I’ve been in Paris for the previous month. Add that to the three months I spent right here a 12 months in the past, and it turns into essentially the most time I’ve ever spent exterior of the US.
I’ve continued to assist Jonathan with BikePortland remark moderation, which works out effectively. With the nine-hour time distinction, we will push your feedback by way of twenty-four hours a day!
However being right here, and doing that, places me in a scenario I’m not used to—studying about residence from afar. There’s nothing uncommon about this, many individuals—immigrants, visitor employees, refugees, college students overseas, army personnel, Peace Corps volunteers—have this expertise, however it’s new for me.
Particularly, studying about US transportation points on BikePortland whereas in a rustic which has already, for years, taken daring steps towards safer streets and diminished automotive use is, effectively, disorienting.
For instance, I’ve taken France’s excessive pace practice, the TGV, twice up to now few weeks. Sandwiched between these two journeys was the BikePortland put up concerning the proposed extremely excessive pace Cascadia line.
The put up garnered 69 feedback, and it looks like I pushed most of them by way of. What educated discussions and debate! BikePortland has numerous readers who’re within the biz, and others who’re simply plain well-informed.
One remark caught with me as a result of I knew it was incorrect however didn’t have the info at hand. The commenter was questioning the carbon financial savings of excessive pace rail and difficult the assertion that the practice might be an alternative choice to driving or flying.
Again to France. Inside the week, the lacking carbon info rolled by me on the aspect of the TGV I had simply exited. The inexperienced textual content within the photograph above says, “Thanks for selecting us, collectively we emit much less carbon: 50 instances lower than a automotive, 80 instances much less than a airplane.”
However there’s extra. Earlier this month, the European Fee determined in favor of France’s preliminary steps to curtail home air flights to cities which have fast practice service. That’s proper, France desires folks out of planes and into the practice—and the EU has backed them up. The speedy impact of this new ruling might be small, just a few cities qualify for the brand new regulation, however it’s important in that it offers the inexperienced gentle to one of these regulation in nations all through Europe, and the circumstances could be broadened sooner or later.
Are you able to think about one thing like that taking place within the US?
So I savor my TGV journeys and push your feedback by way of, and I write this with out spit or bile. Principally what I really feel is compassion. We’ve received numerous change coming our means.
Lisa Caballero has lived in SW Portland for over 20 years. She is on the Transportation Committee of her neighborhood affiliation, the Southwest Hills Residential League (SWHRL) and could be reached at lisacaballero853@gmail.com.
