The High Cost of Crashes

In addition to the terrible toll that motor vehicle collisions have on people, they also incur a huge economic cost, assuming it is even acceptable to place a dollar amount on people’s lives.

From Analysis and Estimation of the Social Cost of Motor Vehicle Collisions in Ontario by Transport Canada:

The 613,000 motor vehicle collisions occurring in Canadian jurisdictions in 2004 resulted in social costs of $63 billion. By type of collision, social costs were $39 billion (62%), $20 billion (32%), and $3 billion (5%) for fatal, injury and PDO collisions respectively.

Transport Canada estimates (page 37) these societal cost of motor vehicle crashes amount to 1.5% of GDP in Canada. By comparison, congestion costs only amount to between 0.5% to 0.7% of GDP. However, as around 20% of congestion and thus congestion cost is due to collisions, the lower estimate of less than 0.5% of GDP seems reasonable.

Making Zero Fatalities the Safety Goal
As bad as the costs of crashes are in Canada, they are even worse in the States where the costs average for crashes is around $1,500 per person per year verses under $500 for congestion. In fact, the AAA , in their report Crashes vs. Congestion – What’s the Cost to Society?, is recommending that “Achieving zero [traffic] fatalities should be the national safety goal.

Obviously with around 40,000 fatalities a year in the States, that is going to be a real challenge. However, for individual cities and towns, where fatalities number in the tens per year, this is a very realistic and worthwhile goal to strive for.

A Key Economic Advantage
The loss of a key person is devastating for organizations of all sizes. Creating a safe city and marketing that advantage could attract businesses helping to create jobs and boost the economy. Reducing crashes will also reduce health care, policing and other government costs leading to lower taxes or higher levels of government services.

Nov. 19 - Help Cycling and the Environment Win Big

Please encourage at least 10 of your friends, family and coworkers to vote for Mayor Robertson, Vision Vancouver and COPE on November 19. Phone them, text them, email them, buy them brunch or dinner or for that special friend, invite them on a vote date. Nothing says love like voting for a better future. More info on voting at the bottom of this message. Even if you can't vote in Vancouver, you can still encourage others to vote and vote for candidates who support cycling in your community. 


Here is a handy guide to the Vision and COPE candidates that you can print out:
https://votevision.ca/sites/all/files/Vision_Cope_Ballot_for_print.pdf

A Critical Election for the Future

This is more than just a critical election for the future of Vancouver. With all the media attention cycling has received, the eyes of the world will be on Vancouver. A landslide for those who strongly support the environment and cycling will send a powerful message to other city's where politicians  are considering putting in bike lanes and other green measures. Just squeaking by is not good enough. With 62% of Vancouver residents including 76% from 18-34 years old supporting bike lanes, we have the numbers behind us but that does not matter if they don't vote.

What Bike Lanes Mean to You

Please feel free to copy any of this message you what. However, please consider making your own personal message. For Burrard Bridge, many of you wrote to council with powerful accounts of what better bicycle facilities meant for you, your family, your friends and community. These personal messages made a real difference. Please let the people you know the difference the separated bike lanes have made in your life and what a network of these around the city would mean for you and the people you care about.

The Greenest City

Vision Vancouver and COPE councilors and Mayor Robertson approved the Greenest City Action Plan to transform Vancouver into the world's Greenest City by 2020. Improved cycling, walking and transit are critical components of that plan.

Cycling for All

For me, cycling downtown is now an enjoyable safe experience, not an extreme sport. What most encouraging is seeing people cycle downtown with their children. A few Sundays ago, I saw a girl around five surrounded by three adults cycling happily along Hornby. A few days later, I witnesses a family of four with one child on a trail-a-bike and one cycling on their own turning from the sidewalk on Main onto the Dunsmuir Viaduct. I look forward to the day when there is a separated bike lane along Main so they aren't forced to cycle on the sidewalk. 

People's Safety Must be the Priority

Politicians who place people's safety above traffic flow need to be rewarded by reelecting them. Perhaps the best example of this is the 30 km/h speed limit along Hastings in response to numerous pedestrian deaths. Even though it has been proven that at speeds above 30 km/h crashes are far more likely to be deadly for pedestrians and cyclists, a vocal minority, including the NPA opposed this. Fortunately, like in the separated bike lanes, Vision and COPE councillors supported safer speed limits.

Candidates with Bad Bicycle Ideas

The NPA does not support the Greenest City Action Plan nor does it support safe separated bike lanes. In fact, the NPA's Anton is promising a moratorium on these safe bike lanes. Their other candidates are not any better. Ken Carko of the NPA, has proposed "seasonal bike lanes" removing the protection for cyclists in the dark and rainy times of year when they are needed most. His running mate, Sean Bickerton, is promising to licence cyclists, an idea that has proved expensive, impractical and ineffective in every city that has tried it. Not to be outdone, the Green Party's Adrienne Carr piped up with bike-free streets. She quickly back-pedalled into an equally bad idea of banning bikes from curbside bus lanes forcing cyclists to "share" the middle lanes with traffic or more likely, just force them onto the sidewalks. Not great or safe result for pedestrians or cyclists. The obvious solution would have been separated bike lanes but Carr has not yet committed to that.

We can't afford another Rob Ford

While unlikely, unless we are can't get the majority of people in Vancouver who support the environment to vote, a loss by Mayor Robertson, Vision and COPE would send a chilling message to politicians around Canada and North America. Other mayors would likely think twice before taking the bold actions needed to solve our many problems including climate change and energy and resource depletion. 

We must ensure that this does not happen.

Voting Information

City of Vancouver Election Information including how and where to vote:

http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/elections/2011election/

Vision Vancouver

https://votevision.ca/

COPE

http://cope.bc.ca/

Volunteering

Please consider also helping Vision and COPE get the vote out!

http://votevision.ca/volunteer-events-calendar

http://cope.bc.ca/get-involved/volunteer/

Vision Vancouver Vision Vancouver needs cyclists to deliver poll-cards all day Thursday + Friday. If you can help out contact, brenton.walters@votevision.ca or 604.568.6913 ext 108.

Other Information

COPE Candidates to Put Bike and Pedestrian Safety First

http://cope.bc.ca/2011/10/20/cope-candidates-to-put-bike-and-pedestrian-safety-first/

Vision Vancouver's Environmental and Cycling Record and Platform

http://votevision.ca/issue/greenest-city

Gordon Price's take on cycling "policies" put forward by candidates:

http://pricetags.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/political-notes-2-hornby-cycle-track-update-15/

BCCC Information on Candidates and Cycling in Communities Around BC
http://bccyclingcoalition.blogspot.com/2011/11/vote-for-cycling-on-november-19.html

Out of Tune - Industry Admits the Future of the Auto is not Green

Well, now it is really obvious, on the off-chance it was not obvious before.

All the ads with furry critters fawning in the forest over SUVs.
All the breathless claims that the electric car is finally here.
All the ads showing cars crumbling back to the earth leaving not a trace.
All pure propaganda.

While they may have be singing a green tune in New York in May, now, their actions and their wallets, or in GM's case, our wallets, are speaking louder than words. Even after being wiped out by high oil prices and an almost depression, only to be saved by taxpayers, the Wall Street Journal reports that Mileage Rules Prompt Backlash while Fox News states that Auto makers fight Obama's fuel standards.

Auto makers and car dealers, emboldened by rising profits and a more business-friendly Congress, say they will fight the Obama administration's proposal to boost average new-car fuel economy to as much as 62 miles a gallon by 2025.

Clearly, they would not be doing this if they had any faith that people would be buying electric vehicles in the next couple of decades. Clearly, they don't and people won't. As was the case for the last 40 years, when the electric car was continually "just around the corner", with the breakthrough in battery technology just months away, like lite and low-tar cigarettes, the electric car is simply a propaganda tool to convince the public that there is a fabulous future for the automobile age once fossil fuels are going, going, gone.

The Windsor Star on December 15, 1967 reported AMC out front electrically.

...indications are good that vehicles like those under serious consideration by a growing number of companies could be available in five years or sooner. ...AMC group vice-president in charge of engineering, told us that there are no major hurdles to jump to bring it to reality-firming up the final design and time-consuming proving and testing are all that remains to be done. It's that simple, he said.

Unbelievably,  further details from The Owosso Argus-Press December 12, 1967 seem identically to the claims being made today by the industry. As today, they are claiming lithium batteries are the major breakthrough.

Dr. Leslie K. Gulton said. "for the first time in half a century, the gasoline burning automobile is about the share the road with an electrically powered car whose performance needs no apologies.

Well, 43 years later, this car is still not here nor is AMC for that matter. It is that simple. I guess we should all be happy that the industry is so committed to the environment it seems to be recycling old AMC PR spin pretty much verbatim except for the part about taking it to the heliport. I guess if it still works, why bother changing it. Fool us once, shame on them, fool us over and over again every five years, well...

Speaking of which, they were at it again in March 1974. The Beaver County Times reported Electric Car Ready by June.

Improvements in the already patented battery will estend [sic] the range to 350 miles in two years. A prototype 18 months down the road includes a battery pack that could be charged in 5 minutes...

Paul Agarwa, head of General Motors, electrical-vehicle research and development, says that by the year 2000 almost all cars will be electric in and around cities....

Skipping forward to today, it looks like the PR departments still spinning the same old lines. Fortunately, we can get a better idea of what the industry really thinks the future holds from their high paid lobbyists. The industry lobby group, the Auto Alliance, knows that electric vehicles will not be economically viable especially in an economy with stagnant wages.

"If the economics for high fuel-economy vehicles is so overwhelming, why do so few consumers today choose to buy high fuel-economy vehicles?" the letter asks.

The alliance added that at the very least, the price of a car would increase $4,448 under the 62-mpg rule.

This is not surprising as the battery packs of even tiny electric cars like the Nissan Leaf cost around $18,000. Imagine what the battery for huge SUV's the industry is convinced Americans love that are two to three times the weight of the Leaf would cost. For a family with two of the these beasts, the batteries could cost more than their house in the post bubble market. While "economies of scale" could reduce this cost, high demand could also increase the cost of the resources required to make the batteries.

Even worse, GM, the so called Government Motors, that is owned by the US, Canadian and Ontario governments is now spending dollars that it would not have if it were not for taxpayer's support.

GM, which had stopped making campaign contributions as it underwent its taxpayer-funded bankruptcy restructuring, recently resumed such spending, giving thousands of dollars to lawmakers' campaigns in the midterm election. GM has said it is exercising its right to support lawmakers who will push policies that help the industry.

Looks like the industry created the best congress money could buy.

Even worser, in spite of ads bragging about how safe their products are, they are concerned far more concerned with profits than the safety of their customers or innocent victims of their products.

Auto makers lobbied heavily against a bill to mandate new safety technologies and increased government oversight, which was proposed in response to the uproar over Toyota Motor Corp.'s sudden acceleration recalls. That legislation now appears all but dead.

Unfortunately, not only is the legislation dead but tragically, the million people who are killed by motor vehicles each and every year will be as well.

So, it is time to face the reality that the age of the automobile is over. It is merely a symptom of cheap oil. With the auto industry fighting mileage standards and unwilling or unable to bring fuel efficient cars to bring anywhere enough electric and fuel efficient cars to market in the next couple of decades, lets stop wasting limited taxpayer's dollars on roads and begin the transition to real sustainable transportation including high speed rail, rapid transit, cycling and walking.

Road Kill vs. Oil Spill - Oil in Cars More Deadly to Birds than Oil Dumped in Gulf

The pictures of the oiled pelicans are heartbreaking. A real wake up call to eliminate our addition to oil. It is tragic that it takes such a catastrophe to wake us up to the folly of overuse of oil.

As bad as the spill is on birds, with over 3100 and counting being killed, the oil that makes it way to the gas tanks of America's automobiles is much more dangerous to birds. Between 50 million and 100 million are killed on the nation's roads every year. The 4 million or so barrels of oil amounts to around 20% of the 20 million barrels required to power motor vehicles daily. With the daily bird kill being between 137,000 and 274,000, this 4 million barrels would have killed 27,000 and 55,000 if it had been used to power automobiles.

If you a bird, each and everyday there is the equivalent of between 8 and 17 Gulf Oil Disasters on the roads of America or between 3,200 and 6,400 every year. Squawk!

Of course, seabirds like pelicans will appreciate that the oil in cars is unlikely to be as deadly to them as some of their other feathered friends. Small consolation.

In no way am I saying that oil should be dumped in water to save birds on America's highways and byways. Instead, it would be much better to leave this valuable but deadly resource locked away safely in the ground saving it for future generations to make wiser use of it than driving several thousands pounds of metal and plastic to the gym to ride a stationary bike or run on a treadmill.

The birds will thank us.

Transit is Fun

Who would have thought. Transit has the rep of being cost effective, practical, green and healthy. Now, thanks to the Olympics, it is time to add fun to the growing list of benefits of public transit. This is perhaps one of the least expected results from the Olympics. I did expect that the games would transform how we get around in Vancouver, but I thought the impact would be more incremental than obviously transformational.

I must admit that I enjoyed getting around the city fast on my bicycle, avoiding the line-ups and crowds. Some drivers also figured out that driving was quicker than expected because pretty much everyone was packed onto rails, buses and boats. However, it slowly dawned on me, that sharing the ride with hundreds of thousands of strangers was becoming a great part of the Olympic experience. Line-up became temporary communities. People broke out into spontaneous choruses of Oh Canada on SkyTrain cars. Transit not only facilitated the party by moving millions of people around, it became part of the party. Getting around by a car or on a bike, while quick, was not so fun anymore. Perhaps this is why many more people than expected were using transit.



Clearly, the success of the Canada Line became a big part of the buzz. Contrast this with Sea to Sky Highway. While it is dutifully mentioned as a legacy of the games, people's experience on the highway was not part of the buzz to say the least. The only comment I saw was how, in spite of the great scenery, people seemed to be likely to sleep through the ride. In fact, Alberta scored big by chartering the train to Whistler. Seems like the VIPs that Alberta wanted face time with, preferred a relaxing train ride to Whistler over being chauffeured up. So rail seems to offer a great experience for everyone. Cost to BC taxpayers of upgrading the Highway - $8 billion. Cost of Alberta renting the train - $6 million. Alberta scores great business connections - Priceless.

In spite of the trillions of dollars being spent on marketing individual transportation, as very social beings, it is clear that we like to be around lots of other people while we get around, especially if everyone is having a great time. Now, it helps that during the Olympics, people were more likely to be traveling with friends and family than during the daily commute. The take away, perhaps, is to focus much more effort on marketing transit for social and entertainment trips in the evenings and weekends, when there is plenty of capacity.

The other takeaway is, that in spite of the marketing hype, driving in the city is just not that much fun anymore. It is becoming a more and more miserable experience. Congestion on roads is no fun. Congestion in trains and transit stations is fun. Congestion on roads creates angry, isolated people. Congestion in trains and transit stations can lead to happy people talking to former strangers.

The Future of Flying and Driving are Really Shakey

Now that high speed fever has finally hit Vancouver, people somehow seem really surprised that there are not already plans and funding in place for it. Some are taking the old plans developed by Washington State during the peak of cheap oil and indifference from Canada as set in stone and not subject to revision even in face of the new found commitment of the US Federal Government to fund and champion high speed rail.

News reports quote staff from Washington that not surprisingly state the current policy, as staff is supposed to do until they receive new direction from the politicians. The reports then make the huge leap and come to the conclusion that high speed rail will never happen, that at best, it is on "really shaky ground". Well, it was on really shaky ground in the states before the last election. Since when does having currently policies mean policies won't change?

High speed rail is proven technology used by millions of people in countries around the world. It is the only form of long-distance transportation that does not face a shakey, uncertain future. The airline industry is not profitable, has no proven alternative to oil, and is becoming an increasingly miserable experience. Gas prices are certain to rise and the world's oil supply will run out sooner or later, leading to the end of gas powered automobiles. in a world where wages where stagnent even before the recession, it is uncertain that electric cars will ever be an affordable alternative even if technical and practive hurdles can be overcome.

Even if by some miricle the problems facing flying and driving can be overcome, high speed rail is still a faster, more affordable, greener and more comfortable form of transportation for trips between 100 and 500 km. Compared to the tens of billions of dollars we collectively spend per year on flying and driving, the cost of high speed rail is a relative bargin. By not building high speed rail, we risk our economic future.

change.gov:The Main Train Drains the Planes in Spain

Seems like the Spanish are jumping off planes and onto trains in record numbers, leading to the unfortunate rhyming of headlines all around the Net. The planes in Spain carried 20 percent  fewer fed up victims last year. 

According to Wired Autopia, "Airlines carried 72 percent of the 4.8 million long-distance travelers who opted to go by rail or air in 2007. That fell to 60 percent last year". Joseph Valls, a professor at the ESADE business school in Barcelona told The Guardian "The numbers will be equal in two years." This is really "Change We Can Believe In" as it is actually happening.

Again from Wired, "Alberto Garcia of the Spanish Railways Foundation estimates AVE trains use 19 percent less energy than conventional trains and generate one-sixth the carbon emissions of a plane."

By 2020, Spain plans on building 10,000 more km of high-speed rail. Over here, at least California is planning on building some, if it doesn't go totally bankrupt and is repossessed by Mexico first. Or would that be Spain. Not sure. Anyway, it is time the US and Canada get cracking and stop wasting money on roads and make massive investments in high speed rail and rapid transit.

The so called "Green Stimulus" plan of Obama is really disappointing. It calls for $30 billion for roads and only $10 billion for transit and rail. In fact, the amount for high speed rail is only $1.5 billion while there is $2 billion for batteries. That doesn't really seem like much of a change at all. 

Fortunately, the people are a step or two ahead. They have forgotten all about electric cars which now seem oh so mid 2008. Back when oil prices were high and people still could afford expensive cars by taking out second or third zero percent mortgages on their McMansions. Now $40,000 cars that you have to plug-in don't seem like such a great idea.

Electric cars are the "solution" for everyone else. The people that people believe will never get out of their cars. Yet, when asked what they want, people ask for better transportation, not a electric band aid that will not make getting around any more convenient, faster or more enjoyable. It is problem solving instead of looking for better solutions and new opportunities. If that thinking had prevailed one hundred years ago, we would be riding around on horses with diapers.

It is not electric cars or more roads that people really want, it is high speed rail and rapid transit. Fortunately the people sending this message out clear and strong at Obama's site, change.gov. The top 20 or so ideas contain five or six that are related to rail and transit. Electric cars, not so much.

Let the soon to be Prez know that you want high speed rail and rapid transit at change.gov

It is the forth most popular idea. Your vote can help make it the top idea.

While you are at it, support my Billions for Bicycles idea which doesn't seem to be as popular. At least it faired better than Put Warning Labels on Cars and Ban Irresponsible Auto Advertising, which seem to be dropping in popularity faster than the stocks of the small three automakers.

Last of all, the reason why the world should be happy I didn't become a poet or more likely, the reason why I could not become one. Enjoy?

After the day began on the plain main train through plains of grain, to my bane, the insane rain in Spain sustained, drained my brain again, dry hopes in vain, restrained, waned, feigned. What a inane pain to gain raising cain, last obtained on stained lanes of Danes.