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December 23, 2005
Alaskan in Exile
by Neil Zawicki

    Last Tuesday, I was geared up to go on the air with Jack Frost to talk about public transit - particularly the state of such in Portland, Oregon - but he quit the show that very day to run for Mayor of Anchorage.

    Pity.

     It seems Frost thinks the Max line, a light rail system here, is a disaster.

    I live here. The Max Line has its trouble, but is used widely, as is the Tri Met bus system. Public transit here is a vital component to the city, and when I heard that Frost is against the very notion, I leapt from the bench, suited up, and begged the coach to put me in so I could get a crack at him.

    Instead, I’ll just say here what I planned to say to him on the air. First, I would like to know what kind of car Frost drives. Is it a nice car? Probably. Is he proud of his car? What does the dashboard look like? What color is the interior? Does it have power windows and seats? Does Frost feel his car is an extension of his personality?

    Also, I wonder how much Frost weighs. Maybe he’s an average weight. Maybe not. But most proud members of our car culture are overweight. In fact, the obesity epidemic in America is connected to our habit of driving everywhere and eating quickly prepared garbage.

    Bear in mind that a car is a valuable thing for long-distance trips. But once in town, there is little to no reason to drive everywhere, and certainly not every day.

     A car is a tool. It’s like a crescent wrench or a sewing machine, and it is bizarre and sad to view any tool as an affirmation of our position in society. And anyway, the internal combustion engine is a bit dated. It is technology from the previous century. It’s a messy, loud, inefficient system. There are better ways to get around. It just takes a little imagination.

     Here in Portland, we have the Max Line, the Trolley system, Tri Met and Flex Car. Flex Car is a program launched by Tri Met that allows commuters to essentially “time share” a car. They reserve a Hybrid powered car for days when they need it. The hope is to get commuters to think beyond just getting in their car and driving every time they leave the house.

    Does Jack Frost feel connected to the community? How could he if everywhere he goes, he’s sealed into his own personal cell of vinyl and steel and silly luxury features.

    I used to work out in Eagle River while living in Downtown Anchorage, and I got so disgusted with the endless lines of single occupant cars that I began taking the bus and sometimes riding my bike the thirteen miles to work. As result, I got a great workout on the bike trail that runs along the Glenn, and while on the bus, met interesting people and had time to think and read.

     The trouble with people like Jack Frost is that they view the world from a limited and high platform. And their belief that public transit is a lower-class thing only perpetuates the car culture. When well-off white men embrace the idea of owning a big luxury car and driving it everywhere, they create an unhealthy ideal for lower income people to aspire to. This is why there are so many cars on the road, because people equate car ownership with status. And so, people with limited means put an inordinate amount of money into having a car. More cars create more potential accidents, more pollution, more litter, and more wear and tear on the road system – which by the way is something the Municipality has never been able to get a handle on up there.

     If you don’t want to spend money on public transit, Frost, then how would you spend it? Have you ever relied on public transit to commute to work? Have you ever had an interesting conversation with a person you hardly know while riding a bus? Have you ever been on a bus that is standing room only? I have. Here in Portland. I’ve never been on a bus here that wasn’t packed, and there are still traffic issues here. So, where would we be if not for public transit?

     The question is not whether public transit is a good idea. The question is whether or not we can move away from our unnecessary and simple-minded dependence on the automobile.


 




   






 
Neil Zawicki, exiled Alaskan, is Editor at Large for Insurgent49, a former reporter for the Alaska Star, and winner of the Alaska Press Club's 'Best Columnist' award. He is now living out the rest of his days in an undisclosed location in Oregon. He can be contacted at -  neil@insurgent49.com
- Columnists -

Editor's Desk
by Aaron Selbig

Red Alert
by Soren Wuerth

Alaskan In Exile
by Neil Zawicki

The
Bramble Bush
by Kevin Morford





- also by this writer -
Copyright 2005 Insurgent Media. All Rights Reserved.
in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership.