Energy Policy: Transit

This Section contains a variety of alternative transporttion policy resources links.

Americans have become addicted to oil as badly as heroin addicts. The heroin dealers (oil companies and countries) are interested in keeping people addicted. Over a decade ago, studies in Australia showed that the U.S.'s excessive reliance on the private car had made us the most inefficient transporation system in the world! Ralph Nader and DARE's campaign to reduce violence on the roads has done very little to reduce the economic fallout of a society trapped by the oil and car industry. Whether its from insurance costs, health issues or quality of life, reliance on private cars is rapidly becoming the bane of human survival.

Alternatives exist, but they take time. It took nearly 100 years for America to develop the current car infrastructure. It can't just go away in a few years. Yet there is no real plans in place to deal with the growing reliance on cars. Since the 2005 Katrina disaster, U.S. oil use, leveled off and in 2008 has declined due to the steep increase in gas prices. Republicans and the energy industry has gone on a major PR push to claim that the country can solve its energy dependence by drilling, more nukes and clean coal. Sorry, but our oil is coming from elsewhere.

The primary problem is how we design our communities, forcing people to work far from where they live. Activists have demonstrated models that remove the car from communites, while actually increasing the quality of life.

The model programs, primarily in Europe will never get an airing in America as long as car and oil companies are allowed to dictate what people think about how we live.

As a result, our oil addiction has created a worldwide security crisis focussed oil producing areas like the middle east.

America's militant behavior these days is nothing more than a cover for our growing oil crisis. Isn't about time you got educated about what our society's addiction to oil is doing to the Earth and people everywhere?