Science is Messy:
By Sebra Leaves
We all have the same goals. We just argue over the methods to achieve them. The car has become a political tool that is used to separate us into opposing camps. The science and economy have shifted back to favoring the car, but the political will is lagging behind.
People are picking the science they support. Everyone knows that the safest way to travel in a pandemic is by private vehicle. We can also figure out that maintaining a fleets vehicles that carry a reduced load is prohibitively expensive. Taxpayers and drivers know that the public transit systems depend on their contributions for financial solvency. Now that many of them are feeling less secure about their own finances, being tapped for more money may not play very well this year. The Supervisors seem to have picked up on this vibe and have other more pressing requests for funds.
Science is messy. Sometimes it points one way and sometimes it points the other. This time science is on the side of the private car as the safest way to travel, and, new cars are becoming cleaner and more efficient. So why get rid of cars now?
The new claims against cars, pushed by pro-growth developers hungry for property profits, are that they are dangerous weapons that take up too much space and need to be eliminated. During the pandemic residents need the streets to socially distance outside, and dying businesses need to move onto the streets to survive.
Science is not on their side this time and neither is the economic reality that voters are facing an uncertain future. Many citizens are driving out of the city for good and many are leaving the state in search of a more pleasant lifestyles, leaving empty housing and bringing down rents. Those who remain to vote will determine the future of the city and perhaps the state.
San Francisco’s primary pro-density developer backed Senator Wiener is demanding the Supervisors put a sales tax bill on the ballot to keep the empty Caltrain alive. We shall see how the voters respond to Wiener’s demands in November, and which science they support.
