🚀 go-pugleaf

" This raises hell with mass transit planning, since no great numbers
" all follow the same path anymore.

" All of which would seem to argue for a small-scale, flexible
" commuter transportation system.  Maybe we should try individual
" commuter units.

Yup.

Right now, cars are the most subsidized (highway costs), promoted (car
ads), and practical (look at your options) form of transportation.

Environmentally, gas-guzzlers are not a good solution, and soon need
elimination or near-elimination.  Questions have been raised about
whether electrifying cars would help much; while increases in
efficiency may be possible (less engine weight, centralized energy
production), would it really help the environment that much?

I personally think that charging for each form of transportation
at-cost would be a sort of "natural selection" step in the right
direction, utilizing our capitalist system to our benefit: cost of
road maintenance would be calculated and appropriately distributed to
the registration of vehicles (including government & transit vehicles)
using the roads (payable at the DMV like now) instead of out of every
taxpayer's dollar; fare prices for riding mass transit would stop
being subsidized by taxpayer's dollars, and would be borne entirely
out-of-pocket by the user.  This is a sort of separate idea, though,
and needs some calculations and research to figure out whether the
poor need any sort of fare break.  (Gee, this really does show I don't
adhere much to any one Political Party's agenda -- this time I sound
like a Libertarian!)

Addressing the need for multi-point origination/destination
transportation, I believe that in a world where 50% of the people use
mass transit the transit system could be easily scheduled (possibly
real-time by computer) to move a person happily & efficiently from any
one point to any other point with only a minimum of walking from
vehicle to vehicle.

This is my vision:

I walk out the door, and walk down the road, breathing the air,
deciding whether I want to walk for a while or not.  Ok, the air today
isn't so hot, perhaps I'll get to my faster transportation needs more
quickly ... I pull out my on-person computer, and realize the
batteries are all out, so I walk ten feet to the corner where there's
a rent-a-computer for $.25 -- I put my quarter in and I tap a few keys
telling it my destination and logging my preferences (which tell how
fast, how much I'm willing to pay, etc.).  It says I can go down to
the coffee store a block away and approximately 4 minutes from now at
7:24 I can expect to see a bus bearing the code "4U2D" with a sign
reading "Medium distance North West North" or something similar on it;
I am to get on that.

I get to the coffee shop at 7:23, none too soon as I hardly have time
to say hi to my friend, and we decide to stay together for our commute
since we're both going northerly.  He gets on the same vehicle I do,
swiping his anonymous-but-specific ID card through the sensor to let
the traveling network know he's taking a different route than expect
to wherever he's going today (he'll program his new destination needs
later ...), and we get on happy to see one of our favorite waiters
working the tables.  We sit down, plants surrounding us, the
multifaceted conversation of many various people surrounding us in the
room, as we both unconsciously jolt to the strange concept that our
restaurant is moving (we didn't grow up with this, you know!).  As
we're talking, I've put my personal computer into the recharger on the
bus, and suddenly it beeps at me telling me I better decide what to do
next.  We collaborate where we're going and how long we want to stay
together talking, and it spits back that that will add 5 minutes to my
trip, 7 to his, and we're happy.  We approve the plan and get off our
vehicle with food in hand to sit down in the next one, where we enjoy
a great meal together for the next 12 minutes, and then talking on the
next unit for 5 minutes after that when he finally leaves for his last
vehicle, us concluding our conversation, wondering why we even bother
going anyplace these days what with the ability to telecommunicate
and telecommute these days, walking through the clean air to work ...


Hell or heaven?

Aww, it could be better even ... just use your imagination.  We can do
it.

Brad

Other ideas:

Mobile homes, mobile offices, mobile stores

What would society turn into?  Good or bad, better or worse?

The way I see it is we will be going through changes, adapting to our
environment, economics, population, etc.  If we let things just
happen, we'll be forced to change in unforseen and unhappy ways,
certainly not ideal; if we instead work >with< the changes,
intelligently, and keep up with the world and our environment
(including natural environment), then we will change much happier.
The difference between the two isn't necessarily apparent since
there's not much to compare the current reality to, except to the
centaurian who's lived through both ways; it's just that one way is
better because there is less pain and anguish, more fun and happiness.