Gas prices have Clevelanders thinking for the first time about the cost of their commute. Scooter sales are up, but what changes need to happen before you feel comfortable commuting by bike? Can cars and bikes coexist on the roads in Northeast Ohio? Would a bike lane on your route to work make you feel safe?- Meanwhile, after a dip in March, RTA is bracing for an upswing in riders. The transit agency ordered more extra-long buses for Euclid corridor and for its most heavily used routes. How do we prepare the region and RTA for rising demand and higher ridership? Can we retrofit our communities to be more transit accessible?
- We hear reports about suburbanites who are now "stuck". Stuck with gas guzzling cars and large homes located far away from the city. Many live in low density areas that are not easily served by transit. What are their options? Can they combine modes of transportation?
- Hybrid cars are disappearing off dealer lots as buyers looking for relief from $4-a-gallon gasoline endure waiting lists, price markups and paltry trade-ins in their quest for better fuel economy, the LA Times reports. I saw a report on WKYC Channel 3 that Motorcars in Cleveland Heights sold 15 hybrid cars over the weekend. I wonder if this trend will drill down very far, though, at a time when people are feeling the pinch of this economic recession, and with gas and food prices expected to rise even more?
- How far are you willing to go to keep your car running? Fox 8 News reports: "People Giving Blood to Pay for Gas".
- If your kids can do it, so can you. An average of 200 Bay High School students rode their bicycles to school every day during May. The students set out to prove that bikes are real transportation. It's estimated they collectively rode 15,566 miles and offset 14,350 pounds of carbon dioxide.
