Hi All, I probably will not be able to make Thursday night's meeting as I most likely will be working past 10:00 PM - so I am sending you the following thoughts. I apologize in advance that what I have to contribute may be seen mainly as generalizations which you may not find very useful - but it is the best I can do given my limited time and understanding. Anyway I deeply regret not being able to participate in the meeting - so the following are just some of my thoughts. Dependance on the car is built into our society - because of the profits they provide corporations, - because the car has been structured into out society through highway, housing and development planning etc. , and because of the consumerism (as exemplified by the SUV) which permeates our society. Because this dependance is built into our society there is no realistic way for most people to get out of this dependance AS INDIVIDUALS - what we need is a social movement to enable us to break this dependance. So it is in this light that I have been looking at our summit and trying to think of what kind of things would help develope and build this social movement and what might hinder it. Building a social movement around mass transportation such as Muni meed to include many of the things we covered such as building alliances between riders and drivers around both their needs. And not just needs that serve the downtown interests but which also serve the social needs of riders and the economic needs of drivers (under economic I include more time off, without a reduction in wages). Expanding mass tranportation means organizing a social movement around a consciousness of its necessity for us in order to be a humane society - and also of the necessity that it be adequately funded. I think we have only begun to develop how to do this. Taxis (more assessable to all), Car sharing etc are another good way to start breaking the dependance on the car because they undermine the idea and the necessity that each individual has to own a car. A friend tells me that most texi companies in Latin America are cooperatives. So a social movement around transportation should include ways to make all kinds of car sharing possible and practical. I think bicycles are a very important part of this social moverment - which does need to become ONE movement, united around common needs. Safety for everyone needs to take top priority. Teach-ins that include both cylists and drivers that forcus on transportation as a common problem, might be a helpful thing - but also might be difficult to organize. Also bicyle cooperatives that might provide less expensive bikes for those who cannot afford them - and place to repair and learn about bikes (especially safety but many other things) might also be something which could foster a broader social movement. Finally, in my opinion, things like more restricted parking, fines, taxes (even progress taxes) etc, should also have something of a social movement behind them if possible - otherwise they may be seen as top-down and manipulative - and may do more harm than good in the long run. Of course there will always be conflict - but we should do our best to direct the antagonism toward the source of our problems - rather than toward each other. Anyway, I hope you all have a good meeting - and again sorry I probably won't be able to participate. Best, Jerry Path Jerry Path pjrry@igc.org Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.