"A man who, beyond the age of 26, finds himself
on a bus can count himself as a failure"
- Attributed (??) to Margaret Thatcher

xTransit starts here: Fair Mobility for the Transportation Majority

"Who needs it?" "Why bother if it's just for a few people?" "Let's concentrate on the big problem" - which of course carries with it the possiblyt of one big solution. "More roads. Higher speeds. Broader streets" "Go go go!"

In the world of human mobility it turns out that there is not "one big problem" to be solved. There is rather, for better or worse, an ever-changing heteroclite confluence of a very large number of people, each with their own daily life realities, needs, possibilities, and desires. The old mobility vision of society which until now has guided most of our investments and transportation arrangements is essentially one of striding workers, with jobs, families, fixed hours, trips, roads and the list goes on - all of whom are allegedly served by our "normal transportation arrangements".

Then there are "the rest": non-drivers, the old, disabled, poor, etc., etc., and they too our bleeding hearts somehow figured out need to be catered to as well. Well, so the old formula goes, let's give them a bit here and there too. Some "public transportation", for example. That should do it. But most of our money is going to be spent on providing mobility arrangements for "normal people", those who drive. That's right, isn't it.

No, it's not at all right. It is wrong. It is wrong because it is unfair, uncivil and economically near-sighted. And it is also just based on a false precept. Why? Because that splendid vision of society simply does not jibe with reality. It never did in the past, and as our societies age it increasingly is absurdly contrary to reality. Here is the surprise, the kicker:

The "transportation majority" is not what most people think, transportation planners and policy makers included. The transportation majority are all those citizens, of all ages and conditions of life, who increasingly are poorly served by the mainline service arrangements that eat up most of our taxpayer money. And each year, as our populations age this majority grows in numbers.

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Who are they?

Here is a generic short-list of the people who make up this too now all too silent majority:

• Everyone in your city, country or electorate who does not have a car

• Everyone who cannot drive

• Everyone who should not drive (for reasons of a variety of impediments such as limitations associated with age, psychological state , , , ,)

• Everyone who cannot responsibly take the wheel at any given time (fatigue, distraction, nervousness, some form of intoxication. . . )

• Everyone who cannot afford to own and operate a car of their own (And remember that costs a lot of after-tax money)

• Everyone who lives in a large city and for reasons of density, public health and quality of life needs to have access to a non-car mobility system

• Everyone who would in fact prefer to get around by walking, cycling or some form of shared transport who cannot safely or readily do so, because all the money is being spent on the car-based system which is fundamentally, and financially, incompatible with these "softer" and more healthy ways of getting around

• Everyone who suffers from some form of impairment that makes driving or even access to traditional public transit difficult or impossible

• All those who are today isolated and unable to participate in the life of our communities fully because they simply do not have a decent way to get around.

• And -- don't lose sight of this! -- you in a few years

And how are we going to provide for their mobility needs? Well for starters, by putting aside our old vision of the "market" for transportation services in cities and opening our eyes to the reality of the market. So let's get started.

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Count them yourselves

We can think of no better way to get support for the new mobility initiatives that your community really needs than for you to start out by carefully counting and making known all those citizens the numbers and conditions of all with different transportation requirements (other than those who feel adequately served by the current automobile infrastructure and arrangements -- though even there you are also going to find many who take exception to current policies and practices. )

It's important to get the basic numbers right, not least because this is a truth which simply has not become widely known and appreciated. When you have the numbers, you have the momentum. And you will have the votes once they see that their real needs are being attended to.

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