Based upon the grass roots initiatives that did so well this past election to spread the word there is also a Facebook group set up to, at a minimum, build a list to show that there are people out there ready to take a seat on the trains once they arrive.  Let’s help the economic portion of their feasibility study by showing them that there is a demand for this service.  And cheers to all of you.  Here is the announcement…

The Rocky Mountain Rail Authority is conducting a one-year study of the technical, financial and economic feasibility of implementing high-speed intercity passenger rail service within Colorado and into neighboring states that could provide seamless travel throughout the state’s most populated corridors.

The study will evaluate the provision of high speed passenger train service connecting the cities and counties along the Front Range, the I-70 Corridor and other locations within the state.

That’s on my wish list anyway.

In Colorado they keep talking about how much it would cost to build new tracks and we never get anything moving forward.

What if… we just utilize our commercial lines for transport. We have inactive lines going through Minturn that would make a perfect skier stop. And I found an old train map showing the lines running around. Let’s work out something with Union Pacific or someone start a business that rents from them. Design a car that fits the rail and is comfortable. Serve some drinks, food, and fun.

What if we did it?

How do we do it?

It’s been done elsewhere. Here is an article about how New Mexico converted a former Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) track that runs from Belen in the south to Sandoval City.The ten double-decker passenger cars are built by Bombardier in Quebec and can carry up to 200 passengers each.

My first morning in Tokyo I bounced out of bed, unable to sleep, at 4 am. I quickly showered and dressed then headed downstairs to catch a cab to the famous Tsukiji Central Fish Market. The Tsukiji Central Fish Market is the largest fish market in the world, and a recommended sight in Tokyo by every book, website, and person I checked with. The auction officially starts at 5:30 am and it can draw huge crowds, especially on the weekends. My lonely planet review offered the detail “About 2246 tonnes of fish, worth over 1.8 billion yen (US $15.5 Million), are sold here daily”. Thats alot of sushi.

I thought I was getting a good jump on the day but from the look on the concierge’s face it was too good of a jump as she politely suggested I find a cup of coffee to bide my time before taking a taxi. Maybe there is nothing going on at the Fish Market at 4:30 am so I took her advice and wandered the quiet, very quiet, streets of Tokyo to find an early morning beverage. Outside of a few salarymen heading in early there are actually times that Tokyo is all but motionless. It was kind of peaceful considering the buzz I had witnessed just the night before. It only takes a few blocks to find a convenience mart and pick up some oj and then return to the Hyatt a short time later for my cab.

If you are asking why I didn’t use Tokyo’s awesome subway lines; it was just too darn early for the trains to be running.

My cab whisked me over to the fish market and soon I emerged from the cab in the middle of a busy frenzy of men buzzing around on buzzing carts. It was still just around dawn on an overcast morning and the grey illumination showed me stacks and stacks of styrofoam boxes, crates, tanks, and trucks on a wet stone street. My taxi driver pointed the direction of more activity and some larger trucks and then zipped away as a truck behind him began honking.

I saw no other tourists and it may very well be that I was seeing a little bit of the pre show. As I walked in the direction i had been pointed I had to wait and watch at every step for the activity of these funky little motorized carts going both directions. They had a round tank like engine in the back and sat up a little high and they were moving fast.

Continuing past a area with many parked trucks I entered the main tents of the Market. Here I found hundreds and hundreds of booths and alleys with an array of every type of fish being set up. My arrival was right in the middle of set up and while I wandered around merchants were laying out their items and setting up their displays. And they were doing it fast. Now the carts were buzzing along in tight alleys, men and women in jeans and tee shirts smoked cigarettes and laughed with their colleagues as they worked. A few offered kind smiles or waved but most were so busy, and probably either used to or annoyed by the tourist crowd, that they just kept working at a quick pace. Some of the booths were larger, well lit and had big display counters. Some had tanks with eels or fish squirming back and forth probably recognizing their fate and looking for an escape. And some were dark alleys where men with huge machete style blades or big electric saws waited for the next fish to cut up.

It was amazing. Many fish I recognized and many I did not. Sometimes the display booth had many different varieties in piles of fish where you could see them still moving, wriggling from being only recently taken from the sea. These guys were the supermarket booths that had many things to choose from. Others might be a specialty store where there was just alot of one thing. One booth had every type of mollusk and clam under the sun. bins of fleshy white squid or a mountain of bright red shrimp and prawns. My favorite was a stand with nothing but octopus of all sizes and a very stoic man standing there waiting for his customers. A warning sign asks the tourists not to touch or you have bought the Octopus and to respect the ways of Japan while in Japan. Sounds like a few of the tourists haven’t been so well behaved.

I weaved my way through the booths for I don’t know how long, amazed at every turn until I noticed some activity in the back in a large open shed like area. I headed that way and heard loud rapid speaking and the sound of a crowd responding. This was the auction. I walked right into the center of the Tuna auction surrounded by the huge and glistening bodies of some monsterous fish. If you have ever seen a Tuna body it is one big fish. And surrounding the fish were various men going about their tasks of the day. There were main auctioneers who would ring a bell to signify the start of an auction and the various buyers would be gathered in a circle around him. Just like the stock market, the auctioneer would start rapidly speaking and shouting out higher and higher prices (that I couldn’t understand) as the buyers around him raised hands for their bids. The energy of the event was high and the momentum was fast. While the auctioneer was yelling out the bid prices buyers or their assistants were checking on the fish for quality. Each fish had a slice in the tail to expose a flap where the buyers bent or knelt down and checked the lines of fat. Perhaps to determine how how much O’toro versus toro they would be able to recover as O’toro goes for as much as 5 times the amount (Fatty tuna sushi sells for much more). These inspectors carried flashlights and were studying each of the fish in turn.

As the auction progressed and wrapped up and the fish were purchased the runners would tag each of the fish and a man with long paintbrush would mark the body of the fish with bright red paint. They didn’t seem to be doing an auction fish by fish, but more row by row with 8 fish going at a time in almost mini lots. And there were multiple auctions going on at the same time creating a moving flow of activity as buyers flocked from one crowd to the next. In the midst of it all men with pull carts and huge hooks were running through grabbing the sold fish and then racing them off to their destination. Most of these fish were huge and them men would swing all their weight to rock these weighty monsters up and onto their cart.

I wandered in and clicked more than a few photos before spotting a huge sign saying that I wasn’t supposed to be there. I am sure this is not only to help keep their business from being slowed down but also to make sure I don’t get myself squashed by some swinging fish or rolling cart. Fortunately this was the earliest auction and no other tourists had arrived so my presence was barely noticed and I began looking for a proper roost to take in the views. The tuna auction was wrapping up and most of the activity was done by the delivery carts who sped away through the alleys of the market with their cargo. At this point a very nice man in bibbed overalls came over to me and began pointing and saying “Salmon”. Turning I noticed a sign for visitor passage (A-ha) and off I headed.

The folks at the fish market were wise and had created an alley between two of the large warehouse style areas for the tourists to gather and click away with their cameras. While I was expecting a big crowd, there were probably only about 20 or 30 folks there but from every spot on the globe. Surrounding us on both sides were rows and rows of Salmon carcasses. These were clearly frozen and must have just been unloaded from their icy cargo holds. It had a surreal effect of creating a lingering mist across the floor of the auction hall as the rows of frosted fish gave off their chill. This auction was more of the same although it seemed to be bigger. Maybe Salmon is a bigger market. Either way it was fun to watch this from start to finish and I followed the visitor passage from one warehouse to another and spotted a few other fish along the way. The most interesting part was watching the different styles of buyers and the auction’s energy. Some were older, more traditional men who looked very sage like as they conducted business while others ran around in corporate jackets and looked like they represented the big boys of business.

After watching this auction for awhile I decided to head back to the market and see where those deliveries were going. As I headed back the carts of recently purchased fish flew by me everywhere. I soon found that the booths I had recently seen busy setting up were now pulsing with the activity of selling. In some areas I saw the same fish bodies recently bid on being divided for sale to their various customers. In France you see folks picking up their morning bread at the bakery, here they are picking up their morning fish. Some bought over the counter and kind little ladies and men walked around with individual purchases. Others placed orders at little booths within the booths, like mini cashiers which were almost always manned by ladies. My guess is these were the restaurteurs placing larger orders for the day. And everywhere small, medium, and large styrofoam boxes were being filled with different size fish and sealed for delivery to different locations. I recognized the same packaging I believe I saw at Sushi Sasa once, and imagined that a fish I saw today might just be eaten in Denver tomorrow. Cool.

I again weaved my way (again for a long time, so much to see) through the booths again watching this new activity and then headed to see what else was going on. There was a bustle of cargo heading for the trucks and more mechanical carts running to and fro as I cleared the both area. There were also a number of ice machines I had missed notice of on my way in. These guys had the wonderful job of sitting there and reading the paper or smoking until someone ran up with a bin. Then they flew into action grabbing a block of ice and putting it into this very, very, very old and scary looking machine that blew out chunks of ice from a metal chute. Then the ice fetcher shot off to restock someone and the ice make returned to his relaxed post.

By this time it was almost 7 am and my stomach was growling. Watching all this fish was making me hungry and another tip I had heard was there may be no fresher sushi in the world than the small sushi stands surrounding the Tsukiji market. Sure enough in the first outer ring of booths I found a scattering of small sushi bars and other vendors. Looking in from door to door I tried to pick the right one. The first had no customers, the second looked too touristy, but the third was perfect. It was a tiny sushi bar with maybe 10 seats and the wall was filled with photos, writings in Japanese, and was, simply put, cozy.

it was the perfect fit and the gentleman behind the counter made sure I was welcome. He recommended the Sashimi bowl and I have to say it was the absolute best bowl of Miso I have ever had.

Just outside the market other fish were headed for trucks.

Aw heck, this is taking a long time to write and I need to get out and keep exploring so here is a quick link to a Flickr dump of the photos from the first couple sights. Enjoy.

This past weekend and today I took a small step forward in reducing my carbon footprint. As of this morning I am an officially licensed motorcycle licensed scooter driver.

How does this reduce my carbon footprint? Well so far whenever I had to get somewhere quick or without the time or the convenience of jumping on my bike I would pull out my keys and jump into that gigantic SUV I bought back in 2000 to travel across town. I keep the beast because (1) it is paid for and (2) I have a 125 lb pup along with tons of gear that I need to carry between Denver and Vail whenever I get a chance to enjoy the mountains.

But except for those periodic mountain adventures I would prefer to travel as light and environmentally friendly as possible. So with the addition of a scooter to replace an auto for the 99% of my life spent here in Denver I just went from a measly 13 mpg to a wonderful 60 or more mpg. I may rarely, if ever, drive. But now at least I feel better about it.

Now let me tell you a little bit more about the process to get yourself zipping around on a scooter, just in case you are thinking about it.

PART I – Bike and Class

First of all, you need to decide if you want a smaller engine such as a 50cc engine or something larger like a 150 cc. There is a big distinction between the two. With a 50 cc engine you can just buy and go, parking wherever you want on curbs and other spots. It is looked at more like a bicycle as far as rules and licensing are concerned. No special license required or endorsement on your license. But it has a little less pep, so if you need or want to be able to accelerate when you need to (this can be a bonus for safety to get out of someone’s way or in traffic) this might not be the best choice.

Now with the bigger engine you will have the zip to power on Speer if some loser doesn’t see you and starts to weave into your lane, but it also means the process to get you legally zipping around takes a few more steps.

But that is the cool part, there is no difference between you and a motorcycle as far as the law is concerned. You need to go pass both a written and driving test on your scooter before the great state of Colorado will give you permission to zip around. Now to be clear, you need a license to legally drive a larger engine scooter but you don’t need one to buy one.

Guess what that means… alot of people buy a larger scooter and drive around without their endorsement or at least until they get around to taking the test. Or you have another alternative. You can do what I did and sign up for a Motorcycle Safety Foundation two day class which runs you through all the safety, training, and other knowledge you need to be safe on the road information and prepares you to pass the test at the end of the two days.

Did I mention it will also shorten your wait at the DMV? More about that later. Plus your MSF safety card usually, with most carriers, gets you some preferred insurance rates.

Anyway, back to the class and the story I have about that.

The class costs about $240 and states that it goes from 7 am to 5 pm for two days straight. I signed up for the this past weekend and followed all the rules which are to (1) make sure to pick up your homework book at one of the local scooter spots and get it done before class (easy), (2) Wear long pants, over ankle boots or shoes, long sleeve shirt, and gloves, and (3) don’t be late.

The being late part is really important. If they start class without you then you cannot jump in. Say good by to your class cost and if it is for day two you just lost that one day you spent already. It has something to do with the insurance of joining the class if you miss even a little bit of the instruction. So don’t be late. Even if you stay up late at a birthday party the night before.
The class was held at the Denver Coliseum. You know this spot, a beat up old parking lot located off of I-70 filled with leftover carnival cars and junked up trailers with the trains running by and the overpass hanging overhead. Very pretty and cheerful, but perfect for having a safe wide open spot to practice.

Our road instructor was a great seasoned ex police motorcycle officer. He had a great sense of humor, dry and quick, and could do about anything on his bike. He was fondly referred to by his younger cohort and fellow instructor as yoda, the wise teacher. Yoda, it turns out, could ride tight circles on his hog while balancing with his knees on the seat, which we witnessed as they tested out a bike during an out of class break.

In a class of 12, I was the only scooter among a pack of motorcycles. They had road bikes, dual bikes, Yamahas, Kawasakis, and more. I, however was on the “cute bike”. That’s okay, the younger instructor confessed he had never ridden a scooter until the class and loved them. They were, as he described it, “just fun”. No need to shift or worry about maneuvers… you just zip and go.

The first day we spent half the day on the course testing one drill to the next. Part of it was a bit dull for me when the drills called for learning to shift (Scooters like mine don’t shift). But that just meant I zipped the loop having fun. The weather was humid, like walking around with the dense weight of the water pressing on you. But it was overcast and the sun stayed hidden so we got spared a bit.

You spend your first day first learning how to power walk your bike, then progress to drills taking you back and forth, shifting, doing turns. It’s fun and fairly easy. Just getting a feel for your bike (or scooter). By about 1 pm you get a quick break for lunch and then are asked to meet at Sun Honda for the written part of the class. For those of you who hate tests, this is one you shouldn’t stress about.

We get there and get a two part video watching and discussion section that covers the basics of bike safety and common sense. I mean, really, you will not have to stress about the test. The instructor said they gave it to a group of nuns who never took or read any classwork about motorcycle safety and they all passed.

He also said he stopped telling that story after he told it and someone didn’t pass. And of course he told our class, so anyone who didn’t pass must really have felt great about hearing that comment. I do think we may have had one person who did not pass. But some people just hate tests (or really should not be out there on the road).

I forgot to mention. The price tag for us to have the class at Sun appears to be in the form of advertising. We all first went on a 25 minute tour of the building, the showrooms, the bikes, the accessories and the service department. Our guide cut to the chase and let us know he was available if we want to buy anything and would give a discount to the class.

I can’t really complain. They provide a space to do the class and I am sure a number of those newly trained motorcycle consumers loved seeing the big classic Harleys. Some of them might even buy something. They also have a cool room upstairs with vintage bikes that was fun to see. And the crowds checking out the bikes were almost as interesting as the bikes themselves.

After a few hours of watching, listening, and quite a bit of yawning its a quick written test, immediate feedback on your score, and out the door. By now it is after 6 pm. Plan to run over the first day with the goal of getting out early the next.

Intermission: I want out for a friends birthday party that night and we had both Saki and beer. I will pay for this later

Sunday morning we all arrive at 7 am. I am feeling less than perfect from the birthday party before and guess what the weather decides to do to help me out. It decides to be 100% sunshine, humidity, and scorching heat. The black asphalt acts as an amplifier to the heat sending it up through our boots and the bikes are radiating more heat as they chug through the day. Ouch.

There is a series of 7 drills on day two that include….

• Quick stops demonstrating the ability to, well, stop quick
• Tight U turns to demonstrate your ability to maneuver in close places
• Corner turns to demonstrate going on an on or off ramp
• Wider turns to demonstrate curves of a road
• Swerving to dodge obstacles
• Riding over something in the road (a 2X4 in this case)
• Doing lane changes
• Stopping in a curve

The drills were fun, and the only time that we got a break from the heat with some nice wind. That and hiding out under the overpass. They also prepared us for the test which included the U turn first, the quick stop second, and finally the curves.

The good news is that these tests are items that we already did many many times. When you did it wrong you did it again. If you thought you did it right but missed something, they tell you. It really does mean that you learn something for road safety that is needed. It also prepares you for the test.

I couldn’t imagine, if you never rode a scooter or a bike, that these tests wouldn’t be a little tricky. But with the two days sweating on that parking lot you get it dialed in perfectly. And hopefully you don’t get to nervous and forget it when the actual test arrives. Two people did have a bit of a freak out during the test and after completing the u turn (the test that gave everyone the most trouble) and then forgot to cruised right through the easy stop. Ouch again.

So that was it. Test is passed, class is wrapped up, and it’s only 2:30 pm. We take our wonderful Motorcycle Safety Cards (which are not your license) and our stinky, sweaty selves and cruise out of there as fast as we can for cool showers at home.

PART II – The DMV

This deserves it’s own heading because if you do this wrong you will sit in line for a long, long, long, long time.

Your card means you don’t have to wait in the super long line at the DMV, or take the test there. For those who don’t know, the DMV can be the single longest line in the city of Denver. That and the Social Security Department. So just trust me on this advice on how to handle it. Go to te office before they open at 8 am. Some say to go at 7, I went at 20 till. There was already a long line in front of me waiting to get in the door but most of these folks will need to do the long process of the test. You, with your handy motorcycle endorsement card, will be going to the expedited line. After the first 30 people ahead of me walked in and got numbers I just told them what I needed and was sent, instead, to the head of the line for quick stuff (or something like that). A quick show of the card, a punch of my old license, and my $2 fee and I was all set. Done. The time was 8:15 am. I was there for 35 minutes. Behind me in the “short line” by the time I was done were about 40 people. The difference of showing up 20 minutes before they opened and arriving after may have saved me 2 hours. Think about it.
I almost forgot my last experience before I got to go scooting around Denver testing out my new scooter and my new license… it was the moment of getting my new photo taken at the DMV.

Without giving me a heads up the DMV representative snapped a photo and said I was all wrapped up.

“How did the photo turn out then? Does it look okay?” I asked

He paused for a second, looked down at his screen and replied “Well, it looks like you”

I don’t think I want to see this license.

Last night the board voted on the decision to do Electric rail or Bio Diesel. Electric won (Wahoo!!) I think it will be cleaner, less pollution, and allow us for more options in terms of powering the lines for the future. Do it right the first time has always been my favorite plan. Plus, and of course I am only offering my opinion, the possibility of electric gives us future choices for how we generate the electricity we need. Solar, wind or something else may be the future power source that runs across these lines. I like possibilities.
Here is the article for you to read from today’s Rocky Mountain News..

It’s electric, boogie woogie: RTD says no diesel to DIA or Arvada

By Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News

July 24, 2007

The RTD board tonight bowed to political pressure and financial reality, dropping talk of converting two FasTracks corridors to diesel-powered cars instead of electric.

Some board members a few months ago believed FasTracks, which is $670 million over its $6.2 billion budget, could save up to $200 million by changing rail projects to Denver International Airport and to Arvada and Wheat Ridge from electric commuter rail to diesel.

It adds about $4 million per mile to electrify a rail line.

But faced with staff research that showed the upfront savings would be overwhelmed by the higher operating costs of a diesel system, the few board members left who supported going diesel joined their colleagues in voting 13-0 to stick with the current arrangement. The DIA line is expected to be completed in 2014; the Arvada line in 2015.

If that wasn’t enough, 26 speakers led of by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper unanimously urged the board to back the communities’ choices. No one spoke up for using diesel cars; many of the speakers demanded RTD abandon current plans to use diesel power on two other FasTracks lines, Northwest Rail to Boulder and Longmont, and North Metro to Commerce City and Thornton.

“Pretty firmly, the whole city has come down on the side of EMU,” Hickenlooper told the board. EMU is the acronym for the self-propelled passenger cars called Electric Multiple Units. “When you take the long view, it’s the right choice.

Mayor Ken Fellman of Arvada and Mayor Jerry DiTullio of Wheat Ridge joined Hickenlooper in endorsing the use of electricity. Residents who live near the proposed lines also told the board their concerns over pollution, noise and keeping promises to voters.

The selection of an all-diesel system would save RTD $89 million in construction costs, mostly because it wouldn’t have to build overhead electric lines.

But financial consultants on privatizing the construction and operation of FasTracks lines have told RTD that it could actually be $184 million less costly to build an electric system on the Gold Line to Wheat Ridge and East Corridor to DIA. That’s because operating costs are less than diesel, and if financing is privatized, RTD would reap the savings in the first year.

Diesel is the stronger candidate to serve the other two heavy-rail commuter corridors in the program, the Northwest Rail to Boulder and Longmont and the North Metro Corridor to Commerce City and Thornton.

Because those trains will run farther and less frequently, the savings of going electric are reduced.

It would take 20 years of running electric on those routes to make up the difference in construction costs.

RTD board member Lee Kemp, the primary backer of going to diesel, said public sentiment and staff analysis changed his mind, but he would fight any move to convert the other two commuter rail corridors, initially planned for diesel, to electric.

Planners on the Northwest Rail corridor, for example, said if RTD had to pay to electrify the line to Boulder and Longmont, there would only b enough money to get the train built from Denver to Louisville, and no farther.

Plus this gives us a good update on the train to DIA. 2014 may be a long way out but at least it is coming.

First there is an article about the new Union Station Neighborhood and the decisions going on currently about the trains. Two questions are on the table currently. First, should the commuter trains (not light rail) be buried and covered with commercial buildings or should the trains be trenched and open air. Apparently there are some security questions about terrorist risks and also the complication of ventilation. I would prefer to see them covered, both for the benefit of hiding them and for the additional businesses that could be supported. Plus I tend to say we should not change our neighborhoods or life to greatly due to things like terrorist risks. Otherwise, don’t they in a sense win. The other big decision is whether to use bio diesel trains or to go with electric. This is a big decision and one that brings in our goals of sustainable transportation, of which I am a fan of. That decision looks to be done tonight and we should know tomorrow. The photo above is just a generic example of a trench.

Second is an article about the trifecta of not just the W but three awesome hotels opening up in Denver. Their quick summary is…

The planned arrival of a W Hotel completes a trifecta of high-end hotels landing in downtown Denver.

The announcement that a W is planned for the 16th Street Mall comes on the heels of the development of a Ritz-Carlton and a Four Seasons hotel in the area. All three are being built with condominium residences.

The diversification of downtown and the millions of dollars spent in public improvements over the past 10 to 15 years deserve the credit for attracting the three hotels, said Bob Benton, a hotel analyst.

Restaurants, the ballfield and the convention center have turned downtown Denver into a thriving residential and retail haven, he said.

And lastly an article about the possible, or more accurately probable, approval of a Theater district in Denver. Just another sign of the growth and energy that is happing in our wonderful city. Wow, what a cool item.

So check these articles out and throw any discussion points out in the forum. And I recently had talked to someone from Reno where they were doing a project trenching trains for the purpose of working to bridge the two sides of the town that previously had been separated by above ground tracks. They dropped the trains down low and put bridges overhead. Here is a rendering of their design and here is the link to a website about this project. I have never been there so I don’t know much about it but if you all have some other projects to compare throw them out.

I got these photos yesterday afternoon. I am used to seeing the coal trains roll through Denver, but this certainly caught me by suprise. It is so easy to forget what is happening on the other side of the world. As these tanks roll across the country I wonder what will happen next.

The trains were heading east.  Who knows where they started and who knows where the final destination is.

With a chicken and the egg question, planners look at urban sprawl and automobiles as partners with this problem. No one can answer which causes which. Urban sprawl creates the need for more cars. Cars allow urban sprawl to expand. Let’s look at this chicken and the egg.
On the chicken side, when we build urban sprawl and when we build farther and farther from our cities and transportation system we create the need for cars. As people move to or live in these sprawl locations they become dependent upon cars, usually one car for every person in the household at or over the age of 16. No trains, public buses, or other services go to these remote suburbs, so everyone needs a car to go shopping, to get to work, to enjoy entertainment, or to get children to school.
On the egg side, cars create the ability to develop urban sprawl, allowing projected new development projects to be located far from cities or other transportation. Who cares if you are 40 minutes from the city, the light rail station, or public transportation. All you need to do is give everyone in your home a car and you’ll be fine.

Whether it is the chicken or the egg that is the cause, both are creating a problem.

This problem in Europe is the same problem here in Denver. More cars, more motorways, more cars, more motorways, and ultimately more emissions. Since 1990 greenhouse gas emissions for Ireland have increased more than 140%. Another sad thing is that while car ownership increases, using a car is not becoming more enjoyable. Using a car on our roads is becoming worse and worse of an experience. A household that might have had one car 20 years ago now has 3, 4 or 5 cars. What does that mean… Traffic.

Traffic is simply a headache that increases every day. And from a local perspective Denver is reported to be one of the worst traffic cities in the country. So what do we do, we build more homes away from the city and the light rail. Spiffy!

This problem is repeated across other European countries, in the United states, and the world. That is alot of emissions.
Solutions? Different countries have tried different things. Some countries have treated cars as a luxury, imposing taxes up to 200% of the cost of the car. Rome restricts access to the city to low emission cars or charge large surcharges on gasoline. Some cities in Europe have a surcharge to operate a car in the city.

But in my opinion the best solution is exactly what Denver is doing. Building more light rail and heavy rail tracks, working to get people out of their cars, and helping developers build new homes on these planned arteries. Try and get folks out of their cars.

I try to bike or use public transportation when I can to avoid driving. But most folks complain about the weather for biking, the timing for public transportation, and many other things. Get over it, because the automobile path has a limited lifespan.

Want some ideas to comment on or think about…

Some European cities and town make sure the roads support more than just bikes. Picture large bikes with storage, bubbles to protect from the elements, and more. You should check out their websites as they talk about transporting 6 children with room for luggage to spare. Some examples include the Nihola bike or the Christiana bikes. Just imagine how good of shape you would be in then. And to think some folks drive to the gym so they can get on a stationary bike.

Or perhaps we should share our cars. Just like partial ownership in charter planes, I really only need a car every blue moon if I really think about it. Maybe me and 20 friends can go in on one and we all share it.

Maybe someone can make a business out of this, like netflix or FedEx there could be a new enterprise solution.  Lets expand the rental car market, and you can buy a share of a rental car from a nationwide service.  When you need it, you just put your start time and location into a web page and whammo… it awaits you.  You drive it while you need it and you drop it off when and where you are done.  Of course its hopefully a fleet of hybrid or other green cars that support this service.  But ideally you drive less and don’t even need a garage anymore.  Not sure this gets us far enough out of the emission game, but perhaps there is an idea here someone can expand on.  And maybe save the consumer a ton of car payments.

Hopefully there are some better answers out there, and I’d love to hear yours so comment away.

Happy walking and biking my friends!

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