The American Federation of State Public Interest Research Groups recently released an interesting video online. In that video, two characters of the television series Mad Men are discussing how they could sell the train as an alternative to the car.
“Cities are getting bigger. Trains are the most efficient, economical, best investment. It’s obvious. We do not need to sell trains.”
So that’s the conclusion Pete and Paul are coming to in 1965. But what if, even if it’s obvious, we still need to sell an idea?
In my opinion, it’s obvious that the cigarette Paul is smoking and the alcohol he’s drinking are harmful to his health. Why so? I simply know it, as a result of the numerous public education campaigns I’ve been exposed to.
What did marketing tell me about trains, or in general, about sustainable transportation? Not much.
However, I’ve been told a lot about cars.
“You won’t get people to walk away from their cars overnight. We’ve been spending years telling them how sexy and powerful they are.”
Nonetheless, I’ve started to dream. About a new, efficient, expanded LRT network with stops close to restaurants, shops, houses. About walking to the grocery store or biking to go to work.
“No parking. No mechanics. No traffic jams.”
What would Pete and Paul say about The Way We Move, our Transportation Master Plan? We won’t know for sure, since they only exist in a 1965 fiction. But I truly believe that even if some ideas seem obvious, we sometimes need to talk about them to keep them alive.