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Lessons in transportation from abroad

 

What cost are we willing to pay for pro sports

 

 

Learning from others strengths and weaknesses

Trevor Doré
ions editor

ith the summer weather
upon us, it seems that
roadwork can be found

around every corner. Roads are being
expanded and repaired for the ever-
ubiquitous automobile. During the
spring months, I was lucky enough
to spend some time in a couple of
foreign destinations. I couldn’t help
but observe how transit systems and
infrastructure in different parts of the
world have evolved over time with
demands from population and culture.

While not so foreign, my first
destination was southern California. A
road trip down the West coast brought
me to the land of vast highway
systems with on and off ramps in
every direction. Extensive six-lane
wide highways allow commuters
to get just about anywhere in a car.
Slabs of pavement and columns of
concrete form multi-story stacks of
highway that can be found scattered
across the landscape. It is no wonder
the automobile is the American dream
machine. In order to get just about
anywhere, you need one.

Italy was my next destination.
Unlike California, Italy was developed
centuries and in places millennia
before the advent of the automobile.
A drastically larger populations before
the invention and proliferation of
the motorcar forced Italy, and most
European countries for that matter, to
develop train systems and construct
more pedestrian friendly cities. For
this reason, many might say that
Europe has it figured out when it
comes to transportation.

They definitely have train
systems and many of the older
areas are pedestrian friendly in
terms of roads that are closed to car
traffic. However, what they lack in
highways and large diesel spewing
trucks, I imagine they make up for in
zigzagging side streets and thousands
of Vespas. It seems that you can’t
go anywhere in the country without
almost getting run over by some sort
of two wheeled motorized vehicle.
I have been to Holland where the
bicycle infrastructure is phenomenal,

14

however the same cannot be said for
Italy. If you think riding a bike in the
streets of downtown Vancouver is
utter insanity, you obviously haven’t
experienced the chaos that is an un-
marked, anything goes Italian cobble
stone road.

My last destination was
Japan, where the story is a little bit
different. I think out of all of the
places that I visited, it has the best
travel infrastructure in almost every
regard. Sidewalks are two lanes wide
in order to accommodate pedestrians
and bicycles. Although this can
sometimes get a little frustrating as
a pedestrian, it ensures cyclists have
a safe place to ride. Traffic laws for
automobiles are strict and strictly
enforced. In order to drive a vehicle in
and out of the city, one must pay a fee.
And, of course, Japan is known for its
train system. The inner city subways
are vast, yet very easy to use and their
cross-country bullet trains are accurate
to the second. Given such a small
amount of land and a large population
to work with, the Japanese have
been forced to develop an extremely
effective and efficient transit system.

So what can be learned from
all of this? In B.C. and especially the
Lower Mainland, the population is
only going to continue to increase in
the coming years. It’s time to stop

_ spending money on widening roads,

making it easier and more appealing
for individuals to get into their single
occupancy vehicles. It is crucial to
invest money in a mass transit system
that includes a variety of options, bus
and light rail. We also need to ensure
that we make room for those who
choose to cycle to and from wherever
they’re going. When designing
communities, they need to be more
pedestrian friendly. Finding ways to
move more people, not more vehicles,

 

is what it’s all about.
SIETREISIEE AED eS Yanai
SI, See Za

4 LENA LS ,

 

 

 

By Trevor Doré, Opinions Editor

ast month it was announced

that LeBron James, the

NBA’s reigning two-time
Most Valuable Player, will join
Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh with
the Miami Heat for the up coming
season. Although it didn’t make the
headlines, it was also announced that
200 teachers, 150 fire fighters and
300 nurses and doctors would lose
their jobs due to underfunding. OK,
perhaps the last part may not be 100
per cent accurate, but it does make
you wonder, are professional athletes
not overpaid?

There is no doubt an inherent
value in athletics and professional
athletics for that matter. Most
obviously, pro athletics provides
a form of entertainment for us
average Joes. You could even say
that some athletes are good roles
models for youth, giving them
someone to admire and something
to strive towards. Sports are also
good social activities, keeping us
connected, coordinated and healthy.
And, perhaps if the pros weren’t
compensated as handsomely for a
lifetime investment, we wouldn’t
see the amazing displays of
showmanship we see whenever we
turn on TSN, ESPN and the like. But
where do we draw the line in terms
of appropriate compensation?

Cleveland was willing to sign
LeBron for $128 million over six
years, however, he settled for a
measly $99 million for five years in
Miami. How much are these athletes
really worth and what price are we
willing to pay as a society for the
services that they provide? Just think
about what that kind of money could
buy - and I am not talking about big
screens and fast cars. Some athletes
make millions of dollars regardless
of whether or not they even show up
for work. The same cannot be said
for nurses, doctors, fire fighters and
teachers.

Why do pro-athletes make so
much money? To put it simply, the
reason athletes are compensated
so considerably for their work is
because we as consumers are willing
to pay small fortunes for tickets
and stadium food. Not to mention,

V ;
when it comes to advertising dollars
during sports events, especially
the big ones, we are talking about
some seriously mula. In essence,
pro athletes are not to blame for
their over inflated salaries, they are
simply taking advantage of the fact
that the money is there. Who can
blame them for that?

So back to the original question,
are pro athletes overpaid? In my
opinion, yes, however, due to
simple economics, I am sure they
will continue to make the big bucks
into the foreseeable future. It would
however be nice to even the scales
a little and start compensating those
who are responsible for saving lives
and educating the next generation
a little more generously. Doctors
also dedicate countless years of
their lives to their practice and fire
fighters must maintain their top
physical condition throughout their
careers.

As elementary schools and
emergency wards close due to
underfunding, perhaps it’s time we
reconsider where we are putting
out money. It’s a matter of getting
our priorities straight. Until then,
why not enjoy the plays of the week
along with increasingly long line-ups
in emergency rooms.