When I lived in Madison the last time bus fare hikes and route cuts came to the table at the City Council, there was a large turnout for the public testimony period, and I can't recall a single citizen testifying in favor of such measures.

The relationship between land use and transportation has come up time and again at meetings over recent years, so there is no pleading ignorance on the part of the council or mayor. Although the City Council would spend countless hours debating an issue giving the illusion of cogitation, the prevailing vote was a rubber stamp of the city planners' desires.

An efficient city is one which prioritizes its transportation spending inverse to energy consumption: first pedestrian (mixed use and walkable communities), next bicycle (once all the rage in America, it can work), followed by mass transit, and lastly the automobile/motorcycle/moped.

Since moving, I lived in a northern Illinois suburban community for a little over a year but found it too barren and auto-centric. I've now chosen to live in a more urban community with narrower roads. It's expensive, but well worth it in my opinion. Of course, if cities build more mixed use developments, the cost of owning and renting in such areas will go down.

Mike Barrett writes a good letter but one must wonder: When are you running for office, Mr. Barrett?

Dan Sebald

Lake Forest, Ill.
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