We missed Dump the Pump Day

They take their cars and gas prices seriously south of the border, but transit systems across the US took part in a national Dump The Pump Day yesterday. The day is “dedicated to raising awareness that public transit is the quickest way to beat high gas prices.”

I’ve noticed recently that environmental and transit advocacy organizations have changed their outreach tactics by appealing to the public’s bottom line and away from a “save the earth” message. And in the States, the outreach includes playing on national security concerns: by taking transit, you lesson America’s demand for Persian Gulf oil. Whatever it takes to convince people to get out of their cars is worth trying.

Also, it would be nice to see something like this in Canada. But this may not be the best week to start a conversation about a national public transit love-in day.