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The wide open spaces of Oklahoma's cities and towns mean that their residents are heavily reliant on cars to get around - part of the reason that Tulsa and Oklahoma rated last on Common Current's rating of US cities' readiness for high gas prices. Commuters find themselves carpooling and counting the gallons in ways they haven't since the 70s.
[Oklahoma City and Tulsa came in 39th and 40th in Common Current's ranking of the U.S.'s 40 largest cities' readiness for $4+ gas. Their residents are feeling that lack of preparedness now.
Rapidly ramping up public transportation is a possibility for mid-to-high density places. But low-density places like the small towns discussed below are more likely to be able to do as the woman in the article suggests: promote car-sharing and carpooling practices. Many cities have some services already, like Kansas City's RideShare service or Calgary's Carpool program. Carsharing services, like Zipcar or Philadelphia's Philly CarShare, can be promoted with city contracts or other incentives. Ridesharing systems may also crop up on their own, like the D.C. area's slugging phenomenon. Innovative local governments can certainly find ways to foster some combination of these efforts that will be appropriate for their location. '
This is an EXCERPT; read the whole article here. - Ed.]
by Lara Moscrip
"Cindy LaBeff, 46, drives 70 miles a day from the small town of McLoud to her job at a data processing center in Oklahoma City."
"LaBeff has been ridesharing for a week now, and she hopes to add two new members to her car. 'That way, it's just a dollar a gallon,' she said.
"LaBeff's family and friends in her 4,000-person town also have long commutes and high gas bills. She thinks something should be done.
"'If our governor or mayor would help set up carpooling, if they would push it better, then people would think about it,' she said. 'But there has been nothing.'"
"Common Current's [Warren] Karlenzig thinks public transportation is a benefit more and more people will come to appreciate.
"'It's a lifeline for all citizens now, not just lower income citizens,' he said."
Photo credit: Jason Bondy 
