Activist Pushes For An End To Reliance On Automobiles
The leader of a group backing alternatives to automobile travel ventured into the Indian Trail neighborhood Tuesday to try to convince people that reliance on the automobile has to end.
Julian Powers, a retired electrical engineer, said the cost of the automobile in police, medical, noise, insurance, congestion, road construction and maintenance is being subsidized by government and that society can no longer afford it.
His organization, the Washington Coalition for Transportation Alternatives, Alt-Trans, is pushing for an end to these subsidies.
The result could be an increase of $8 per day to the typical car owner.
Powers said the hidden cost of driving an automobile is not evident in gasoline prices or tax bills. Much of the money spent on law enforcement budgets and medical insurance is due to the automobile and those costs are shared by everyone, not just car owners.
Even the added cost of school construction due to the large number of parking spaces is paid for by school bonds.
“It wasn’t that way when I was in school,” Powers said.
Rapid growth in the northern suburbs in recent years has made traffic a top concern for many North Side residents.
Half the space in all cities is devoted to parking and cars. In Los Angeles, three-quarters of the urban area is devoted to cars. Much of that land could be used more efficiently. “Somebody is paying for all that and as citizens, it’s coming out of your pocket.”
Powers presented a flurry of facts and figures about automobiles.
For instance:
Since 1960 the number of vehicles has increased three times faster than the United States population.
U.S. residents account for 36 percent of all cars worldwide and half of all miles driven by cars.
Parking subsidies alone account for $85 billion per year.
Gasoline prices in the rest of the world are closer to reflecting the real cost of cars. England is considering doubling its gasoline price per gallon, increasing it from $4 to $8 a gallon.
The biggest obstacle to getting people out of cars might be perception. Powers said studies indicate Americans still relate cars to status. “People without cars are considered outright deviants,” he said.
Powers added it’s wrong to pass laws that would force people out of their cars or tell them to act responsibly. The right solution would simply be to eliminate subsidies for cars and let them pay their way.
“Have the user pay for what he’s getting,” Powers said.
Some 30 people attended the lecture, held at Salk Middle School at Francis and Alberta. It was part of a series of symposiums by a group looking to discuss Spokane’s future.
Alt-Trans was first started in the Puget Sound region to act as a lobbying group for those who rode public transit or biked to work.
It plans to be a lobbying force in Spokane working for better bicycle routes through the city, land-use plans conducive to mass transit and public education. The group has about 100 people on its mailing list and is encouraging its members to write letters to lawmakers and attend public meetings.
xxxx Information For more information on the Washington Coalition for Transportation Alternatives call 838-5803.