• Demand Answers

    This post at The Oil Drum blog goes a long way towards explaining why oil prices have risen so sharply over the last couple of years. According to international oil agencies, global oil production has been pretty flat since the middle of 2004, even as economic growth around the globe has boosted demand. The chart below, derived from US Energy Information Administration figures, shows OPEC production only; but world figures...
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  • The Year of Living Car-lessly

    This is week ten of the car-less in Seattle experiment (go here) and I want to talk about one of the greatest fears car-lessness unleashes for parents. But first, some big news: My wife Amy and I decided—with the support of all three of our children—to remain without a car for at least a full year. That’s right: family of five; busy schedule of work, school, and extracurricular activities; and...
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  • Study Haul

    (This post is part of a series.) Apropos of this post, it looks like the Seattle city council has authorized a look at using transit and street grid improvements to replace the waterfront Alaskan Way Viaduct through downtown. Press release excerpts follow: “We’re on the verge of committing billions of public dollars and enduring years of disruption,” says Councilmember Richard Conlin. “This is not by any means an endorsement of...
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  • Get On The Bus

    What would it take to get me out of my car? I mean that as a serious question, not a rhetorical one.  Unique among my colleagues, I’m a car commuter. Well, really, I carpool. My wife and I both work in downtown Seattle, and we’ve chosen to put our two daughters in a daycare that’s close to our offices.  So, even though bus commuting is definitely an option in my...
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  • Rush Hour, By the Numbers

    Sorry to be so Seattle-centric…but this post about Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct got me thinking. If the Viaduct is closed—whether for construction of a tunnel or a new aerial highway, or to make way for green space and a surface street—what happens to rush hour?  Does traffic in downtown Seattle get hopelessly snarled, and stay that way for at least 3 years?  Or do city transportation pllaners have some reasonable...
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  • Sims Gets On the Bus

    Is it a miracle? Can it really be so? Did I just read about a transportation plan that’s actually useful and affordable? That can happen soon but also has long-term benefits? I’m stunned by King County Exec Ron Sims’ proposal to increase the sales tax to fund better bus service. For an additional 1/10th of a penny per dollar, Sims believes the county can drastically improve bus service—increasing the frequency...
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  • Brazilian Whacks

    (This post is part of a series.) It’s interesting to see what Jaime Lerner—the legendary mayor of Curitiba, Brazil, who created a world-class bus rapid transit system on a shoestring budget—had to say about Seattle transportation, in a question-and-answer session with the Seattle P-I: Is there a way to create dedicated bus lanes in a cramped city like Seattle? “There are many ways, many corridors where you can have a...
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  • Surface With A Smile?

    I wouldn’t call it momentum, exactly, but there seems to have been a bit of movement on the idea of replacing Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct with a surface boulevard—a modestly-priced alternative to an aerial rebuild or tunnel. Now, just to be clear, I’m still not convinced that this is an ideal solution. Transportation is complicated, and while other US cities that have removed downtown highways (San Francisco, Milwaukee, and Portland)...
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  • Alan (Heart) This Report

    A year ago, Seattle Mayor Gregg Nickels assembled a “Green Ribbon Commission” to advise him on how to keep his trend-setting Kyoto pledge. Last week, the commission released its report. The global significance and political symbolism of the event have drawn much well-earned comment. The report itself has not. How is it? Superb. I’m in love. It’s well researched, innovative, and (mostly) courageous. (Full disclosure: the commission is also full...
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  • The Northwest’s Energy To-Do List

    Top solutions–ranging from feebates to decoupling–for improving the region’s energy security and efficiency.
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