A suitable read in lieu of the tube strikes.  Forcing us to take new routes permits us to see with different lenses.  The tube lines are an operating system that we have taken for granted.  Like many of our cherished tech gadgets, we only take real notice of them when they stop working.  What Daniel Pink brings to the mainstream in Drive, is the work of leading  behavioural economists like Edward Deci who’s experiments demonstrate that when money is used as a reward, it can actually mitigate a person’s motivation to continue working on a project over time.

In the case of the tube strikes, upgrading the system as a long-term sustainable solution will not solve the problem.  Appeasing and incentivising TFL staff beyond financial remuneration (might we appeal to one’s sense of civic duty?) may be essential – but is only part of a massive system failure.  We could ease the pressure, by further rewarding and encouraging telecommuting and cycling to work.   In the USA alone nearly 15 million people telecommute every day, and in urban hubs like San Francisco the biking culture makes critical mass on the roads, a welcomed every day routine.