The flow of transportation affects our lives in a very big way and it is unacceptable to approach our traffic and road building dilemma the way we do. Too much time in linear thoughts has got us where we are today. Meanwhile more cars are being sold than ever before. If you would like to know what the end result will be go to Beijing or Shanghai and try to drive in the mess some time. Want to rent a car on vacation? You would be better off to ride a bike if you want to get anywhere fast? In the US there are surface streets are outrageous in many places as well. Yes many places in every state, yes even in wide-open scenic Montana, which use to have an unlimited freeway speed like the German Autobahn. In Missoula, MT they have an intersection called "Dysfunction Junction", which is an understatement. Although this is just one example, AAA puts out a list of the most dangerous roads in America with the most accidents. There are over 100 listed. Now most states have gridlock laws which make it against the law to block an intersection when the cross traffic has a green light. Downtown streets in metro areas across the country are in gridlock during rush hours. The traffic on the freeways near the center of towns all the way out to the suburbs is outrageous. Much to this is due to improper planning, even though the planners blame larger cars like SUVs. Cannot figure out why they did not plan for them, almost everyone has one. We must be honest with ourselves the traffic is getting worse. Every year we sell between 15 and 17 million new cars in the United States. Our population is swelling due to birth rates and immigration. As the economy expands we find more trucks on the road. We are putting all these additional vehicles on our freeways, toll ways and highways only adding a lane here and a lane there. It is broken and needs a fix. We need a comprehensive traffic modeling system to prevent grid lock. We need staggered work times. We need to move more freight and trucks at night. Think about it or wait in it? |
