Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 10, 1991 TAG: 9102110257
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETH FRANCIS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It is dangerous for the hundreds of thousands of American men and women engaged in battle with Iraq. It is dangerous because we import more than 50 percent of the oil we consume, which means we are at the mercy of oil-exporting countries. It is dangerous because oil is a non-renewable resource.
And it is dangerous because 40 percent of our 1989 trade deficit of $102 billion, the world's largest, was spent on foreign oil.
But the danger begins at home. According to the American Public Transit Association, most of the oil we consume - 17 million barrels daily - is used for driving. Americans love to drive. We drive everywhere, and usually alone, to the extent that the advances made in fuel efficiency and emissions control have been overwhelmed by the number of cars on the road and the number of miles driven.
And to accommodate all those private automobiles (141 million in 1988), public policies are set up to build more roads. The assumption seems to be that keeping vehicles moving is more important than keeping people moving.
The problem with this approach is that even though we continue to build more and more roads (and parking lots), traffic continues to grow. In Northern and Tidewater Virginia, there is literally no more room to build roads - and traffic problems still haven't been solved.
What can we do to drive less yet remain mobile, to conserve energy, and to reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil?
We can raise the price of fuel. The United States prices its fuel lower any other nation. In Italy, Japan and France, the price for a gallon of fuel is well over $3, and includes an average tax of $2.22 per gallon. Our low prices encourage low-occupancy auto use and unnecessary trips.
We can provide incentives for conservation. They might include free and convenient parking for car pools, or more lanes and parking for bicycles.
And we can increase funding for mass transit.
A bus with only seven passengers is more energy-efficient than the average car, and every full bus takes 40 cars off the road. Every full rail car takes 125 cars off the road.
Mass transit is the most immediate solution to our greatest oil-related problems, yet federal assistance for public transportation has dropped 50 percent since 1981. By improving and expanding existing public-transit systems and creating new systems across the country, we could provide a real alternative for daily commuters that would significantly reduce demand for foreign oil.
Despite the many benefits of public transit - it's cheaper and less stressful than driving, it's environmentally responsible, and it keeps your car in top condition - people are reluctant to leave their cars at home.
By raising the price of fuel, drivers would have an additional incentive to take the bus or to car pool. If only 1 percent of the cars in this country sat idle just one day a week, more than 42 million gallons of gasoline would be saved annually, and 840 million pounds of carbon dioxide would be kept from entering the atmosphere as well.
America's dependence on foreign oil is a dangerous addiction. If we are to reduce our dependency on this natural resource, we must invest in public transportation and establish an energy policy based on conservation. It's time we addressed the problem, rather than just the symptoms.
by CNB