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World Affairs Conference addresses “Asphalt Addiction”

By Alan Streater

The 56 th Annual Conference on World Affairs consisted of hundreds of panel discussions on issues of worldly importance. Transportation is clearly one issue that drives world affairs (literally!), and bicycling is clearly one of the solutions. There was one session with “transportation” in the title and none on bicycling. So with great expectations I attended session 106: Asphalt Addiction and the Future of Transportation (9:00-10:30 on Monday April 5, 2004). The Panelists were Jeremy Harris (mayor of Honolulu), Tom O'Keefe (president of Mercosur Consulting Group, Ltd. and author of Latin American Trade Agreements) and Harvey Wasserman (senior editor of Free Press Online and longtime leader of the anti-nuclear movement).

Jeremy Harris stated that the internal combustion engine was the biggest mistake that the world ever made. He asks, “Can we survive? The impacts are staggering.” He went on to describe the litany of problems that automobiles cause, and lamented the destruction of bicycling in China. He noted that global warming is of particular concern to island nations.

Tom O’Keefe announced that he has never owned a car. He rides a bike. In the northeast US, he said, a car is not necessary. He cited the lack of strict zoning laws as a fundamental cause of suburban sprawl and our transportation problems, and said that simply supporting public transit is not enough.

Harvey Wasserman made a grand and dramatic entrance on a bicycle. His home town of Columbus, Ohio used to be a rail hub, and now it doesn’t even have Amtrak service. He pointed out that corporations with auto interests were found guilty of the conscious destruction of our transit system and were fined $1. He claims that there are two great catastrophes of the 20 th century, the second being the choice to use atomic energy (1953), and the first being the destruction of mass transit. He also lamented the decline of bicycling in China.

There followed many questions, answers, and discussions. Many of the questions were statements of opinion by audience members. Harvey Wasserman stated that when military, environmental, and other costs are included, the real cost of gasoline is $15 per gallon. Jeremy Harris showed that he clearly understands the magnitude of the problems. He sees the issues as very political and believes that strong leaders can begin to change our direction. He noted that this is easier in Honolulu because the whole island is a single government jurisdiction. He concluded that it all comes back to political courage.

BBC
Monthly Meeting

The next meeting of Boulder Bicycle Commuters will be on Monday, October 2nd from 7 to 9pm at the Boulder Food Co-op located at 19th and Pearl.

About BBC

BBC is a non-profit community group based in Boulder, Colorado. We advocate for safe and convenient bicycle facilities and fair laws for bicyclists. We work on both on-street and off-street bike facilities. We also advocate for pedestrian interests and control of the over-use and abuse of motor vehicles. Read our bylaws.

We have about 89 members as of April 2003. We are most active at the local city level. We occasionally work on county and state-wide issues. We started in 1991 under the name Bolder Bicycle Commuters. In 2002 we changed to the current name.