Via Brian, a story from Florida about how the surge in train use hasn’t gone down as much as you’d think as gas prices creep down to where they were. This was my concern as I saw gas prices start going down at the pump. (In Austin, it’s below $2 a gallon now.) If it deflates the cost of food that wouldn’t be the worst thing for my pocketbook, but the environmentalist in me was hoping to see gas prices stay high until it forced this country to rebuild our infrastructure. We’ve already demonstrated we won’t do squat until it’s too late, so I was glad that it was looking too late before it might really be too late, and kicking people into gear. All discussions about taking steps towards discouraging car use and encouraging public transportation are usually met with a chorus of howls from people who may buy organic and recycle, but don’t want to give up their cars and will cling to all negative side effects of the change without asking the question, “Are the negative aspects of the change worse than the negative aspects of continuing as is?”
A lot of people need to use their cars. But I think a huge percentage of car use could be replaced by public transportation, bicycling, or walking, but that people don’t see the changes they could make because habit sends them straight to their cars. There’s the fear of change aspect, and generally the only way to overcome that problem is to put enough obstacles up that people have to change. It’s basic psychology. You could have a dog that sleeps on your couch and it’s not enough to buy him a softer, more appealing bed. You have to put laundry baskets on the couch so he can’t get up there and has to resort to using the bed, and only then will he find out that it is indeed more pleasant to sleep on the bed. It seems that this effect is happening on the trains.