a taste of their own medicine
Now here's an idea that is close to BF's heart:
Shanghai is requiring its public transport officials to take public transit one day a month.
(From Shanghai Daily, via Urbanism.org)
From the article:
HIGH-RANKING public transport officials have been told to take the bus or Metro to work every 22nd day of the month.I'd like to see us try this in Metro Manila. Do you think it can begin to undercut our auto-elitism?
The move will help reduce vehicle emissions and let officials experience crowded city transport at first hand, the Shanghai Urban Transport Management Bureau said yesterday.
"Our department is in charge of the city's transport management and our officials need to know about the problems on the frontline," Huang Xiaoyong, a bureau official who deals with the media, said yesterday.
Huang said nearly 1,000 high-ranking officials, from the bureau to its affiliated government departments, will be forced to abandon their official cars on the 22nd of every month, starting today.
A group of watchdogs will ensure all official cars are parked at office parking lots the whole day.
Huang said officials would also be allowed to ride a bike or walk to the office, which is located at No. 100 Dagu Road near People's Square.
Taking a cab was discouraged, Huang said.
I wonder how many cars we can get off the road if we require all the officials and employees of the MMDA, LTO, LTFRB and related agencies to take public transport. Hmm, maybe we should require all the legislators, too!
Your thoughts?
Image credit: Shanghai traffic by Fumiko (CC, Attribution 2.5)
2 comments:
Sometimes I wish people would just walk. Here in the provinces (Davao and Dumaguete), people will take a ride even for just short distances.
Davao has an overabundance of "trisikad" (bikes with sidecars) -- environment friendly, but a real road nuisance.
maybe we need more sidewalks.
if we had generous sidewalks with generous shade trees, maybe people will feel more like walking.
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