Moody Center
Need to Take a Serious Look at Alternative Forms of Transportation
RECEIVED Tue., July 15, 2008
Dear Editor,
We live in an automobile culture. Texas is home to two of the largest oil companies’ headquarters, and auto manufacturers are so proud of the vehicles that are sold here that Texas models are made. Texas is also home to some of the finest roadways in the nation. Of course, there is a flip side. Our culture has overlooked the alternate types of transportation and this is seen on an enormous scale in fatalities. Our country’s automobile fatalities surpass 40,000 people per year, yet this number seems to fade through our news as common occurrences. This whitewashing of a staggering number of deaths is of great significance!
Now is the time to act, and it is vital that we start locally. Austin’s streets don’t have nearly enough bike routes, sidewalks, and crosswalks for its population. Ever notice how many people stand in the center of a street trying to cross with no crosswalk around? Even our former mayor killed a pedestrian who was trying to cross North Lamar.
Until our society deals with overcoming this pressure toward using automobiles, no perceivable changes can be made to our safety. Start by riding a bike or walking to your next destination. Try using our slow but reliable buses. If enough people act on their feelings instead of what’s convenient, we can make a change. Initiate conversations with your friends and neighbors, and get them to speak up. City, state, and federal representatives need to step up their pressure to create alternate means of transportation. Law enforcement personnel must start ticketing drivers who hit pedestrians, and courts must follow through and penalize them. The Department of Public Safety must make testing for driver's licenses more stringent and must require yearly mandatory testing for senior drivers. Together our actions can make an enormous change!
We live in an automobile culture. Texas is home to two of the largest oil companies’ headquarters, and auto manufacturers are so proud of the vehicles that are sold here that Texas models are made. Texas is also home to some of the finest roadways in the nation. Of course, there is a flip side. Our culture has overlooked the alternate types of transportation and this is seen on an enormous scale in fatalities. Our country’s automobile fatalities surpass 40,000 people per year, yet this number seems to fade through our news as common occurrences. This whitewashing of a staggering number of deaths is of great significance!
Now is the time to act, and it is vital that we start locally. Austin’s streets don’t have nearly enough bike routes, sidewalks, and crosswalks for its population. Ever notice how many people stand in the center of a street trying to cross with no crosswalk around? Even our former mayor killed a pedestrian who was trying to cross North Lamar.
Until our society deals with overcoming this pressure toward using automobiles, no perceivable changes can be made to our safety. Start by riding a bike or walking to your next destination. Try using our slow but reliable buses. If enough people act on their feelings instead of what’s convenient, we can make a change. Initiate conversations with your friends and neighbors, and get them to speak up. City, state, and federal representatives need to step up their pressure to create alternate means of transportation. Law enforcement personnel must start ticketing drivers who hit pedestrians, and courts must follow through and penalize them. The Department of Public Safety must make testing for driver's licenses more stringent and must require yearly mandatory testing for senior drivers. Together our actions can make an enormous change!
Dylan Coates
