San Francisco Autobahns

It is unbelievable driving around the Bay Area! If you think where you drive is bad, multiply it times 10 and you get this part of California! I grew up in the metro Washington DC area, have driven around other numerous big cities, including New York and nothing prepares you for here. We're talkin extremely short merge lanes from a 20mph curve into a 65mph race track! I mean we got people flooring it in these big trucks/SUVs with disgustingly huge payloads that never get used, little imports zipping around like it is a race, and everyone changing lanes like its cool or something.

Although I must sat, it is nice that there is such a comprehensive freeway (excuse me, I meant to say HIGHWAY as we say in the east) system to get really anywhere relatively quickly. I am just amazed at the amount of infrastructure adjustment for such a road system. I would wager to say 1/4 to 1/3 of the human-used space is devoted to roads around here. That is such an extraordinary amount of space! Imagine if everyone's marriage to their automobile was divorced by public transport, you'd get soo much more usable space! It is interesting to see the layout too, clearly a lot of engineering went into their system. The key to road planning is to keep cars always moving, stop-and-go uses the most fuel and causes more wear and tear.

If you haven't been keeping up in the news lately, President Obama has been talking about California's lead in the environmental movement. One thing CA is proposing is much stricter fuel economy standards for vehicles sold here, about a dozen other states are posed to follow suit if it goes through. The hang-up is the EPA which refuses to allow states to impose their own regulations, which turned down CA's appeal for better standards during Bush's term. President Obama is pressuring the EPA to allow it to happen and the automakers are crying (expensive, we can barely sell cars etc...)- it is time they got their act together and especially when they are using MY money to do it! I like that there is more to look forward to in terms of environmentalism in CA as well.

Now that that is off my back I feel much better now. Is it me, or do Californians just love to drive horizontally?