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Indeed I do. 1) Cease all forms of oil and automobile subsidy. 2) (At the federal level) change the structure of infrastructure aid to states to incentivize p
by jMyles 7y ago
Indeed I do.
1) Cease all forms of oil and automobile subsidy.
2) (At the federal level) change the structure of infrastructure aid to states to incentivize pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure over automobiles.
3) Ensure the schools are accessible by pedestrians and cyclists and that they are located in areas which are surrounded by traffic-calming infrastructure.
4) (at the local level) build more curb-extensions, greenways, chicanes, diverters, and other structures to get cars away from schools, playgrounds, and other areas where kids play.
There are sound, scientifically-backed tactics for doing this, but most of them require getting a place on the agendas of several legislative committees who are probably too busy talking about banning a particular color rifle or some other asinine thing.
- cameronbrown 7y ago> Cease all forms of oil and automobile subsidy. So punish the poor, basically? Bicycles just don't cut it. The better alternative is more investment in public transport which I assume has a better safety record than private vehicles.
- ip26 7y agoI didn't realize oil & gas subsidies were a social program.
- cameronbrown 7y agoThey're not - but you've still got to think about these second order effects. Politicians wouldn't implement this because for every less well off individual they push closer to poverty, that's one less vote.
- gridlockd 7y ago> I didn't realize oil & gas subsidies were a social program. They are, why do you think the US has some of the lowest gasoline prices in the developed world? If you want to see what happens if you raise gasoline prices, look at what's happening in France. Monsieur Macron would love to have approval ratings as high as Donald Trump...
- gridlockd 7y agoBikes and walking don't replace cars. Can you imagine the commute of someone in a suburban or rural area, in winter, on a bike? Sure, if you can afford to live in SF or wherever there is enough infrastructure to support that kind of lifestyle, people have an alternative. Your proposed solution does nothing for the rest of the population. It would just make driving more annoying and expensive for them.
- ip26 7y agoCan you imagine the commute of someone in a suburban or rural area, in winter, on a bike? Yeah, I just did it all last winter. It would just make driving more annoying and expensive for them. Where does the money for these subsidies come? Taxes. What if cutting oil & gas subsidies came with a proportional (averaged) reduction in taxes?
- gridlockd 7y ago> Yeah, I just did it all last winter. Good for you. > What if cutting oil & gas subsidies came with a proportional (averaged) reduction in taxes? You can't "cut" subsidies, because there are no direct oil and gas subsidies. There are favorable conditions (e.g. lack of taxation) that are sometimes construed as a subsidy and there are externalities (like carbon emissions) that aren't priced in. You would have to raise taxes in one place (e.g. carbon/gasoline tax) and then lower them in another place (income tax?). However, I thought the point of the parent was to raise taxes to make less people drive cars. My point is that if you do that, most people will still drive cars, they will simply pay more for it.
- ip26 7y agoA carbon tax plus a carbon dividend to the public (just for example) would leave average drivers paying the same, above average drivers paying more, and everyone incentivized to drive less, or electric.
- jMyles 7y agoIf we're talking about issues that require attention to save lives of children, then adding traffic-calming infrastructure only to urban areas will put a big dent in the problem, as most of the ICD codes which correlate with young age ranges happen in urban areas. > Can you imagine the commute of someone in a suburban or rural area, in winter, on a bike? Indeed I can, because there are areas of the US, and even more of Western Europe, where a mixed transit and bike trip can be achieved all year long. I suggest that you try out a commute-like trip from outside Portland or Amsterdam into the cities centers to see what I mean. > It would just make driving more annoying Boo hoo. Annoyance is a small price to pay for the power that comes with controlling a machine that kills 3,000 children in the USA alone. > ...and expensive for them. I'm not sure that's true.