Bike Utah Valley

I was looking at the editorial section of the New York Times yesterday when I saw an op-ed about transportation entitled “Have You Driven a Bus or a Train Lately?”  Of course I have not driven either lately, or ever, though I have ridden on both, so I clicked on the link and enjoyed very much what I read.  It was fascinating!  There seems to never be any ideas that are new, just recycled.  It turns out that former Secretary of the Interior, Stewart Udall, wrote an article in 1972 for The Atlantic entitled “The Last Traffic Jam” that this current op-ed is based partly upon.  Both are great reads and I highly recommend them, especially in light of the current crisis that GM is going through and the higher gas prices of this last summer.  I’ll sum up for those who don’t have a lot of time.  Basically, the argument goes that we should wean ourselves from big heavy inefficient cars and retool to produce smaller, more efficient ones, as well as investing not on more roads but on transit, particularly rail transit, and more compact development patterns that foster walking and transit use.  That also means better for bicycles as a given.  All I have to say is AMEN!  These ideas are far from new.  Mr. Udall was advocating this all in 1972!  Give them a read and let me know what you think.