Dateline April 28, 2008

Canada and the world

There’s a war brewing on the streets of Canada and many parts of the world today, a war between differing transportation modes and individuals vying for space on the crowded by ways and streets of Canadian cities like Montreal, Winnipeg, and Toronto, and to a much smaller extent cities like Prince George. Motorists and cyclists manoeuvre along the narrow streets and crowded lanes in a chaotic parade that occasionally erupts into protests that blocks traffic for hours on end, usually during peak hours.

A war started by the increase in gas prices and the subsequent growth in people choosing to opt for a less modern, labour intensive form of transportation, the bicycle and the motorcycle, in order to alleviate their transportation costs and to live green.
This is a war I hear stewing everyday on my ride to the coffee shop, jockeying for position among the cars as motorists give me the finger, scream and give me the stare in an attempt to intimidate.

A war that is going to increase in the coming months as more people find they need to decrease the costs associated with travel and they begin to move to alternate forms of transportation, like bicycles and motorcycles. Is this trend a result of the increase cost of gas and the policies of Big Oil, our inability to alter our habits and move away from carbon based fuels, absolutely, but then its not necessarily a bad thing.

The fight between those who can’t to let go of the past, even if it meant death, and the new breed of green Earth Sheppard’s is a growing battle that is sure to encompass global society and ultimately determine the course and future of humankind.
Change is never easy for any human, but some have a more difficult time then others wrapping their minds around the words written on the wall in front of them, and often they die out before they change.

The generation that grew up with the gas powered motor vehicle as a treasured friend, will find it hard to let go of their old friend. They will probably continue to use their gas powered vehicles through the current transition period from carbon based fuels to alternates, fortunately, it’s the new generation of green Earth Sheppard’s that will determine the sources of energy that will be used in the future.