Us "caraholics" sometimes have other reasons, particularly female caroholics. For
example, in the good weather, I'm out in my car late at night. The busses are
running at greater intervals at that hour and waiting for a bus in many places in
this city--or any city or small town or even totally rural areas--are not safe
places for women to wait for a bus. i.e. Lake and Chicago, Lake and 4th Av., Lake
and Bloomington, anywhere on Nicollet Mall now that they've torn down the Times
Cafe, 103rd and 3rd Av. Those places are not all that safe for men either. I
received commendations when I drove because men called in to say that my being
there (at Hennepin and Lagoon, for example) saved them from a mugging or worse. I
gave free rides to young girls who were being harassed by ghouls in cars looking
for a female to abuse. Men and women both have been pulled off bicycles by gang
bangers who take pride in the fact that they always have a bicycle, but have never
bougfht one. My foster kid was harassed by a passenger who got off the bus behind
her just to continue harassing her because he didn't like how she looked. Being a
caraholic has a lot to do with trying to stay safe in a hostile world.
WMarks, Central
John Akre wrote:
> I would like to add a third kind of person who uses transit (there are
> also probably many other types of people who use transit). I choose to
> use transit and don't own a car (but I could afford one if I chose)
> because of global warming and the environmental impact of automobiles. I
> know that I'm not the only one like this, and I also think this type of
> transit-using people will be growing in number as folks realize how
> dangerous the overreliance on car transport is to life on earth.
> Caraholics always say they need their cars because they need to make all
> these side trips, and I do feel pity for them. But if you don't drive
> you find that you schedule and arrange things differently (call it
> linear living), so you don't have to be running back and forth so much.
> People around the world really are coming to their senses and giving up
> cars. This will catch on in Minneapolis, the city will change, and if
> someone needs to go just a few blocks a pedicab, a streetcar, a scooter,
> a pogo stick or a nice pair of walking shoes will be so much more
> convenient and planet-friendly than an electric car shuttle system.
>
> Here's to 2001!
> John Akre
> Sheridan Neighborhood
> www.sheridanneighborhood.org
>
> PS: Basing a transportation system on the presumption of traction
> between rubber tires and asphalt roads just seems silly in a place with
> winter days like this one. I'm looking forward to rail transport in
> Minneapolis.
>
> >
> > Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 23:15:13 -0800
> > From: "Carol Becker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Subject: Re: Electric Car Shuttle System
> > Message-ID: <000d01c0709d$ec776d40$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >
> > Part of the answer lies in why people ride transit. There are two kinds of
> > people who ride transit: people who have no other transit option (mainly the
> > poor, disabled, and elderly) and those who are going to work. In the Twin
> > Cities, 32% of riders have no other transit option and 81% of people are
> > going to work. Also, 75% of persons riding transit are doing so during the
> > rush hour.
> >
> > For the people going to work (the majority of riders), they usually are not
> > making multiple stops. They are going from work to home or home to work.
> > If they need to make multiple stops, they usually drive (70% of folksing
> > taking transit have access to a car) or they use pool cars provided by their
> > employer.
> >
> > Carol Becker
> > Longfellow
