Sunday, August 17, 2008

Stop Lecturing

I suppose there's no chance the widespread lecturing tone of newspaper editorials will ever die, but tone aside they could, you know, stop lecturing people.

High gas prices finally have persuaded more commuters to do what they should have been doing all along - using mass transit. It eases congestion, saves wear and tear on your car, reduces greenhouse gases, and lowers the demand for foreign oil. Higher gas prices made people see the financial advantage of taking the train. And if you can find a seat, the trip is usually less stressful, too.


As much as I love the SUPERTRAIN, I also generally assume that people don't need the Philadelphia Inquirer to decide whether they should take it or their cars. Sure there are some people who, if they could be prodded to give it a try, would decide that mass transit worked for them. But most people are evaluating the options and making choices based on time, cost, and personal preferences.

Such exhortations should be accompanied by the commuting methods of everyone on the editorial board.