Outsmarting Congestion pricing, Socialist Cities, Pedestrian-Friendly Streets, More…
Hayley Richardson | Fri, Nov 30th, 2007 | Category: Commentary | Tags: commentary, hayley richardson, new york city, building, congestion pricing, bellevue, londoners, venezuela, socialist cities, super highway
“Mayor Michael Bloomberg touts London’s congestion pricing plan as a model for New York City. But as Britain is learning, no plan is perfect. License plate counterfeiting and thefts are increasing...[and] Londoners are now cloning license plates to avoid congestion fees. “I was surprised at just how easy it was,” Parliament Roads Minister Robert Goodwill said. “All I did was I spotted the Prime Minister’s car coming out of Downing Street across the road. I jotted down the number, I went on the Internet.” For $40, he scored a copy of Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s license plate.”
“President Hugo Chávez is guiding government plans to create several brand new cities to serve as models of social and environmental harmony. “We’re looking to have a city with a different vision,” said Venezuela’s housing minister, Ramon Carrizales . “A city that’s self-sustainable, that respects the environment, that uses clean technologies, that is mostly for use by the people, with lots of walking paths, parks, sports areas, museums and schools within walking distance.”
“Imagine Broadway as a pedestrian mall. Vehicles are banned, except for deliveries. Cafes and stores overlook a wide plaza, bisected by a row of trees. There are benches, chairs and tables where people can meet or take a break from shopping. Little kiosks sell coffee or a quick snack. Bicycle parking is plentiful. A few years ago, anyone suggesting this would have been laughed out of the room. But the balance is starting to shift.”
“While the cat has been away in Iraq, the mice have been at play here in the United States. More like rats than mice, actually, they’ve set up one of the worst traps in American history. And we are all about to drive right into it. The latest rat trap goes by the vaguely pornographic name Interstate 69. I-69 is a massive superhighway that already extends from Ontario to Indianapolis (through Michigan). There are plans to resume construction next spring and push it through southern Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, where it will connect with the highways of the Plan Puebla Panama in Mexico.”
Here’s your variety, Michele. Unfortunately, the neighbors don’t want it.
