I guess this was reported in the Ann Arbor News, but since I can't bring myself to read that fine example of journalism I had to find it on Auto Blog Green. It seems that Ann Arbor, the city in which I live, is to get its very own set of zipcars. This is basically a car rental system where you fill out the paperwork once, then have access to the car anytime, paying by the day or hour. It's a nice idea for people who don't have a car but need to get some shopping done or things like that. Or it would be, if it weren't eight dollars per hour and sixty bucks per day. Maybe I'm just cheap, but it seems like that's a bit steep for a run to the store, where you will probably spend more than one hour. I suppose if you do it once a week, and get everything done in an efficient manner, it wouldn't be too bad, but it still seems like something that could be done much more cheaply....

Well, when you consider how easy it is to drop $30 on a cab in Ann Arbor for a simple shopping trip and that public transport is limited and unreliable, I can see the appeal. Though, it seems that there has to be a better way and I'm not sure adding more cars to the equation is really the best route. I'm sure the next solution will be more one way streets... it is the logical progression, for Ann Arbor.

*laugh* First we take all the one way streets out... then we put them all back in... then we take them out... then we put them back in....

...and you shouldn't forget trees! Apparently, according to a study done (was it last year?) on developing Ann Arbor, putting trees down the middle of the road 'calms' traffic. But wait! Calm traffic means more congestion! Pull 'em out!

They took out the one-way streets in Ann Arbor? All of them? ...and I was just getting a clue on how to navigate that city... Where I have I been to not hear about this? *laugh*

Yup - no one way streets. Apparently they cause global warming, Palestinian oppression, and Republicanism.