From a blog called “The Glass is Half Empty … the Pedal is Half Full” comes a new idea (at least, to me) on how to view more transit riders: public health.
We should emulate the seat belt use and anti-smoking campaigns to change social norms about the health impacts of behavior. As the author writes,
Fifteen years ago was it socially acceptable to not wear a seat belt?…And now? Five years ago was it socially acceptable to have a smoking section in a public restaurant? …And now?
Explicitly campaigning to change the social norm of driving versus transit or biking or walking spooks a lot of agencies, but it’s interesting to look at successful public health campaigns (smoking and seat belts) as models that we should learn from.
Pushing people out of cars (and thus, onto transit) is an under-used tactic. A little bit of shame at burning more oil and increasing the chances of injury on the roads for every single automobile trip would help get more riders.
(Of course, positive campaigns are necessary as well).
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