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Car enthusiasts need to drive the movement for environmental awareness. This may sound a bit contrary, but in light of our mini-gasoline crisis last month, it’s really got me thinking about the current state of affairs in the automotive industry specifically, and the world in general. (I have to admit, however, that anything which mitigates those cold Michigan winters, like the greenhouse effect, is very appealing to me.)
It’s been mentioned ad nauseum that there are now a lot of trucks and SUVs on American roads. Even our favorite marque, Porsche, is getting into the SUV act with its finger-licking spicy “Cayenne.” These vehicles, apart from consuming a lot of space, also use more gasoline in general compared to passenger cars. They also tend to be impractical in countries which heavily tax their gasoline, such as Germany, where gas is about $4.00/gallon. There, “3-liter” cars (3 liters of gas/100 km, or 78 mpg) are more important. These 3-liter cars help keep vehicle operating costs down, and minimize the depletion of the earth’s oil reserves. According to estimates in Popular Science, at current consumption/discovery rates we would use up most of our oil supplies by 2050. While alarmist have always predicted the end of fossil fuels, one day they may be right. In this case, the year 2050 is as good as any. (OPEC believes its reserves will last until 2080.)
So how do you get people to buy these smaller, fuel efficient cars instead of the still-popular SUVs? With gas taxes, of course. That would make it impractical to keep such fuel-hungry vehicles. (I’ll deal with the trivial economic impact of eliminating the Big Three’s primary source of income in a future article.)
...is probably under construction. Recent road construction in the area also highlighted another vehicular problem -- urban gridlock. I love to drive as much as I hate sitting in a traffic jam. Traffic jams also present environmental problems. They increase the gas mileage of vehicles, for example. There’s also road rage, accidents and the guy with the smokey exhaust pouring through your window.
I would propose minimizing these issues by having useful public transportation and more bicycles. I rode either my bicycle or a bus to work for the eighteen months that I lived in Germany. This has added benefits beyond the environment. If you’re riding the bus, for example, you could read a book on your way to work. You’ve probably already seen people doing this in their car in rush hour, so it doesn’t even have to be a big change for some. Have you ever waited in line behind someone at the grocery store who has enough groceries to supply the Detroit Lions for a week in training camp? Well, if they were riding on a bike, they would only be able to buy about one bag’s worth of groceries. Plus, who wouldn’t mind dropping a few pounds? Biking could certainly lead to some weight loss. We would need to add more bike paths and sidewalks, which would be less expensive than ripping out Telegraph / I-94 / etc., and repaving them piece by piece.
So what’s the payoff for all of this effort you ask? Just think about it -- more and more people riding bikes or taking buses (or even walking!), fewer vehicles on the road, cleaner air, more oil reserves. That means car enthusiasts can keep driving their cars longer, with cheaper gasoline in the long run, and with fewer people on the road. Who could resist such a dream situation!? Who says you can’t hug trees with one hand, while steering a car with the other? Go out there and lobby for more bike paths, public transportation and gas taxes. You’ll be ensuring the future of our driving passions.
Next month: either world peace or the reunification of CART and IRL, whichever is easier.
| << July 2000<< | >> September 2000>> |
(The BahnStormer is the official newsletter of the Rally Sport Region (Detroit area) of the Porsche Club of America. You can contact the editor at .)
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