[Willie Green]

No matter what they use for fuel, individual vehicles create traffic congestion and gridlock in urban environments.
Cities are much better off providing emission-free, electrically powered mass transit systems such as trolleys/streetcars/subways/monorails. etc. etc.

[meyer]

Actually, it is urban environments that cause gridlock. Too many people in too small an area. The country would be much better off if cities were removed and broken down into smaller, manageable towns with a population density of less than 100 people per square mile.

[Vaquero]

so you like mass transit

enjoy your cattle car....

are you sure you are not mistaking this website for DU or daily Kos???

[DuncanWaring]

... emission-free, electrically powered ...

So now you're claiming electrical power is emission-free?

[discostu]

Except nobody rides them, so every penny spent on them is wasted. Lightrail is a boondoggle.

[Cronos]

I agree -- mass transit makes a lot of sense in dense cities -- look at the efficient mass transit in Europe. In rural US, SUVs matter, but in the cities, they don't. however, the idea of smaller towns is not sensible -- large cities are beehives of activities, meeting people, new people, culture, etc. and that's the way it has been for thousands of years: and that's a reason for that. Smaller towns are not necessarily more manageable as someone has to manage what happens when you cross the boundaries between the towns. And also, the urban sprawl tends to destroy nice green places where one can walk and relax and also over-runs farms etc. Cities are a center of trade as they have always been, rural areas are also very important -- the suburban or small towns are the ones stuck in-between neither here nor there.

Also, using SUVs MAKEs sense (as the article says) -- for folks that use that, so why not push them to be more efficient? If you can get more power, better mileage and yet cleaner burn at the back, why not?

Vaquero --> you're out of line accusing Willie Green of being a Dem --> and it's not a cattle car: have you ever travelled by public transport in NY or W. Europe?