Whatever, Man.

It's been done before: An article in the newspaper discusses how Texans are "addicted to their cars" or "too much money's being spent on highway/interstate stuff and we need more public transportation alternatives." And, there is a certain ringing of truth to it.

But, today's article by Eric Van Steenberg made me giggle. Sure, he's got some good points as he discusses the upcoming referendum on the Trinity River project going on in Dallas...and I kind of like the idea that he offered some solutions to our "car addiction" but, for cryin' out loud, Eric, you live here and these are some of your solutions?

Bike Lanes. Eric, when you use Portland as an example for restriping current roadways to add bike lanes it isn't really a fair comparison. They wear scarves in October during rush hour. In a Dallas October, we still have highs in the low 80's. That's a 30 or 40 degree difference, which makes quite a difference if you're pedaling a few miles.

Demand that your city council put $1 million into "safe routes to school" planning. I get it that 20% of all traffic during those times are because parents are taking their kids to school. But here's the thing: My daughter attends school in D.I.S.D., and the route to school she'd currently have to take involves getting on a bus route that has been known for assaults. There's no "planning" that's going to fix that other than to put the cash into paying an armed officer to ride that route all day. And would you want to put your kid on a bus that paid an armed officer to ride that route all day? Oh, yeah...city councils have lots of extra money to throw around, so $1 million shouldn't be much of a problem.

Request that your employer have locker rooms with showers so that when you ride your bike to work in the Texas summer you can clean up before heading to your desk. If you can't get that, ask your company to provide complimentary memberships to the nearest gym as an employee benefit. Yeah, the local restaurant owner has plenty of room to add employee locker rooms. Most folks work in smaller businesses that make this suggestion impossible. And, the local dry cleaner isn't likely to give his employees health club memberships at $40/month. Oh yeah: How many businesses are located within a distance where you wouldn't sweat in Texas moving from the club back to the business?

Require that your transit authorities increase the number of public transportation routes so there is one within a 20-minute walk from your home or office. Eric, how do you require transit authorities to do anything? And, I'd imagine that'd cost a few bucks here and there, wouldn't it?

Now, don't get me wrong, Eric. We're on the same team here. There's a lot we can do...but mostly it's going to come from city engineers mandating a "walking city," and then supplying sufficient public transportation alongside that.

Let me give you an example: The university I attended (which doubled the size of the town when students were in session) had serious traffic problems on campus. Over a period of years, they just erased roads and made them sidewalks with nice landscaping and plenty of shaded areas and all that. They started right next to the main liberal arts building and worked outward...but it was all planned. Now, you can only get so close to the campus before you had to park & walk. So, people adjusted their habits and realized that you could park a mile away from class or take the Tiger Shuttle right to the door of the building from various dorms and apartment complexes. In other words, the people only changed their habits when it benefitted them directly and was more or less forced--all the while the university was getting love from everybody because of "how great the campus looks now."

So, the best solution, Eric, is to start with urban renewal plans and build around them so you slowly and painlessly move away from driving your car and make it a transit/pedestrian friendly set-up.

But until then, riding a bike & taking a shower at work ain't the answer, either, man. Not in Texas. Hang in there, though. You're on the right track.