How Will Phoenix Respond to the Gas Crisis?
While reading a CNN news story and reader comments (there were 65!) I finally came to realize I am not the only person freaking out this year about higher gas prices. I’m already walking as much as I can, which isn’t much. This is Phoenix, after all. The Valley of the sun is a horribly laid out city when it comes to gas conservation. I can only walk to about two places, so my walking isn’t saving gallons of gas. Ounces, definitely. But the pride I take in using even an ounce less gas in this era of gouging and spectacular oil company profits is priceless.
I am already planning to carpool some days with a coworker. I walk to the grocery store and I walk to lunch from work every day. But I have to drive to work, I have to drive to my boyfriend’s place and to my parents’ house. There are just so many places that are too far to walk.
And have you ever tried walking in Phoenix? It isn’t fun. For starters, it will hit 100 degrees here in the next couple weeks. Second, this city isn’t built for walking. It’s hard to navigate a neighborhood where sidewalks are minimal. Phoenix was built for driving. Public transportation barely exists. The bus system is too slow. I’d have to wake up at 4:00 am to get to work on time. The light rail construction is making traffic worse all over the Valley and I haven’t talked to one person who is confident it will even help once it is finished.
Mesa, on the other hand, is taking sidewalks into account in order to encourage a more pedestrian lifestyle. I wish Phoenix would do the same. We build and build and expand and burp up dust with all our construction. Now, we are left with our fists tightly closed around our few nickels that we need to spend on precious gas and allergy meds because that brown cloud isn’t making breathing any easier.
I think I will simply have to buy a motorcycle this year. Here’s the link to Mesa’s new sidewalk initiative:
http://www.cityofmesa.org/stellent/groups/
public/documents/news/nr_widersidewalksformesa.asp#TopOfPage
I am already planning to carpool some days with a coworker. I walk to the grocery store and I walk to lunch from work every day. But I have to drive to work, I have to drive to my boyfriend’s place and to my parents’ house. There are just so many places that are too far to walk.
And have you ever tried walking in Phoenix? It isn’t fun. For starters, it will hit 100 degrees here in the next couple weeks. Second, this city isn’t built for walking. It’s hard to navigate a neighborhood where sidewalks are minimal. Phoenix was built for driving. Public transportation barely exists. The bus system is too slow. I’d have to wake up at 4:00 am to get to work on time. The light rail construction is making traffic worse all over the Valley and I haven’t talked to one person who is confident it will even help once it is finished.
Mesa, on the other hand, is taking sidewalks into account in order to encourage a more pedestrian lifestyle. I wish Phoenix would do the same. We build and build and expand and burp up dust with all our construction. Now, we are left with our fists tightly closed around our few nickels that we need to spend on precious gas and allergy meds because that brown cloud isn’t making breathing any easier.
I think I will simply have to buy a motorcycle this year. Here’s the link to Mesa’s new sidewalk initiative:
http://www.cityofmesa.org/stellent/groups/
public/documents/news/nr_widersidewalksformesa.asp#TopOfPage
posted by Heather Larson @ 12:49 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home