Public Transportation as Simplicity

Jerome Segal, author of Graceful Simplicity, wrote, "The federal government built the American highway system. Without it we could not have developed into the automobile-dependent culture we have become. As a result of the abandonment of a genuine commitment to public transportation (for instance, the sort found in some European countries), we have vastly increased our need for income through our dependence on cars, and we have inflicted upon ourselves all the attendant destruction of our public space, be it in the form of air pollution or the aesthetic pollution of never-ending commercial strips along our pathways. We have transformed housing patterns and given rise to long commutes and the tension of traffic jams, road rage, and the risk of accident."

I'll admit, my desire for increased public transportation is largely selfish. I don't want to own a car. I want to be able to get to and from work, friends, etc. through a combination of biking and busing (or taking the subway or something else). And though I have a car now, I'd rather not have it - and I'd rather not have to replace it when I graduate and pass it back to my parents. Part of this is because I actually do not WANT to drive... though sometimes it seems easier.

But the advantage of increased public transportation, as Segal writes of in Graceful Simplicity, is that it lowers the cost of necessary aspects of living - transportation. Better public transportation is better, as well, for those who cannot afford to own any cars or even cannot afford more than one family car. So it's a social issue as well.

And it's not absurd to say that it is something the government can or should do. After all, we expect the government to maintain our streets that we have now - and to build new streets. That's infrastructure spending that favors those who can afford personal automobiles. Let's move toward infrastructure spending that favors all people. After all, wouldn't it be nice if you could read do some work or relax in any other way on your 20-minute commute to work rather than adding the stress of your day through interactions with traffic, running late, possible accidents, etc. Let someone else worry about that, as you take a relaxing trip to work on public transportation. Or if you walk or ride a bike - isn't it better that your daily workout also serves an external purpose of transportation rather than just working out to stay healthy?

There are so many advantages to public transportation or active transportation. And yet our public policy in the past has always chosen to favor personal, passive transportation. What will the future of U.S. public policy look like? What will the future public policy of your city or state look like? What will you ask of your elected officials?