A national group has just issued a press release stating what Starts & Fits has known for years: New York City is the best place to live in case oil gets more expensive. In the words of CNNMoney:
New Yorkers may complain endlessly about the city’s public transportation system, but the network of subways and train lines may be the city’s saving grace in the case of an oil crisis.
Despite the efforts of people planning the new Yankee Stadium, we’re less automobile dependent than any other city in the nation, including Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia. Woo-hoo! And here is some good thoughts from the Mayor of third-ranked San Francisco:
Public transportation is a key element in city planning, and it is critical in this time of global warming and volatile petroleum availability that we work to make our transit options not dependent solely on fossil fuel. By putting transit first, we’re helping San Francisco and the Bay Area maintain a livable and strong economy. Residents spend less on gas, which is often processed from foreign oil, so more money stays in the local economy. And as a side benefit, by taking public transit we are able to reduce our contribution to the emissions that cause global warming.
– Ten U.S. Cities Best Prepared for Oil [SustainLane]
- Best cities for an oil crisis [CNNMoney.com]
- Yankee Stadium Rail Station ‘Not in the Cards’ [S&F]
…if you have a gun.
that would be true, except for the fact that almost all of our consumable goods are brought here by truck.
have you noticed that most food prices have increased sharply all over the city? the main cause seems to be increasing transportation costs!
While NYC is better positioned from a people transportation perspective, it severely lacks a good freight rail or a Manhattan freight port. Because of this, 90% of goods for purchase in Manhattan must come over the GW or East River Bridges by truck. That’s why we need a good freight rail link across the harbor and through one of the Hudson River tunnels. And we probably need to restore a manhattan port or pier for freight as well.
And lack of local food a sort of a major weak link in the chain.
The other problem is that NYC’s tax base is heavily dependent on the stock/real estate markets, which would suffer in a sustained $100 oil market.
Can we survive $100 oil? Yes. Will we fare better than the rest of the country? Yes. Will it be pretty? No Way.