<
https://thedriven.io/2024/08/28/cities-are-trying-to-cut-down-on-cars-some-states-are-standing-in-their-way/>
"Earlier this summer, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul made headlines around the
world by canceling New York City’s long-planned congestion pricing program,
which had been hailed as a promising model for reducing cars’ domination of
American city streets.
Her decision has been denounced by many New York City political and
transportation leaders, including Comptroller Brad Lander, who is part of a
coalition that has filed multiple lawsuits challenging the governor.
This kind of conflict isn’t unique to New York. Across the US, state and local
officials frequently clash over efforts to make urban transportation less
car-centric.
“You have cities that really want to do things differently, and you have states
that are prohibiting that,” said John Bailey, a transportation specialist at
the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental nonprofit also known as
NRDC.
In recent decades, many local governments have made increasingly ambitious
pledges to nudge their residents out of their cars. Motivated by concerns like
climate change, urban sprawl, and traffic deaths, U.S. cities are trying to
make it easier for people to get around on public transportation, on foot, and
by bike. Within the past five years, even famously car-centric cities like
Houston and Phoenix have announced goals to significantly cut down on driving.
These efforts could add up to substantial climate benefits. Transportation is
the nation’s largest source of planet-warming gases, and the everyday vehicles
most Americans rely on are the biggest source within the sector. According to
think tank RMI, cars and trucks were responsible for almost 40% of all U.S.
emissions in 2019. Shifting to electric vehicles will greatly reduce these
emissions, but it won’t eliminate them; car use also needs to fall.
“Even if we’re hitting home runs on electrification, which we should celebrate,
we’re still not going to be able to meet our climate change goals if we’re
still ever increasing the amount of driving,” Bailey said."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
