Open Letter to Rick Cole

Dear Mr. Rick Cole,

It was a honor meeting you at last year’s LA CoMotion and hearing you speak about Santa Monica’s efforts in new-mobility and public transit.

I want to briefly express my deep concern over Santa Monica’s unsettling actions regarding scooters and new-mobility.

I understand that the city must be under tremendous pressure from some constituents, since these new forms of transportation are new and can sometimes seem disruptive.

But in the age of climate change, car crash deaths, and oil wars, I along with thousands in my generation who will inherent an almost alien planet due to lack of vision from our leaders, implore you to take a bold stance on this issue.

Naomi Klein has written brilliantly about how the right exploits crisis to enact their agenda. From trillion dollar wars to immigration scare tactics to environmental deregulation, the right uses the Shock Doctrine again and again to destroy our planet and enrich themselves.

Well, the world is in crisis now. Scooters and global warming are the shock. And LA is the epicenter of a car and oil addicted world.

The world is watching and it’s up to you to decide whether or not you wish to use this shock to do good, to help your children and grandchildren and the rest of humanity. It’s up to you to decide whether or not to give in to knee-jerk reactions of a small vocal minority’s who don’t understand why micro-mobility is so crucial to health, safety, climate change,  and urban livability, and instead take a stand, be an-explainer in chief, and welcome scooters with the appropriate enthusiasm (and infrastructure) that is required if our civilization is to last.

And if such a valiant stand threatens a reelection, as it did for the brave Australian politicians who passed gun control legislation, which prevented hundreds of subsequent deaths, it would have been worth it and history will remember you for your vision and bravery in helping us fight global warming, decreasing needless car crash deaths, and making our cities more pleasant and rich places to live.

Give our kids a place to breath and move.

And give our planet a fighting chance.

Sincerely,

Terenig Topjian
Concerned Angeleno
Founder, Have A Go

P.S. Wise words from Bettina Getchell

I would give anything for the downsides of private automobile use to be subjected to half the scrutiny that scooters & uber get. https://t.co/IMw0fMEiQu

— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) August 11, 2018