Monday, June 23, 2008

Moving on to Mass Transit Because of the Cost of Gas

The weekly "Eyes on the Road" column, published Monday's in The Wall Street Journal, ran a great profile this morning about a Detroit resident's efforts to move to mass transit. You should be able to access this article this week, as it appears to be part of the Journal's free web content.

Yup, it is true. The cost of gas is causing Americans to rethink their commuting habits. We're lucky here in Massachusetts - we may not have the greatest mass transit system, but at least we have one. Cities such as Detroit, which eliminated most of their public transportation options after World War II, are in a pickle now that gas is expensive and citizens want different options.

The cost of gas will no doubt continue the dialogue about public transportation. On the one hand, Americans don't want to spend so much of their disposable income towards transportation costs. On the other hand, everyone wants the public transit to fit their schedule. There may need to be some compromises, but it would be great to see a system that fits a lot of different needs and helps us conserve our resources.

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