Andy Cline makes some compelling comments on the relative psychological ease and economic/political value of short range bicycle commuting in his essay "The One Mile Solution". Short range commuting provides good exercise and eliminates those incredibly inefficient short car trips that get the worst gas milage.
The piece is especially relevant if you live right in town. Even out on North Mesa, the most daunting climb on the way to town is Conoco Hill. This is also a strong rationale for fixing NM502 so it encourages cycling and walking.
3 comments:
The One Mile Solution is so obvious, it is amazing that few subscribe to it. And not just for commuting since few of us have a commute of a mile or less.
I work on the south side of Trinity across from the pond. It's about 12 minutes to walk to the bagel or coffee shop, but crossing a 5-lane 35MPH road is so daunting I can understand why people would drive.
Maybe before we move any further with the 502 redesign, we could have everybody in town spend a month working at my building :)
That's the problem, Neale. Most people don't try to cross Trinity on foot. There could be a reason you are fit and most people aren't.
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