New Year, New Buzz
Krikor Daglian
January 08, 2002
First, I should say to those unfamiliar with this column, that it's basically an extremely random summation of things I and other BRR staff have observed going on. Hopefully, some of the things we mention strike a nerve with the reader, or inform you of something cool to do or see.
That said, I'm just going to ramble now about the post-holiday mood I've noticed. Usually, the emotion associated with the post-holiday time is depression, but I've noticed more that people seem to be just pissed off, erratically and unpredicatably so moreover. I don't have any scientific account of this behavior, just what I've noticed from people around me, in the subways, even on a popular radio show I regularly listen to. Things seemed to have calmed down a bit this week however. Anyone else notice this phenomenon? Talk about it on the message boards!
It finally snowed here in NY the other day. I was starting to worry about this whole global warming thing again. Not that I really thought the threat was over, but at least things seem to be going in the right direction, what with cleaner car technology and all (not that the SUV craze hasn't hurt that - can we ban those things from cities already?). And hey, despite it's reputation, NYC is doing better than other US cities to avoid any environmental catastrophes. Take a look at this recent Sierra Club survey. That's right, baby, NY is #1!
The reason is quite simple - NY has actually invested significant money in a mass transit system. They really should have put more in (like a 2nd Avenue subway) but what they have put in has helped make it easy to get around this city without owning a car; in fact, sometimes it's easier and faster to go on the subway rather than by car. A lesson learned here back in the 40s and 50s while Robert Moses was laying down highways everywhere in sight is that no matter how many roads you build or how much you widen them, there will always will be more cars to fill them and jam them. Unless you want to pave the entire city over with highways, and accept the decline in air quality and quality of life of anyone near one of the highways, it's best just to build the bare minimum needed for efficient car travel for those not actually going to the city and to go around the circumference of it, and invest instead in a transport method that requires less space and can convey more people. Unfortunately, many American cities have yet to learn this lesson, as the Sierra Club survey makes clear.
Enough ranting, but I'll be back next week with more!
