A fun post from Kaid Benfield at NRDC. What if the NCAA basketball tournament was determined by Walk Score? The Full Article includes a breakdown of each arena. Check it out!
BTW, just to see how my Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets would do: 75, respectable. That was good enough for Ohio to make it to the final four.
McCamish Pavilion Walk Score Results - Home of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Atlanta, GA.
So I was nominated by Treehugger for a Best of Green Reader’s Choice Award. That is very cool! Especially considering all the other awesome websites from that category. Check ’em out.
But what’s really interesting is that I haven’t set out to be a green crusader. All I want to do is increase quality of life in cities and towns because I never bought into the suburban version of the American dream. It’s just a great coincidence that many of the qualities that make towns and cities great places to live, work, and play also makes them green. Walking, cycling, and transit are not just easy ways to get around a city, they are also quite green. I prefer small cars because they take up less space and make less noise than large cars It’s a lucky bonus that they pollute less. I like trees because they are nice to look at. The fact that trees reduce the urban heat island effect is a wonderful side-effect. I prefer denser neighborhoods because density makes more locations easily accessible. The fuel saved from unnecessary travel in these neighborhoods is just icing on the cake. It appears that living the good life goes hand in hand with saving the planet. What luck!
Joel Pett cartoon from USA Today.
So the other day I was standing in line at McDonald’s to get a delicious Shamrock Shake in honor of St. Patrick. It’s busy, I’m third in line of about 8 people. I’ve been waiting about 5 minutes, and I’m beginning to get impatient. When the person at the front of the line finally wraps up placing her order, the guy in front of me doesn’t notice. He’s too busy staring down at his iPhone to notice that he was holding up the entire line. After about 3 seconds of the cashier failing to get his attention, I walked up right behind him, about two inches away from the back of his head, and screamed in his ear. He did not appreciate this in any way. He responded with a middle finger and tossed a few choice words back at me. So I countered with two middle fingers and upped the volume and level of profanity a few notches. He then threatened to kill me and my entire family. Then he stepped up and placed his order. I placed my order and we went our separate ways. No one around us seemed to be bothered by this whole ordeal. It was just business as usual.
You have probably gathered that this did not happen. What really happened was I said, “hey, you’re next”. He looked up and said “oh, sorry, thanks”. That first story was completely unrealistic and absurd. Except it isn’t. If you replace the McDonald’s cashier with a traffic light, it suddenly seems somewhat normal.
Why do some of us (myself included) act like jerks when we drive? When walking down a busy sidewalk, I don’t feel the urge to lash out at the people around me for being in my way (ok maybe sometimes, but I don’t do it.). I actually enjoy the experience of walking down a bustling city sidewalk. It’s nice to do a little people watching and enjoy the sights and sounds of the city as I make my way from point A to point B.
Obligatory cliche road rage image. Although I believe these people are still parked.
However, behind the wheel of a car things are different. The effect happens to many people. When driving, we no longer view the other road users as people. We view them as competitors in some imaginary race to nowhere. If someone passes you or cuts you off, that is a personal attack on your character and freedom. It must be met with a swift and disproportionate response. Pedestrians and cyclists are viewed as second class citizens, clearly not good enough to drive a car. They are treated as mere obstacles in this frantic race, and honking at them may help you win the race. The city and store fronts around the drivers disappear into a blur. Their presence is but a distraction to winning the race.
I'm the only qualified driver on the road.
It’s amazing how our chosen mode of transportation can have such profound effects on our personalities. There are a lot psychological reasons for this.
This behavior is not conducive to creating communities. How can we cooperate with one another when the mere presence of other people makes us so angry? How can we create communities with so much hatred coursing through the veins of our towns? I can’t blame drivers for raging though; when they have no other options for transportation, they can seem trapped into driving. Maybe if we offered more and better choices, the task of driving wouldn’t seem so overwhelming. This was the case for me at least. I moved closer to work and began bicycling for most of my errands. The result is that I drive much less, and when I do, I am more tolerant of those around me and able to handle the inevitable traffic jam with a little more dignity.
Anyway, this entire post was inspired by one of my favorite cartoons. Leave it to Goofy to so aptly portray the experience of a motorist and pedestrian in a car-centric world. What’s amazing is that this cartoon is over 60 years old and it’s still perfectly relevant today.
Progressive Transit 