These days you wouldn't call Michael Cameron an auto enthusiast. He encourages people to get out of their cars and walk, bike, share rides, or use new forms of transit. When the 1968 Chevrolet Camaro needed new brakes or a water pump, he did the work himself. Although still a car owner, Cameron frequently bikes five miles to work at EDF's California office, where he develops travel alternatives for the future. Exhaust from cars and trucks causes the most local air pollution and is a major source of greenhouse gases.
Roads often bring sprawling development that shrinks wildlife habitats and open space.
EDF's Transportation program aims to make getting around more efficient and less damaging to the environment. This bold experiment with incentive pricing has proven popular with motorists and motivates many to share rides. EDF is also pressing the California legislature to apply variable pricing to the Bay Bridge, which connects San Francisco and Oakland. Public opinion polls and newspapers in the Bay area support EDF's proposal. Suburban sprawl results from decades of hidden subsidies that have encouraged dependence on the automobile, driven up local taxes, and reduced equitable access to jobs.