Abdicating responsibility
Sep. 21st, 2006 12:19 pmSuing car manufacturers for contributing to global warming is as stupid as suing MacDonald's because you're fat.
California's problem is that, like much of the rest of the United States and indeed the rest of the developed world, their infrastructure depends on roads. So, sue the people who plan developments without footpaths. Sue the people who build out-of-town supermalls with no public transport links. Tax the people who buy SUVs to commute with. Tax the commuters who drive alone every day. Tax the homeowners who insist on having detached houses on large plots, far from any urban centre.
Plan high-density areas with good access to public transport. Plan areas that are friendly and safe for walkers and cyclists. Plan to include community facilities, schools, leisure areas, employment, within foot/bike distance. Provide buses, trams, trains.
Rant over, sorry. But building things like BedZED seem to me to be a more mature response to the situation than finding someone to blame and then suing the crap out of them. Among other things, it addresses the root of the problem. Car manufacturers are in business because they are required by the lifestyle of the people who buy cars. Yes, they have done their best to construct and encourage that lifestyle, but they couldn't have done it without the active collaboration of a lot of people, including the state government who is now suing them.
California's problem is that, like much of the rest of the United States and indeed the rest of the developed world, their infrastructure depends on roads. So, sue the people who plan developments without footpaths. Sue the people who build out-of-town supermalls with no public transport links. Tax the people who buy SUVs to commute with. Tax the commuters who drive alone every day. Tax the homeowners who insist on having detached houses on large plots, far from any urban centre.
Plan high-density areas with good access to public transport. Plan areas that are friendly and safe for walkers and cyclists. Plan to include community facilities, schools, leisure areas, employment, within foot/bike distance. Provide buses, trams, trains.
Rant over, sorry. But building things like BedZED seem to me to be a more mature response to the situation than finding someone to blame and then suing the crap out of them. Among other things, it addresses the root of the problem. Car manufacturers are in business because they are required by the lifestyle of the people who buy cars. Yes, they have done their best to construct and encourage that lifestyle, but they couldn't have done it without the active collaboration of a lot of people, including the state government who is now suing them.