3 Responses to “Yes Please”

1. By William Furr on Nov 25, 2009 | Reply

   I found the phrase “not tethered to an automobile” very interesting. Many people see the automobile as an enabler. To many, it’s a source of personal freedom and mobility.

   To be sure, it is awfully nice to be able to travel wherever I like on my own schedule, traffic permitting.

   But too often people forget about the downside of owning an automobile: the regulatory burden, the maintenance costs, fuel costs, and storage. That’s just the personal cost. Then there’s the societal and environmental costs implied by car-accessible infrastructure, manufacturing, and fueling.

   There comes a point where those costs outweigh the benefits; and our society has long since passed it. That’s really what TA and Paul White’s words are is all about.

   As frustrating as cycling in Boston can be sometimes, it’s worse driving. I don’t see how and why people do it. Driving around this city makes me crazy.

2. By Marianna on Nov 27, 2009 | Reply

   Interesting take, William. When I lived in the suburbs, the car was freedom and independence and awesome, but I ALWAYS took public transportation to get into the city cause inside city limits, cars are totally a bigger hassle than they’re worth! (Like trying to find parking in Harvard Square!)

3. By mtalinm on Nov 28, 2009 | Reply

   my favorite part of this was not the pontification but the simple illustration of how bike lanes work there. I saw three interesting things: they are

   1) painted a different color (green)
   2) SEPARATED BY BOLLARDS from the car lanes
   3) on the INSIDE of the lane instead of the outside – not sure whether this is a net positive or not though