Travels by Transit with Commissioner Dana Reed

California Transportation Commission

 

Introduction Like most Californians, I drive a single occupant vehicle almost every day of the year. A big, four door, V-8, sports-utility vehicle. More than 20,000 miles annually at 15 to 18 miles to the gallon. I shudder to think how many pounds of hydrocarbons I have personally discharged into the atmosphere since I began driving at age sixteen. Over those past four decades, California taxpayers have spent tens of billions of dollars trying to provide alternatives to driving alone. Be it a bus, van, ferry, light rail, heavy rail, commuter rail, bikeway or carpool lane, expensive alternatives abound. But is it working? Some, like the Los Angeles based Bus Riders Union, say the existing system is deplorable. They say we should stop all rail construction and instead, purchase hundreds and hundreds of additional busses to ply our city streets. Others, like the Orange County based Drivers for Highway Safety say that providing any type of public transportation is just a gigantic waste of precious tax resources. They would rather we use those funds to build more and more freeways. As a state Transportation Commissioner, I want to try the system for myself. That's why I have decided to give up my car for a month. Beginning July 1st, I'm going to use an alternative form of transportation for a full 31 days. I'll ride the bus, I'll use a van, I'll ride light rail, heavy rail and commuter rail. I'll walk, I'll carpool and I'll even dust off my trusty old bicycle which I haven't used in years. What I WON'T do during the month of July is drive alone. And I'll keep a journal of my travels, posting it almost daily on the CTC's website. If the bus or train is late or if the air conditioner doesn't work, I'll report it in my journal. Conversely, if it's clean, on time and reasonably pleasant, I'll report that as well. My guess is that I'll find the system far from deplorable but equally far from optimum efficiency. We'll just have to wait and see.

Daily Logs WEEK 1 Day 1: July 1, 1999 Day 2: July 2, 1999 Day 3: July 3, 1999 Day 4: July 4, 1999 Day 5: July 5, 1999 Day 6: July 6, 1999 Day 7: July 7, 1999 WEEK 2 Day 8: July 8, 1999 Day 9: July 9, 1999 Day 10: July 10, 1999 Day 11: July 11, 1999 Day 12: July 12, 1999 Day 13: July 13, 1999 Day 14: July 14, 1999 WEEK 3 Day 15: July 15, 1999 Day 16: July 16, 1999 Day 17: July 17, 1999 Day 18: July 18, 1999 Day 19: July 19, 1999 Day 20: July 20, 1999 Day 21: July 21, 1999 WEEK 4 Day 22: July 22, 1999 Day 23: July 23, 1999 Day 24: July 24, 1999 Day 25: July 25, 1999 Day 26: July 26, 1999 Day 27: July 27, 1999 Day 28: July 28, 1999 Day 29: July 29, 1999 Day 30: July 30, 1999 Day 31: July 31, 1999

Email your comments and questions to: danareed@politicallaw.com

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