"Malcolm Austin" wrote

sorry I touched a raw nerve there! Without wanting to ramp up
the
"discussion" my comment would be: -

Your argument really seems to say that, dam the rest of the world, we are
going
to use all the energy we want.

No, not at all. There are not ANY alternatives to driving for most people,
with the exceptions being the percentage of people living in or very near to
the few largest cities that have good mass transit systems.

I do carpentry work. I have a full sized van to carry my tools and
material. It does not get good gas mileage, but I can not afford to get a
second small efficient car to drive back and forth to work.

My wife has a mini van, because we have 2 kids, and do a lot of driving for
vacationing, and entertaining with other couples. Once again, there is no
alternative, but to drive a larger vehicle for commuting, if you are going
to use it for the size as you need it, sometimes.

There are lots of people that live on gravel roads, WAY out in the country,
sometimes with 100 meter (and more) drop-offs right next to the road, with
no guard rails. 4 wheel drive is necessary for when it is very wet, or snow
is on the road. Sometime these roads never get plowed, until the snow melts
weeks later. Do you see any safe and reliable alternatives?

It is true, that there is a segment of our population that could drive
smaller vehicles. That needs to happen, and I realize that. It is not
possible for some.

I would love to walk a couple blocks and catch a train, and walk a couple
more blocks to get to work. The neares passenger line is 90 miles away, and
it is one line, straight though the sate, with no branches. This is in a
state that I think is larger than England. Imagine that; one line for all
of England.
--
Jim in NC