http://www.gmtoday.com/milwaukeetoday/editorials/mcbride.asp

Even conservatives could love a public transportation system as efficient as those in Europe

By JESSICA McBRIDE           
June 14, 2008

GM Today

So, I leave the country for nine days to visit Europe, and Waukesha turns into Atlantis while I’m gone.

American weather reports aren’t big news overseas.

I thought the only big things that happened were Hillary Clinton’s swan song and the fact that you can’t eat tomatoes anymore.

Every time I go to Europe, it makes me look at things a little bit differently. I returned this time determined to write a pro public transportation column. More on that in a moment.

Don’t worry, the Europeans didn’t get to me on everything. Their constant anti-Bush ranting just annoyed me, although I tried not to let it show. However, I did mention that McCain is going to win.

Europeans are Obamaphiles - they all seem to hate Bush and love Obama, even the distant Bucher relative we visited way up in the Swiss Alps (if only he knew). It was weird to be in a town where almost every headstone in the cemetery said Bucher.

If I cared what Europeans think of us, I’d be happy they are entranced with an American again, even if it’s one I won’t vote for. But I don’t care what Europeans think about our presidential politics. As for theirs, I still can’t figure out who the president of Switzerland is (neither can they).

Still, there are a lot of things that America does better than Europe.

For one, you don’t have to pay for water at restaurants in America. It adds up, especially because the dollar is so bad we lost 50 cents for every dollar (except in Switzerland, which doesn’t use the Euro). When I lived in Germany in the late 1980s, as a college student, everyone wanted dollars. Now, they beg you not to give them dollars.

Then again, our public transportation system is pretty pathetic compared to theirs, at least in the Milwaukee area. So, I returned to America determined to advocate for it (I wasn’t against public transport before. I just became more vocal.)

Somewhere in the last decade, many conservative pundits and politicians ended up positioning Republicans as the pro pollution party. They’re not actually pro pollution. They reflexively object to anything involving public transport. They lose a lot of eco-obsessed younger voters in so doing.

When it comes to eco-opinion, I’m with conservatives on their critiques of the global warming theology. The global warming high priests are trying to shut down dissenting voices, and hypocritical pro global warming celebrities just see global warming as the latest cool accessory, like a pink ribbon or oversized purse. But I am not convinced global warming doesn’t exist. I’m not a scientist.

At the same time, surely we can all agree that it would be good if people drove less ... right? Ever calculate how much time you spend in your car? I commute to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from Merton. That’s two hours a day in the car. That’s 10 hours a week. That’s 40 hours a month, an entire work week. That means I spend the equivalent of 12 work weeks in my car every year - at least. That’s three months worth.

People who still oppose improving our public transportation system probably don’t have to drive on the freeway at 8 a.m. to Milwaukee. When former Waukesha County Executive Dan Finley took a job at the museum, meaning he had to venture in that direction in the early mornings, I once half jokingly and half seriously asked him if he’d changed his mind about light rail. He hadn’t.

I have. I’m not sure a light rail system is the best answer, and I understand the concerns about cost ($100 million a mile at times!) and ridership. If we had a light rail system as effective as those in Europe, I’d ride it. We can quibble over the type and costs, but conservatives should join together with liberals and come up with a public transportation improvement plan.

If gas prices get anywhere near the $9 a gallon in Europe, more people will agree. Ever try to take the bus from, say, Sussex to the east side of Milwaukee? It’s practically impossible.

In Zurich, where we spent most of our time, they had a remarkably efficient tram and train system. With the same ticket, you could ride on river boats from one destination to another. Plus, there were free bikes all over town. Cars quickly became unnecessary. I even got tempted to buy a Smart Car, which is basically a sardine can on wheels. My Jeep Liberty was making me feel guilty.

Zurich reminded me of Milwaukee, except most people get around using public transport. It’s got a small-town feel. Of course, the difference is that Europe is not as suburbanized, so we’d need more than trams to get me to UW-Milwaukee. I say they should just start with the Zurich-style trams in Milwaukee. Sure, it will cost money. So do highways.

After I left Europe, I realized I’d used every form of transport - a taxi, a bus, a subway, a train, a boat ... even a gondola.

And then I arrived back in America and got back in my car, turning on talk radio. Really, what’s the other option?

(Jessica McBride is a member of the journalism faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a blogger publishing at http://mcbridesmediamatters.blogspot.com and a Merton resident. Her column runs Saturdays in The Freeman.)