public works program, round 2

We have given money to the banks, we have given money to the cars, we have even given money to ourselves (albeit at much smaller amounts). Next up, we need to give money to our buildings, streets, and bridges.

However, this one can be done better than the other three gifts, with a bit of forethought. Environmental News Network posted a great OpEd piece about what should be considered in a new ‘green’ infrastructure built.

1.) Reduce funding of sprawl-inducing bypasses, new highways through rural land, and other highway projects that reinforce automobile-based development
2.) Support bicycle pathways and bicycle lanes on roadways to make bicycle commuting and bicycle travel more viable. Bicycle access should be considered with all roadway projects.
3.) Provide incentives that influence driving behavior, including greater use of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on highways, congestion pricing, downtown access tolls, employee-provided transit passes, and elimination of employee parking subsidies.
4.) Create wildlife passages across roadways. Wildlife underpasses and overpasses can reduce roadkill as well as habitat fragmentation.

There are more, so please check out the original article.