Odds & Ends

Offbeat, but maybe worth a try...

• Dormitories next to office buildings for workers putting in 80+ hour/week in Silicon Valley and other high-tech areas
• Satellite parking lots near the freeway with dedicated shuttle buses to university campuses
• A specially-colored transit pass for off-peak hours, sold at a discounted rate

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

Need a second car in the family just to go to the store? A law effective January 1996 allows golf carts on many city streets in cities which adopt a golf cart transportation plan. Based on programs in Palm Desert and Roseville, carts may travel normal traffic lanes on streets with speed limits under 25 mph. On streets with faster traffic, special lanes are needed. Carts must meet certain requirements for power and equipment, and the driver must have a license.

However, when the city of Davis considered adding golf-carts to the many bicycles on city streets, the idea didn't get very far. With a compact flat city and mild weather, planners originally felt that electric carts could help decrease auto trips and pollution, but found that residents were wary.

Concerns included the possibility that traffic might back up behind a cart, and worry that the relatively fast and silent carts might use bicycle paths, endangering bicycle riders. Critics also pointed out that the golf course was several miles outside the city limits; few carts were kept at home, and a special lane for carts was not feasible. Financial constraints which eliminated funding for planning and route signs were the final factor in the city's decision to shelve the plan.

But what if everyone drove one?

Sport utility vehicles, pickups and mini-vans are filling the region's streets. Known collectively as light trucks, these vehicles are creating several problems:

• Vehicle size means that parking is difficult for owners, neighbors, and other users of parking facilities. Garages are too small, so owners must park on the street. Parking lots planned for compact vehicles cannot accommodate as many cars when large vehicles use more than one space, but expanding parking facilities is expensive and often infeasible.
• Gas mileage is so low that manufacturers are close to non-compliance with the federal fuel-economy standards. In addition to the additional energy consumption, low gas mileage adds to air pollution from emissions.
• The taller, heavier vehicles present other drivers with safety issues. Although some recent tests have indicated that collisions between cars and light trucks are not an unequal contest, other concerns remain, such as visibility for drivers behind or beside larger vehicles, and differences in driving styles.