In the context of auto v. transit preference the only component of the auto that it truly faulty is the engine.

In terms of congestion, road width and parking area the size of the average American personal transport unit is faulty but the auto market already offers solutions to that fault.

Hah! I’m not going to get into detail, but don’t you think this is low balling it a bit.

I use this analogy for societal learning in my presentations: think of the growth of societal knowledge as the same as a growth curve. The inflection point (.5) is the “tipping point” where people get it – the ‘a-ha’ moment.

Wrt transport, the American public apparently have had an a-ha moment at around US$3.75/gal. There is rapid movement up the steep part of the curve. Will this learning result in widespread action?

I think it will take not too much longer for it to be common for most of the many families stuck in the car to learn how to chain trips. I think it will take several years for families to want to (and then be able to) dump the behemoth SUV. It will likely be not long after that for some families to move to places that are proximate to services (within a comfortable walk/bike ride) – as we are two-income families and jobs change so living close to work may not work for many.

Certainly many won’t get it. The future mother in law the other day jumped in the car to get an ice cream – she simply doesn’t think about stuff.

DS

That’s precisely what I am saying. Humans in the USA drove enmass a century before the ICE replaced the horse. They will drive enmass a century after the ICE auto has been replaced with some more sustainable power plant. Why figure out an alternative to the auto when only one component of the auto is faulty?

That’s high praise to the intelligence of the early adopters. The great unwashed masses will just go along for the ride as they always have done, after all half of every country’s population has below average intelligence.

Although htdrogen production does seem to be perticularly well suited to solar furnace applications. But that’s a real chicken and egg situaton. Solar furnance hydrogen supply, or substantial hydrogen car demand.

1. Would emitting water vapor increase humidity?
2. Where does the electricity come from?”– D4p

The real question is where would the hydrogen come from? If you take that into account, a hydrogen car makes a hummer look like a miracle in efficiency.

Which in most cases probably means coal, right? If so, the term “zero emissions vehicle” becomes misleading.

And? If presumably gas prices stay high, and transit ridership increases, so what? Are you saying humans in the United States are unable to do anything other than drive, that they are unable to figure out anything else on their own?

Is that an insult to the intelligence of the populace?

DS

“For every incompetent transit agency, there are dozens of incompetent road bureaucracies”

For every competent transit agency, there are dozens of competent road bureaucracies.

For every transit traveller, there are hundreds of road travellers.

The coffeee pots outnumber the kettles by a huge margin.

Ribbon cutting isn’t a bureaucratic magnet, it is a political magnet. Stop insulting the wrong people.