This week T. Boone Pickens announced a new program that will report our monthly foreign oil purchases.  This is a great way to focus our attention on this vital problem by using real numbers to track progress in reducing imports.  We can set goals and then meet our objectives.
 
How significant is our oil dependence?  The numbers are staggering:

• Spending nearly $20 billion on 380 million barrels in December 2008
• We spent approximately $475 billion on imported oil in all of 2008
• Every minute we send $432,000 overseas to feed our addiction

The transfer of wealth is wrecking our economy while foreign countries realize the benefits.  This is taking money away from our domestic programs at a critical time.  Wouldn’t you rather see this money spent on roads, schools and government projects here in the United States?

Last July, Pickens unveiled a plan to increase the use of wind power and natural gas to cut U.S. dependency on foreign oil.  This would create millions of jobs building out our wind capacity and upgrading our national electric grid.  All of this would have a very positive effect on our economy.

Developing oil alternatives is just one half of the puzzle with the other half being conservation.  Gradually changing our sources of energy would be nicely complimented by all of us just consuming less.  Attacking this problem from both sides will result in dramatic reductions of imports.  I look forward to getting these monthly updates as a yardstick to measure our progress.  Will you be watching?

On Wednesday, AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) and TRIP (A National Transportation Research Group) jointly released a new report.  The report titled “America’s Top Five Transportation Headaches – and Their Remedies” identifies our transportation problems and their proposed remedies.  The problems are:

1. 25 percent of the major roadways and nation’s bridges are in poor condition
2. Congested roads, highway and transit systems are overburdened
3. An unacceptably high rate of traffic crashes and fatalities
4. Increasing demand is stressing the transportation system
5. Rising costs for both drivers and highway construction

The first problem is clearly a safety issue and definitely needs our attention as evidenced by the Minnesota bridge collapse.  The second problem leads to many economic headaches and impacts our daily quality of life.  Problem three is confirmed with over 41,000 lives lost on our roads in 2007.  Problem four can be seen in a 23 percent population increase since 1990 and a 41 percent rise in vehicle traffic since 1995.  Finally, the fifth problem estimates that drivers are losing $249 billion each year due to traffic while construction costs have spiked 55 percent in the last 5 years.  This report states that we need to double our current national transportation investment to significantly improve transit.

Well that is incredibly scary, but fortunately the report also includes proposed remedies.  The proposed remedies are:

1. Move ahead with ready-to-go transportation construction projects
2. Putting unemployed workers back on the job
3. Demonstrate that the benefits outweigh the cost of improvements
4. Use the most cost-effective construction techniques and materials
5. Follow a long-range transportation investment strategy

The first remedy requires over $75 billion of additional funding for approximately 6,000 transit projects that are in the pipeline.  The second remedy estimates that every $1 billion invested would result in almost 27,000 jobs.  Remedy three simply states that we just need to show how much we will “save” by spending all of this money.  Remedy four recommends if we work smarter with improved materials we will get better return on our investment.  Finally, the fifth remedy is to plan smarter both now and in the future.

Now is it just me or is there really just one remedy in this list?  If we spend more money, we can fix these problems.  I think this report states the obvious and does not offer any real solutions.  So why have I devoted such a long post to this report?  Because it absolutely backs up all the arguments I have been making for Pay4Rides.  My proposed Passenger Energy solution directly addresses each of the 5 problems without massive spending.

Go ahead and look at my previous posts under the Red category and let me know if you agree:

Traffic - we are heading toward unbearable gridlock
Roads - ease burden on troubled bridges and roads
Mass Transit - limited schedules and routes with no flexibility
Cars - lots of cars cost lots of money
Energy - break our oil addiction

After reading this report, I think the biggest headache is in my own head.  Does anyone have some remedies for that?

This week the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) announced a proposal for double-digit fare hikes and cuts in service.  Just what we need in these tough economic times, they are going to charge you more for less.

The hikes are needed to cover a $1.4 billion deficit in the budget passed by the MTA board in December.  The fares for Metro North would increase more than 25 percent while subway and bus fares could rise from $2 to $3.  Other fares and tolls could also increase including weekly and monthly MetroCards.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver of Manhattan says the increases are unacceptable and he will work to avoid these changes.  I am not sure how he will do this unless state or federal funds can be found to cover the costs.

Now what is the average commuter supposed to do?  They still have to get to work and what other options do they have?  This is where I think Pay4Rides offers a very viable alternative to our current mass transit system.  I think we all deserve a choice.

What do you think of the proposed increases?

photo credit: Pro-Zak

Even with all the benefits of Passenger Energy, it is still a tough sell to convince people to begin an organized program of paid ride sharing.  What other incentives could be offered?

The associations behind both wind and solar energy are making push for refundable tax credits.  These credits are like a rebate since any payments can then be applied towards taxes that are due.  They can actually reduce tax liability below zero, so the government would send out a check for any additional earned credits.

There is also an interesting story by Josie Garthwaite entitled “Why Refundable Tax Credits Are Important for Clean Power”.  This story makes a strong case for how refundable tax credits could boost production of renewable energy.  Additional reimbursements will help drive increased investing in clean solar and wind technology.

This is an interesting concept that I think could also be applied to Passenger Energy.  Instead of just focusing on new energy production, why not reward increased conservation?  We could track commuting habits to allow individuals to earn credits for either providing or accepting rides.

I think we are so focused on keeping up with our current excessive energy demands that we are missing a bigger opportunity to just reduce our consumption.  We should still aggressively pursue alternative energy sources, but we should also offer compensation for all who consume less.  Don’t you agree that it is better to attack a problem this large from both sides?

photo credit: Torley

One of my best friends is a huge David Bowie fan.  In 2005, Bowie played during the Fashion Rocks event at New York Radio City Music Hall and introduced a new band called Arcade Fire.  The video this week is taken from that appearance with the band doing their song “Wake Up”;

I was originally going to feature the band’s song “No Car Go” since the title fit so well with the theme of this blog, but this performance is just so strong it deserves more attention.  If you have never seen or heard it, spend a few minutes and I think you will become a fan too.

The lyrics of this song are very appropriate since we need to wake up and alter our current habits.  We definitely have to make changes:

Children, wake up
Hold your mistake up
Before they turn the summer into dust

If the children don’t grow up
Our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up
We’re just a million little gods causing rainstorms
Turning every good thing to rust

I guess we’ll just have to adjust

I have never attended an Arcade Fire concert, but they are on my wish list.  The band has such a powerful energy that is very evident in this performance.  Most of their songs start slowly and then build to very soaring climax.  Pay4Rides is just an idea now, but with your help, we can grow this into something much bigger.

The Detroit Lions went 0-16 this year, while the auto makers are going 0-3.  Yes, it has been a rough year in Motown.

There is an opinion piece that ran in the NY Times last month by Thomas L Friedman entitled “While Detroit Sleeps”.  Now no one wants to see the auto industry fail, but he poses the question that we may be spending good money after bad.  You get that feeling of losing in Vegas and then trying to make it back on the next spin of the wheel or deal of the cards.  He equates investing in our current auto makers to putting money into other doomed technologies:

In order for the Big 3 to be a good investment, they need to change their ways.  Since gas prices have fallen so sharply, there is a tendency to delay research on gasoline alternatives.  Unfortunately, we know prices are going to rise again and we need to be better prepared next time oil goes over $100 a barrel.

In a story on Huffington Post called “Is There An Option More Promising Than The Plug-In Electric Vehicle?”, Patrick Takahashi discusses our future options.  He argues for the use of wind and solar energy to charge battery-powered cars.  This will take many years, but we have to make this a priority now.

So what should we do?  Chase our loses while doubling down on a bad hand or quit gambling with foreign oil and make sound investments in gasoline alternatives?  The Detroit Lions fired their GM and coach to change direction from their losing ways.  Sounds like a good strategy that could also be applied to our auto industry.

photo credit: Dave Hogg

In the winter, many parents will drive their kids to and from the bus stop every day.  Then they idle their car or van waiting for the bus while they waste precious gas and generate excess exhaust.  Most times, you see several neighbors on the same street, each with their own vehicle idling.

This may seem like a small issue and it is, for just one vehicle.  Now consider all the parents across the country and how many vehicles are idling every single day.  Yes, this is a significant waste of money and resources.

So does a vehicle idling really burn that much fuel?  Studies have shown that an average car will consume one gallon of gas for each hour of idling and those costs can quickly add up.  You should turn off your engine if you’re going to be stopped for more than 30 seconds, except in traffic.  This is just another compelling reason to reduce traffic.

We should also reduce idling is to prolong the life of your car.  Idling can cause damage to your vehicle’s engine since it is not working at its peak temperature.  This can result in incomplete fuel combustion which leads to several engine problems and potential damage to your exhaust due to water condensation.

Finally, idling is a health issue.  Vehicle emissions are known to cause significant respiratory health effects.  Children can suffer with asthma and the elderly struggle with emphysema and chronic bronchitis.  Any reduction in exhaust fumes would improve respiratory health since the air would be cleaner.

We can not idly sit back and wait for someone else to fix our problems.  Each of us needs to make small contributions every day to have a big impact.  What will your contribution be?

photo credit: TheTruthAbout…

Almost every town is America has an army of school buses for transporting our children.  Just imagine every family having to drive each of our kids to and from school each day.  That would be incredibly inefficient.

The American School Bus Council (ASBC) has some very compelling statistics to illustrate the benefits. Did you know there are almost half a million buses providing rides to over 26 million students every day?  Here are some more numbers that may surprise you:

Pay4Rides could achieve similar savings if 4 people shared a ride versus 4 individuals driving their own vehicles.  Even if just 2 people share, we still cut their consumption in half.  Multiply that by some of the 250 million drivers in the U.S. and we could save a lot of gas and money every day.

Now there are not the normal car pool issues with kids since they are all on the same schedule.  So yes it is harder to group rides for our daily commutes, but it is not impossible.  We just need to work together to develop creative solutions.

Maybe we can learn a lesson from our children.  Sharing rides while someone else drives is a smart solution to many of today’s problems.  Go ahead, do your homework and let me know what you learn.

photo credit: krispdk

When most people buy a car, they look at the purchase price as their total cost.  Unfortunately that is only the beginning, there are many hidden costs to car ownership.  According to Edmunds, there are seven categories associated with buying, owning and operating a car:

1. Depreciation
2. Financing
3. Insurance
4. Taxes and fees
5. Fuel
6. Maintenance
7. Repairs

Want to see how much your car is actually costing you per month?  The people at BikesAtWork.com have a real cost of car ownership calculator.  Plug in your annual car expenses to find out your true car ownership costs.  They also show you how much you could save by not owning a car.

Edmunds has also conducted a study to reveal which cars offer the best value by calculating the cost per mile to own and operate each vehicle.  I was surprised to find that Hybrid vehicles do not score well due to their high purchase price.  So instead of just looking at purchase price and fuel efficiency, consider the total cost of ownership of any vehicle you own.

Now Pay4Rides would not be free, but it would certainly cost you less than car ownership.  Even if you keep your car and just use it less, you could realize significant savings.  We are all so conditioned to the 2 car family, would you ever consider giving one up?

photo credit: *davierae*

Last week I featured Joe Strummer covering a Bob Marley song.  So this week, I figured I should give Mr. Marley his due.  Here is the video for “Could You Be Loved”:

Don’t let them fool ya,
Or even try to school ya! Oh, no!
We’ve got a mind of our own,
So go to hell if what you’re thinking is not right!
Love would never leave us alone,
Against the darkness there must come out the light.

I recently watched the movie “I am Legend” staring Will Smith.  Bob Marley’s compilation of hits is called “Legend” and his music is featured very prominently in the movie.  Here is a quote from IMDB:

Neville: [talking to Anna about Bob Marley] He had this idea. It was kind of a virologist idea. He believed that you could cure racism and hate… literally cure it, by injecting music and love into people’s lives. When he was scheduled to perform at a peace rally, a gunman came to his house and shot him down. Two days later he walked out on that stage and sang. When they asked him why - He said, “The people, who were trying to make this world worse… are not taking a day off. How can I? Light up the darkness.”

His music and message still remain vital today.  So even if we are not trying to make the wolrd worse, we are each responsible for our own contributions to the problems of traffic and pollution in our daily lives.   Take a day off from driving to reduce your impact on the environment while helping better the lives of others.