John Hickenlooper's vision for Colorado in urban areas (and maybe beyond?) is for people to bike, walk and ride mass transit.
The occasional car, of course, is needed to transport Denver Mayor Hickenlooper around the state to enlighten the rest of us.
In a video recently posted by Adobe Airstream, an online culture magazine, Hickenlooper discussed sustainability, urban planning and Denver's new bike sharing program.
"How do we begin thinking about people moving on bicycles and walking and taking light rail or buses?" said Hickenlooper. "We have the largest bike-sharing program in the United States, right? Almost 500 bicycles, 45 stations. And the whole notion is that people can get off light rail. They can get onto a bike. They can do the last hundred yards. It doesn't cost them anything. You know, this is, you know, how do we wean ourselves off automobiles?" (Emphasis WSYS)
And how is Hickenlooper campaigning for governor across the state? By stagecoach?
We've already seen how Hickenlooper's eco-vision translates into policy with FasTracks, the Denver metro region's mass transit project reportedly facing a $2.4 billion shortfall.
In the documentary Sprawling from Grace, Hickenlooper described the promise of transit-oriented development around light-rail stops. "So that you'd have the maximum opportunity for people to get what they want without having to get in a car," he said.
In 2009, Hickenlooper said said it would be "insane not to be spending tens and tens of billions a year" to combat climate change. "But I'm a moderate."
With moderates like this who needs extremists?