Gas prices reach a new high. We all have been listening to this news for the past few weeks. And the price continues to rise. There was a time when $100 per barrel was speculated in news. Now the speculation has crossed $130 per barrel and does not seem to have any intention to go down.
What's the solution? What can be done? These are the questions in the people's minds. But what they need to think is what's the solution that works? There are so many things to think about nowadays. Car giants like Ford and GM need to wake up to the research being done by Honda and Toyota at the common man's level.
The latest Toyota Prius, a hybrid vehicle (runs on an electric engine alternative to a gasoline one) has been designed to give 50 miles per gallon. And the source of power being electricity, the residue is nothing - no smoke. Toyota is slowly introducing the technology in other models.
Honda on its part, has introduced the hybrid technology in its Civic sedan. And apart from its efforts to introduce the technology in its other models, it has proved itself the pioneer of commercial production of the fuel cell technology. The vehicle runs on Hydrogen, and the residue is just water vapor.
Many other car manufacturers are contemplating and testing new alternative-fuel technologies and whether they bring a worthwhile product into the market, time only can tell.
Having talked a little about technology, it is time we look into the much debated yet ignored attitude of the people - the vehicle owners as well the administrative bodies.
Earlier, every family wanted to own a car, a vehicle which could mass-transport them to the destinations of their choice. As the work force increased, and the number of bread-winners per household increased, the priorities changed. Now, each individual wants his own mode of transport, more as a showcase of his/her spending power than a necessity. The sad part is, that the concerned administrative bodies, which were responsible for planning and designing cities, and supply them with the necessary infrastructure, built great road systems and the travel was supposed to be a smooth sail. What they didn't predict or rather miscalculated was the boom in the usage of personal automobiles. This simply led to traffic jams and delays and an increased rate of accidents and fatalities.
What they missed, is a matter of common sense. At the city level, state level and country level. And here they seriously need to take leaf out of experienced countries like India. And the common sense thing is PUBLIC TRANSPORT. Although cities like New York boast of good transportation systems, it remains a puzzle as to why United States of America, a country which is known across the globe as THE DEVELOPED COUNTRY, and where all the people head-to for higher education and opportunities, missed it.
Today, more than 90% of the American population depends on air travel or road trips to travel from one city to another. Why wasn't an alternative developed? (Although they do have an embarrassment called Amtrak)
A country like India, which had to develop itself from scratch after the British ravaged it and left, with limited resources, boasts of a railroad and highway connectivity which is one of the best in the world. In fact, Indian Railways is Asia's biggest employer and the world's largest rail network.
Much closer, the public transportation on the European continent is much more evolved than here. Why? The answer is simple - attitude. Although people consider owning an automobile a symbol of status, they do not consider traveling in public transport something below their standards. Then why the wrong attitude here? Can't they see how many people are suffering because of the price rise and a few people's love for bigger vehicles, gas guzzlers and more powerful vehicles? And it is this attitude that the automobile companies are cashing in on - and again the sufferers are the general public.
Is there something that can be done? Is there a way to educate the highly educated?
What's the solution? What can be done? These are the questions in the people's minds. But what they need to think is what's the solution that works? There are so many things to think about nowadays. Car giants like Ford and GM need to wake up to the research being done by Honda and Toyota at the common man's level.
The latest Toyota Prius, a hybrid vehicle (runs on an electric engine alternative to a gasoline one) has been designed to give 50 miles per gallon. And the source of power being electricity, the residue is nothing - no smoke. Toyota is slowly introducing the technology in other models.
Honda on its part, has introduced the hybrid technology in its Civic sedan. And apart from its efforts to introduce the technology in its other models, it has proved itself the pioneer of commercial production of the fuel cell technology. The vehicle runs on Hydrogen, and the residue is just water vapor.
Many other car manufacturers are contemplating and testing new alternative-fuel technologies and whether they bring a worthwhile product into the market, time only can tell.
Having talked a little about technology, it is time we look into the much debated yet ignored attitude of the people - the vehicle owners as well the administrative bodies.
Earlier, every family wanted to own a car, a vehicle which could mass-transport them to the destinations of their choice. As the work force increased, and the number of bread-winners per household increased, the priorities changed. Now, each individual wants his own mode of transport, more as a showcase of his/her spending power than a necessity. The sad part is, that the concerned administrative bodies, which were responsible for planning and designing cities, and supply them with the necessary infrastructure, built great road systems and the travel was supposed to be a smooth sail. What they didn't predict or rather miscalculated was the boom in the usage of personal automobiles. This simply led to traffic jams and delays and an increased rate of accidents and fatalities.
What they missed, is a matter of common sense. At the city level, state level and country level. And here they seriously need to take leaf out of experienced countries like India. And the common sense thing is PUBLIC TRANSPORT. Although cities like New York boast of good transportation systems, it remains a puzzle as to why United States of America, a country which is known across the globe as THE DEVELOPED COUNTRY, and where all the people head-to for higher education and opportunities, missed it.
Today, more than 90% of the American population depends on air travel or road trips to travel from one city to another. Why wasn't an alternative developed? (Although they do have an embarrassment called Amtrak)
A country like India, which had to develop itself from scratch after the British ravaged it and left, with limited resources, boasts of a railroad and highway connectivity which is one of the best in the world. In fact, Indian Railways is Asia's biggest employer and the world's largest rail network.
Much closer, the public transportation on the European continent is much more evolved than here. Why? The answer is simple - attitude. Although people consider owning an automobile a symbol of status, they do not consider traveling in public transport something below their standards. Then why the wrong attitude here? Can't they see how many people are suffering because of the price rise and a few people's love for bigger vehicles, gas guzzlers and more powerful vehicles? And it is this attitude that the automobile companies are cashing in on - and again the sufferers are the general public.
Is there something that can be done? Is there a way to educate the highly educated?
No comments:
Post a Comment