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| Transportation
Options
Your guide to stress-free transportation |
| Defining Sensible Transportation |
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So what does sensible transportation actually mean? Sensible transportation is a choice of using the right vehicle for the right purpose. In America the automobile is considered the primary choice for getting around. That’s because in most of the country it has become the ‘only’ choice.
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For a typical 6 mile trip the breakdown of energy used is as follows;
-The Sustainability Education Center
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Most Americans understand that automobiles cause environmental damage, however they generally find the convenience to be more important. However there are many more issues than most people are aware.. For those who have the option of taking the bus, I will address that option. For those who are not close to public transportation options, there is one choice which is never difficult to reach. This is the humble bicycle. For all but the most physically challenged, any one of you has the ability to pull out a well maintained bike and head off to the store to pick up a bag of groceries, or a box of screws from the hardware store. Yet because of the lack of awareness I see hundreds of people using a 4000 pound vehicle to travel 3 miles to the store for items which can be carried in one hand. Americans constantly lament on the loss of ‘that feeling of community.’ What many of them do not realize is that community is deeply threatened when neighbors are cut off from each other. For people who walk into their garage (which is attached to the house) and get into their car before departing, there is no opportunity to speak with another human being. When I travel by bicycle, I not only enjoy the sights and sounds of the neighborhoods through which I travel, but I rarely ever miss the chance to wave hello to people whom I pass. Whether it’s the 80 year old woman using a push mower, the young man with 5 dogs in tow, or a group of joggers getting their exercise at 5:30am. For those who live in reasonably sized cities, there is often the opportunity to travel by bus. By taking public transportation to an event or errand, the issue of finding a parking space vanishes, the opportunity to meet people is created, and such a person now frees up 3000 sq. ft. of roadway for others to use (1). The greatest importance on reducing reliance on the automobile is to improve the quality of life for children. The young people of this country are affected in two distinct ways. On one hand the mass and speed of a passing car is no match for frail bodies chasing after a ball. Automobiles are the single highest cause of death for children under the age of 15 (2). When a child is hurt or killed however, the incident is labeled as a ‘horrible accident’ rather than ‘reckless endangerment.’ With few negative consequences, society does not view this as a situation which must be avoided. A more indirect consequence is the inability of children to transport themselves without assistance. In the early days of the century children were able not only to walk to school, but walk to the store, to a friend’s house, or to a park. Today if a child wants to go even a few blocks, they require mom or dad to take them. This increases childhood dependence, and puts added stress on the parents. My heart truly breaks when I hear of children who go almost crazy from being unable to go anywhere but the backyard because they require someone to chauffer them.
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