Rubber Sidewalks: A Win-Win Policy

According to the AP, the District has invested $60,000 in buying sidewalks made from recycled tire rubber.

"The rubber squares are up to three times more expensive than concrete slabs but last longer, because tree roots and freezing weather won't crack them. That, in turn, could reduce the number of slip-and-fall lawsuits filed over uneven pavement.

"The shock-absorbing surface also happens to be easier on the joints of joggers, and more forgiving when someone takes a spill.

"And the rubber sidewalks are considered more environmentally friendly: They offer a way to recycle some of the estimated 290 million tires thrown out each year in the U.S., and they do not constrict tree roots the way concrete slabs do."

Has Arlington looked into rubber sidewalks? Here's a link to Rubbersidewalks.com.

An Environmentalist's Secret Shame: I Don't Love Metro

As an environmentalist, I love the benefits public transportation brings to a community. Primarily, public transportation gets cars off the road, leading to reduced air pollution.

There are other benefits, too. Riding a bus is 79 times safer than driving a car. And public transportation saves 855 million gallons of gasoline a year, reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

And beyond that, riding Metro certainly can be a more civilized experience than driving. I see a lot more of my neighbors & neighborhood than I did when I drove. I get to read the paper in the morning and a book on the way home. I probably had read two books for pleasure in the two years prior to Metroing to work. I've read four in the last three months (right now I'm working on JFK's Profiles in Courage). I also get a lot more exercise, walking about 45 minutes a day to & from Metro stations.

But even with all those benefits ... I don't love Metro.

Oh, those environmental benefits are so tantalizing! Much like Eminem repeatedly marrying Kim Mathers or George Steinbrenner repeatedly hiring Billy Martin, I keep coming back no matter how many times I get burned.

But trains slow to a crawl in severe weather -- high temperatures, heavy rain, or any kind of snow. Even routine train breakdowns send shockwaves through the system, turning station platforms into mosh pits. When it comes to homeland security in DC, the elephant in the room is that if Metro ever suffered a terrorist attack against its infrastructure, the city would grind to a halt for weeks, if not months.

The Metro station workers are surly, one even accusing my 64-year-old mom of being a turnstyle-jumper.

The longest, eight-car trains are unwieldy, lurching through tunnels and often making jarring stops in stations. It's not quite the rollercoaster at the county fair, but it's not pleasant.

Even when I'm not commuting, I often end up wondering if I'd have been better off driving. On late nights and weekends, waits can run up to 20 minutes. After a while, you start to feel like the grailkeeper in Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade. You chose ... poorly. And late weekend nights are miserable. It once took me an hour and a half to get from U Street to Virginia Square, making a $20 cab ride seem like a bargain.

On balance, I suppose a little waiting here and there is a small price to pay for improving our environment. But I wish it didn't have to be a tradeoff. Can't we clean the air and get a smooth ride at the same time?

Everyone seems to agree Interim Metro General Manager Dan Tangherlini has taken steps to improve service. But unfortunately, our region's elected officials have shown little stomach for taking tough political stands to provide sustainable funding for the serious, long-term upgrades Metro needs.

If you're interested in learning more about working to improve Metro, you can visit the Metro riders' lobbying group.

Looking Ahead to November

Even though there won't be a presidential or gubernatorial race on the ballot this November, 2006 stands as an especially important election year for environmentalists in Virginia. (Virginians can register to vote here.)

Sen. George Allen has one of the Senate's worst environmental records. So far in the 109th Congress, Allen has earned a 5% rating on the League of Conservation Voters' environmental scorecard -- astonishingly, his highest ever. He'd scored a 0% rating the two prior sessions. He's been one of the Senate's most vocal supporters of opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, a terrible idea on several fronts, while opposing efforts to make cars more fuel-efficient. Allen also voted against including oil & gas smokestacks in mercury regulations.

Unfortunately, Allen's opponent isn't exactly Ranger Rick himself. Jim Webb doesn't even list the environment on the issues section of his website (Allen doesn't either). However, considering Allen is one of the most anti-environment members of Congress, just about anyone would be an improvement. And without getting too much into politics, a Webb victory would bring the Senate one step closer to Democratic control, and a Democratic Senate would be more friendly to environmental interests.

Mourning Trees

Quick post ...

We had a huge thunderstorm come through Arlington on the 4th of July, knocking down trees all over the neighborhood. A huge, healthy pine tree snapped off like a matchstick, leaving a 10-foot stump behind. An old tree split down the middle, bringing down power lines and closing an entire 4-lane street. Another came down right over a car, miraculously propped up by one branch, sparing the car any damage.

What I noticed most was how neighbors came out to look at the trees, almost in mourning -- walking around in stunned silence, hands over their mouths.