It seems to me that the French have got it right. Not only do they invest in public transit, including high-speed rail services, but also they are taking a global approach to planning. They story below describes how new rail stations are integrated into communities to maximize their utility, and to encourage pedestrian traffic over automobile dependence.
Sadly, we have a long way to go in North America if we want livable communities, and ones that will thrive in an era where energy may be much more expensive. In Vancouver, the provincial government is now building a system of freeways and bridge and road upgrades around the perimeter of the city, which will surely, if history is a precedent, lead to increased traffic volumes, about the last thing Vancouver needs. In Alberta, our province next door, the auto is even more dominant. Some towns there sprawl for miles across the prairie, and feature subdivisions with no sidewalks: it’s assumed that no one will ever walk there.
Sometimes I hope that oil will hit $150 a barrel again, as it may stimulate some innovative thinking.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/ju ... en-station
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