same roads as cars, thanks to whoever pointed that out...

Wouldnt it be cool if all the cars disapeared and we had the roads to ourselves. That would rock!

Don't they use that tranportation money to maintain the same roads we cyclists use?

Yeah, as well as several planned commuter-rail extensions. Which I was aware of when I posted, mostly just wanted to spark conversation on the topic though.

As if there's a shortage of internet discussions pointing out the shortcomings of car-centric urban planning ;).

-Trevor

I have mixed feelings about cutting California's transportation budget..Building new roads only encourages gridlock..But, some of that money is cancelled mass transit projects..That is progress..doing nothing..With these rains and the developing pot holes, Hummers will be the required means of transport.They do have good shocks, right? I would not know.
Seems Gov. Schwerniger has canceled some bike lane projects also.

we should improve our metrolink system and buses. encourage mass transit. a lot of people would be using it if it was more convient. if i took the bus to school, i'd have to walk/ride my bike 5 miles to the nearest bus stop, ride the bus for 90 minutes, then walk like 7 miles to school from that bus stop. while it'd take me 20 minutes if i drove. 2 hours if i rode my bike only. -__-

I heard on TV the other day Arnold owns a few of the original hummers. Why would any 1 man need more than 1 hummer? Id like to ask Arnold sometime.

Robin William's multiple bikes is more appealing to me over Hummers..Don't care what they are worth..

ITs not just highway construction that is being cut but also public transit projects. The problem is town planning which preumes that everone uses a car to go to work, or to school or to the hospital or to the shops. There should be a transportation property tax surcharge if they are beyond walking distance of the facilities they use or the people they serve.

Exactly...

It's too late to go the public transportation route because you need high density in order for it to be effective. The uncontrolled subdivision construction makes it impossible to go back so you're stuck with building more freeways.

Just find a job within 2 miles of a lighrail/rail road station and find a place to live on the same line where it's less expensive. Any place less than 2 miles of a station is game. Simple solution.

It's not too late, but reversing the trend will be an expensive and time-consuming process of rezoning, infill, cultural shift, etc, etc. Luckily continuing the trend will also likely be prohibitively expensive! Rock, meet hard place.

Last week during those heavy rains Santa Barbara was completely isolated. There was absolutely no way to get here from anywhere except by plane or boat. Huge numbers of people commute to where I work from Ventura, 45 minutes away. It was a very quiet week.

They had been talking about rail and ferries and other silly ideas to help the gridlock for those Ventura commuters. Turned out ferries is not such a stupid idea. Even the trains couldn't run. Even the bikes, if anyone would be crazy enough to try to get here by bike from Ventura on a daily basis. :(

Many people on the Forums have said that they drive, in part, because they don't know where they will live or work in the next few years, so they keep their homes and workplaces as they are, even though they are far apart. Collectively, driving makes the commute slower, and people who make long car commutes, make it slower for everyone. The price of housing close to San Fransisco is insane, because most people don't want to sit in traffic for hours each day, but few can afford to live close( within 50 miles) to the city. The congestion feeds on itself, resulting in many worker bees living over a hundred miles away. I can't imagine a worse quality of life, than aging behind the wheel of a car. Many of the long haul commuters could cast off their cars, work 10 more hours each week, afford to live close to work, and have more time to themselves. Drivers are the cause of their own problems, but cyclists and our ilk, are the sollution.

How does this relate to the thread? More cars and more driving, mean wider and longer roads needed, which costs gazillions of dollars, which Arnold isn't willing to spend. Cyclists like to talk about critical mass, but there is a paving critical mass, which will extend up to Half Dome, a lot sooner than we, as bike riders, produce our critical mass.