Transport Times

The Sunday New York Times comes with its own Automobiles section. Nothing unusual about that. Many papers have one as a convenient way to cash in on whatever is left of the classifieds. Certified pre-owned BMWs anyone? The section also comes with a couple of articles, none worthy of a Pulitzer but many illuminating nonetheless. As of late, they have shown a preponderance of stories on hybrid and electric cars. That’s a clear sign of the times, and it’s all good. It’s also rather narrow-minded. Electric cars are much much better cars, but they are still cars. All the problems associated with the gunk coming out of tailpipes go away — and that’s a huge deal — but all the problems associated with driving in the first place stay — and that’s at least as big. Why not step back and look at what’s really important: getting from A to Z? Sometimes the best way of doing that is by car. Often it is not. The Automobiles section doesn’t allow for that possibility. Jill Abramson, where’s the Transport Times?