Rain has washed out "car free" day in Seattle. Do you suppose the people of Seattle will learn anything from this?
"Car free" day is an effort to force people into mass transit or walking or biking, of course.
There's nothing inherently wrong with mass transit. But it's "mass" transit. Mass transit doesn't, under current technology, pick up and drop off at each and every front door.
The first step in every "mass" transit adventure is that you must hie your body and everything you want to take with you for the day all the way to some central mass transit point. At the end of the day, no matter how tired or heavy laden you are, you must hie yourself and your belongings back home again.
And if it's sunny when you start you journey and rainy on your return -- tough luck, pal.
Adding to the fun, most mass transit these days is run by, or extremely heavily regulated by, local governments. And local governments are not particulary known for their quick responsiveness to customer needs, their flexible adaptation to market conditions or to varying preferences, nor their astonishing efficiency. No, they are the opposite of all of these.
But there are alternatives! There are bikes! There is walking!
Yes, all of which works wonderfully with babies and small children, especially the cranky, tired, exhausted ones. And did I mention that babies sleep a lot, and get cranky semi-regularly?
Biking and walking are also not entirely optimal for seasoned citizens, or the mobility-challenged. And what if you need to do all your weekly grocery shopping today, or you've decided to buy that glass kitchen table you've been eyeing? Or you just have a whole lot of books or files to carry in your daily work?
Or there are some tough-looking characters along one's daily route?
Seattle presumes a rainbow-filled, pink unicorn world in which none of these practical problems exist.
Why does Seattle imagine that people shell out big money for cars and fuel and repairs? Is it because they enjoy spending money, or that, on balance, the freedom, efficiency, privacy, convenience, comfort, and practicality of the personal automobile makes it the better alternative most of the time?
But, now, Seattle can't see all that. It has a cookie cutter solution for everyone, and of course that solution is totally impractical for most.
But let's see how Seattle fared:
SEATTLE - Only in Seattle could an event touted as a way to help the environment get washed out during what is supposed to be the driest time of the year.
One neighborhood is closed off to car traffic during selected weekends this summer.
On Sunday it was the area around 14th and Republican on Capitol Hill, a residential area that's normally quiet anyway.
"I think it promotes awareness of whatever we're promoting awareness of," said resident Thomas Hubbard.
"A car passes by every once in a while, just people trying to get home. And they don't know how to get home," said resident Matt O'Connor.
"I think most people are scratching their heads. I've seen people move the signs and drive through anyway," said Hubbard.
With more police officers diverting traffic than actual people, the city decided to end the event two hours earlier.
O'Connor said the idea was good in theory, "but in practice, it needs a little bit of work."
Adding insult to injury, the cars owned by some residents in the neighborhood were towed because the city wanted to clear the streets.
Did you catch that? "I think it promotes awareness of whatever we're promoting awareness of."
Now that's a motto you can get behind!
Next week, let's promote personal freedom. I know it's a radical idea, but rumor has it, it really works sometimes. Entire countries have been built on the premise, and, oddly enough, they've done better than the rest.
Of course, Seattle can continue down this path. Why not? Who's to stop it? It will, of course, turn Seattle into a dying city, but at least it will be car free.
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