Topics

1. Maxskunk says:

   June 13, 2011 at 11:45 am

   Would walking to work still fit with the spirit of this? Or is the point to have as many people take public transit as possible?

2. RochesterSubway.com says:

   June 13, 2011 at 7:00 pm

   Getting as many of us to use our transit system is kind of the point – sort of a critical mass thing. But if you’re within walking distance of your office and the weather is nice, I see no reason why you couldn’t walk to work and declare yourself part of the festivities. After all, you would technically be “dumping the pump”!

3. Matt says:

   June 23, 2011 at 11:33 am

   What a sick twisted list of priorities at the bottom of the poster. Let’s have cheap gas that comes from the US but not use it! Yes, that will show everyone. Come on people. Pick one. Either cars are killing us, in which case gas should be expensive to discourage it’s use, or they’re amazing and gas should be cheap to encourage driving. This is the drunken-bull-in-a-china-shop method of activism.

4. RochesterSubway.com says:

   June 23, 2011 at 1:50 pm

   @Matt, sorry to hear this poster is making you so upset. Maybe that was it’s intention. Regardless, I read it more as “take your pick”. There are many reasons why different people might choose to drive less. These are a few different reasons and you’re not expected to subscribe to all of them.

   The bottom line is this: I can’t think of one good reason not to drive less.

   So are you angry because you think you could design a better poster? Or because you feel threatened by alternate forms of transportation?

5. Matt says:

   June 24, 2011 at 1:39 pm

   No, I think it’s because many of the reasons are so diametrically opposed to one another. For example, High gas prices and almost anything else on the list. If gas is cheap, you will get the traffic/air pollution/gas guzzlers etc situation. Additionally, if you had no tolls, people would drive more than they do now. Economically, driving less would surely reduce gas prices, but then people would just drive more (not necessarily the same people who stopped driving), so making anything cheaper when it comes to cars isn’t the answer. The very artificial cheapness of automotive transportation is what causes public transportation to struggle so. If it could be priced correctly, instead of needing to compete with am unfair competitor, it wouldn’t lose money and would be a much more viable option comparatively.

   For the record, I’m all for abandoning cars. My wife and I don’t own any, and I happen to be the same Matt that laid out an entire streetcar plan for Rochester. I think car light is more approachable than car free, but cheap gas and no tolls aren’t the way to do that.

6. RochesterSubway.com says:

   June 24, 2011 at 6:05 pm

   I understand your point Matt. But I think you’re reading to much into those reasons at the bottom. The statement starts off with “We the people of Rochester…” Do you really think there’s one single set of reasons why people ride transit? It doesn’t matter what you’re motivation is… on this one day, give transit a try.

   Anyway, I’m glad to hear you’re car free! I don’t imagine any of the reasons are on this poster 😉

7. Matt says:

   June 27, 2011 at 8:57 am

   No, I doubt they would put “no need to own a car” on the poster. That said, if owning a car were significantly cheaper, I’m sure I’d just have one, and that’s the reason it needs to be more expensive. To change topics, will you be participating in the Corn Hill Charrette this fall? I would like some more transportation representation, because so far it appears the majority of people are concerned with landlord/tenant and historic issues. That’s not a bad thing, but I think a more even hand on all the issues the charrette could be addressing would be better.

8. RochesterSubway.com says:

   June 28, 2011 at 2:04 pm

   Matt, I saw some Cornhill maps on the table at the Design Center a few weeks ago and it did pique my interest. I wasn’t planning on participating but since you’ve mentioned it I will put it on my calendar. If not me, I’m sure someone from Reconnect Rochester will be there.

9. Bob Williams says:

   July 4, 2011 at 4:40 pm

   Matt,

   You make a good point that the entries on the poster are opposed to each other to some extent. I think the idea is that each individual’s ‘personal stand’ against high fuel cost or tolls (or anything on the list) is simply a choice not to participate in the motoring paradigm. I don’t disagree with you about the need to make motoring as expensive, uncomfortable, and inconvenient as possible.

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