Living Locally
by Ron Miller
Transportation Study Group Gets to Work
Last month the Charlotte Sustainable Living Network (CSLN) hosted a public forum to discuss Charlotte’s transportation needs and to explore ways to travel around the Burlington area more efficiently. Twenty people attended, including interested citizens, Planning Commission members and regional planning experts who helped us understand the bigger picture. We had a lively meeting where many sensible and creative ideas were proposed.
This group and members of the CSLN who have expressed interest in transportation issues are now pursuing these ideas through an e-mail discussion group and occasional focused meetings. We welcome participation by all Charlotte citizens. E-mail me at holistic@gmavt.net or call me at 425-5153 to join the discussion.
We have identified several tasks that can be addressed immediately. We will look into posting a link to a ride-share site on the town website and will begin planning one or more “ride the bus” days to encourage commuters to try the existing CCTA service from Charlotte to Burlington. In May there will be a statewide program to raise awareness about transportation options, called “Way to Go Week.” See waytogovt.org for information about this ambitious effort to cut out half a million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.
Over the longer term, the transportation study group will prepare a town-wide survey to determine the specific needs and desires of Charlotte residents and will explore various ideas that might address them. We hope to consider everything from expanded bus routes to a new local van service, from trains to walking trails. If you have a particular interest in any aspect of local transportation, please join us!
With fuel prices soaring, sustainable transportation is rapidly becoming an important issue throughout the country. Communities are exploring all sorts of creative alternatives to the ingrained American habit of getting around in single-passenger autos.
Our neighboring town of Hinesburg has recently engaged in a planning process similar to what we’re starting now, and we will learn as much as we can from itsexperience.
On the subject of fossil fuel, Richard Heinberg, one of the leading experts on the phenomenon of peak oil, will be speaking in Montpelier on April 24. His books, lectures and commentaries in several documentary films have made him the Paul Revere of the coming oil crisis. For information about his talk, along with other programs addressing this issue, visit vtpeakoil.net/calendar.

The Charlotte Sustainable Living Network continues to run monthly programs, free and open to the public, focusing on various aspects of developing a locally self-reliant economy. The next event will be a talk by ecologist Amy Seidl, author of Early Spring and Associate Director of the experimental Teal Farm in Huntington, on Tuesday, April 15, at 7 p.m. at the Charlotte Senior Center.