----- Original Message ----- From: "Dan Minette" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2007 3:21 PM Subject: Re: Car free London?
Rob wrote: >It is quite clear you don't live in Houston.<G> >For me it would work out: >Car: 40 minutes (realistically, probably over an hour)>Train: >N/A>Tram: N/A>Bus: 60 minutes>Bicycle: 2+ hours >I think I have you beat: each way my commute to a customer I need to >work on site >twice/week is: [Snip] Heh! You might from time to time, but I have to be completely mobile for the purpose of work. I could be required to work anywhere in 5 counties at any time, and public transportation is insufficient for people in my position a good deal of the time. >Now, Charlie Rob and I do not live in London, so our experiences do >not directly >translate. What interests me in the article is that >the ban is not simply in central >London, which was explictly >declared insufficient, but all the boroughs...which I've >seen on >Wikipedia to encompass 175 square miles. > >Without cars, one would require a very dense public transportation >network, >probably greater than inner London, or require people to >walk blocks after getting >off public transportation. The other >option, of course, is biking or walking the entire >way. > >What I don't understand about Martin's comments is that he seems to >think that the >potential downside to this is tangential to meeting >pollution goals by eliminating >cars. I tried to catch every post of >his, but may have missed one, so I hope I can ask >the question why >adressing the downside to a proposal is not germane to the >proposal? > >I'd be willing to wager that, if you looked at banning cars from >London, you would >find a number of people who would have to find far >more expensive means of >transportation than automobiles. In saying >this, I am thinking about the value of >people's time. The value of >my time is clear to me because I am a consultant, and >see unbillible >hours as pure drain. If it takes 1 hour to go to work instead of 15 > >minutes, then that's a loss of 1.5 billible hours. When I commute >to the site of the >one customer, I don't bill those hours (as is >customary for technical consultants, long >term large contracts with >in town customers do not include billible hours for driving >in >town)....and determine my effective compensation based on the entire >time spent >on that customer. > >I see the origional article as an off the cuff assessment, which will >have little bearing >on things, beside the letting the author feel >rather smug about himself. This is, of >course, a YMMV viewpoint. > It strikes me as one of those Tolkieneque return-to-agrarian-state types of proposals. Fossil burning vehicles a problem? Just stop using them! What if one has an electric vehicle that is recharged at a solar cell charging station? Is it refused at the city limits? That kind of thinking certainly brings Pol Pot to mind. What happens if a family member has an infectious disease and needs medical attention? It would be un ethical to use public transportation or even a cab in such a case. Do you transport a sick person on a bicycle? xponent Tongue In Cheek Maru rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
