Is there anything more soul-sucking than the act of commuting to work? While that might sound a touch dramatic, the thought "there has to be a better way" has probably crossed just about every employed person's mind on their way to work (especially before coffee.) This is doubly true for the unfortunate ones stuck alone in a vehicle, sputtering bumper-to-bumper in a sea of exhaust and painfully reflective chrome.
Transportation Gut-Check
Is this what we actually how we want to live? Gridlock to the horizon or a maze of inefficient mass transit connections aren't the places that any of us dreamed of being as children. They don't increase productivity, or workforce morale, that's for sure. But seeing as this is where we stand, it's only right that we give it our best shot to do better for future generations.
Creating a New Vision
The reasons why transportation infrastructure in the US came to its present form are winding, localized, convoluted and (of course) debatable. Instead of dwelling on past failures, it's important to consider what infrastructure could and should look like in the future. Ultimately, don't we all desire a system that works for everybody?
Maybe we're long overdue for a Bill of Transportation Rights. So on that note, here are a few proposed ideas:
1. Ease of transportation should be a built-in advantage to living in a densely populated area.
2. Parking should not be the means OR the end, as it incentivizes inefficiency and turns green spaces and valuable real estate into concrete slab space-wasters.
3. Safety of all human bodies (including pedestrians, cyclists, and passengers) is the unquestionable first priority of infrastructure design. It has also proven to be easier to achieve than it sounds.
4. If it's not broke; maintain it. No more roads, bridges, and transit systems allowed to disintegrate over decades.
5. May the best technology win. Allow self-driving cars, Hyperloops, clean energy sources, and innovative roadway construction to have their moment. The faster we embrace our best ideas, the sooner we rise above our current weaknesses.
Do you have anything to add to our Transportation Bill of Rights? Tell us in the comments section below, and let's get this conversation going!
