[4dsc]

My city is having an open discussion about our area's long term transportation needs. I guess every large city has one but in the area of peak oil coming at us I wonder whether or not they are realistic..

I have looked through all the given material and none of it mentions the availability of oil and they seem to think economic growth is endless..

If you were to show up at a community meeting planning the future city transporation needs, from biking to mass transit, would you mention peak oil??

[patience]

I would probably be considered a nutcase and asked to leave, while they pursued their own ideas. But yes, I'd have to try to explain it. Go easy on them. Consider that they will have a hard time thinking about a world with declining energy.

[perdition79]

We had something like that a year back, here in St. Petersburg. If I didn't watch the city government channel on cable at 2am, I would have never known about it. Civil engineers, planners, futurists were asked to give their visions for the future for downtown. All basically wanted the same thing: to slow down and reduce car traffic, increase bicycle lanes, increase residential density, increase bus service, etc. Resource depletion and rising energy prices were addressed by a couple of the presenters, but none of them discussed peak oil in detail.

[joeltrout]

I agree that explaining peak oil to them will be useless because they will not listen.

One idea you could raise is the question "What if $4 gas is here to stay and how will that affect our transportation needs?"

They believe in $4 gas (or whatever the price) because they are paying that right now. You can talk about people not driving as much and if gas goes higher many people not driving at all.

Then discuss bike lanes. I hope more and more master plans include bike lanes.

joeltrout

[Novus]

In order to discuss transportation zoning first has to be addressed. Busses and bike lanes most of suburbia make no sense. We have everything so backwards in this country with spread out between housing, commercial, and industrial development. Too much parking, stores set too far back from the streets, with no sidewalks or town centers.

My 30 year plan would be to pick a city center and then draw a circle around it about a mile in diameter on the map. That is your economic development zone. No new development outside of circle. Lower taxes inside the circle and double the taxes on the stuff outside the circle with the exception of farms. Eliminate parking requirements. Flips storefronts around so shop windows are right on the sidewalk with parking if any in rear. Mandate all building be at least two levels being either two levels of shops or stores with residential on top. Part of the inner circle should devoted to industrial development. Then link the centers of other towns with streetcars.

The problem is this should have been started 30 years ago. Now it is too late.

[joeltrout]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Novus', '
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My 30 year plan would be to pick a city center and then draw a circle around it about a mile in diameter on the map.

[Novus]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('joeltrout', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Novus', '
')
My 30 year plan would be to pick a city center and then draw a circle around it about a mile in diameter on the map.

[Blacksmith]

Question: What politician plans 30 years down the road?

Answer: One that only serves one term.

[cowuvula]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', '
')I live on the coast of Northern California in a green groovy town. Warm all year and never snows. Bike lanes everywhere and cars respect bikers. Can you say the same about your town? Most of our car-centric suburban infrastructure is not bike friendly and never will be. Too dispersed. Too cold. Too hot. Bikes will never work here either---in the best of all possible worlds. The hills come right down into town. Ever try riding up 1,000 vertical ft with a load of groceries? That's where the good neighborhoods are. Up on the hills. Where do the good folks move to? Where the po' folks are?

[gampy]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Blacksmith', 'Q')uestion: What politician plans 30 years down the road?

Answer: One that only serves one term.