Dear Friend,Thank you
for reading this week's edition
of "The Fisher Rx." Today, we're
talking about the changing needs
of transportation. I look
forward to hearing from you on
this issue and others that are
important to you. Please take
the opportunity to forward this
email to others by clicking the
"Forward Email" link at the
bottom of this email. Doing so
will help us make the 12th
District the best place to live
in America. I welcome your vote,
your financial support, and your
comments.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ada M. Fisher
 |
|
|
|
|
"The Prescription"
- Dr. Fisher's
Solution
Making
Transportation
Accessible,
Affordable and Less
Hectic
NASCAR deals with
the racing industry;
The Spencer Train
Museum reflects much
of the golden era of
mass transportation;
however terrorism's
peril means that
mass transportation
needs reexamination
at all levels.
Every county or
large city should
consider
transportation hubs
to allow mass
screening of
luggage, baggage,
etc. Why can't the
inter-state bus
station and train
depot be located at
one place with a
police substation
there? As it now
stands, the
Greyhound and old
Trailway stations
are too often run
down, appear unsafe,
and are hangouts for
some who are
perceived as
threatening. This
would improve public
safety, allow
screening of
travelers, and
create a
mini-business center
for eateries, small
shops and other
local fare--an
entrepreneur’s
haven.
The plight of
elderly drivers,
those with
disabilities which
limit mobility and
others who can be
placed in social
isolation by their
inability to get
around has not made
the radar of the
national agenda. As
the number of people
past 55 increases,
the number needing
to drive will remain
high even though
they may not be
physically or
mentally competent
to continue at the
wheel. This imposed
social isolation is
an overwhelming
social challenge for
the next decades.
Killeen, TX has an
Elderly
Transportation
Program, the Red
Cross and others
similarly offer
transportation
assistance, bike
trails are cropping
up, and sidewalks
are now being
refurbished with a
lip to accommodate
wheel chairs.
EcoVehicle.com
offers a low speed
vehicle with large
lights and great
adaptability for
speeds of under
40mph (see picture
above). Such
vehicles should be
considered as second
cars for restricted
communities, small
cities, and rural
areas. I am honored
to serve on the
Board of Advisors
for EcoVehicle.com.
|
|
|
We'd love to hear from you.
Please share your concerns and tell
us how your elected officals can
better serve your needs and
interest. Also, please take the time
to forward this email to your
friends, family, neighbors and
co-workers by clicking the "Forward
Email" link at the bottom of this
email. In order to bring about the
change we need in the 12th District,
it's going to take all of us getting
the word out to "Get a Doctor in the
House!"
Sincerely,
Dr. Ada M. Fisher, MD
|
Listening to the
debate about light
rail in Charlotte, I
reflected with
admiration on my
time in Chicago
where one can get
anywhere on time at
a bargain rate via
public
transportation
whether bus, el
train, or subway but
not motorcar. In
trying to get up and
down Interstate 85,
one must be
impressed that the
more highway lanes
built, the greater
the congestion has
become. As one
person said, we must
build our
transportation
system with an eye
to the future, not
just the convenience
of the few. The
increasing cost of
energy may force
people back to
cities where streets
are already crowded
and parking spaces
become hard to find
as well as
unreasonably
unaffordable.
Furthermore,
population
demographics are
producing a problem
for the elderly who
can't go as fast as
they used to and are
driving past times
when they are fit.
Sixty is catching up
with or has passed
more of us than we
care to admit. With
age also come more
limitations on
mobility than we
care to share. The
fact is that, as we
age, the body cannot
do what it used to,
despite all the
social planners
who'd like us to
believe otherwise.