High Gas Prices? Wake Up, Houston!

by | May 1, 2006 | Observations

Here’s a thought about being mobile.
Not “mobile” in the sense that you can connect wirelessly and remotely, but “mobile” based on a new study by SustainLane.com in an article from the Houston Business Journal.
Seems Houston is a middle-of-the-road city (#25) when it comes to its ability to survive in our world of high gas prices.
#1? New York City. Go figure. They have a subway.
#50? Oklahoma City. Enough said.
SustainLane.com based its evaluations on how mobile the city is in terms of public transportation and the ability to move people from one place to another:

“The top cities in SustainLane.com’s ranking boast strong public transportation networks, which would allow citizens to commute to jobs and schools, as well as do their shopping, if car travel is not affordable. Farther down the list, however, rank cities whose commuters would be stranded, grinding the local economy to a halt. The ranking also takes into account factors such as access to locally grown fresh food and robust wireless networks for telecommuting.”

Houston has a Light Rail System, but it only extends throughout a certain portion of the city. Proposed plans are the works for expansion, but it might be years before something’s actually done.
I don’t mind being in the middle, but isn’t it time our city leaders did something about this? Last time I filled up at the pump, it was agonizing, yet we can’t live without our cars. Or can we?

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