Yes, the car is seductive. I don't think people, if the whole cost-benefit equation were laid out for them to see, would vote for the balance we have now.
Wouldn't you love to have a classy, modern, high-speed train system connecting the cities of the east coast corridor? Modern technology has shrunk these distances. I think you would be willing to pay for it too, if the real costs and benefits were clear, the economies of scale of a truly popular mass-transit system were clear, and the $25 billion a year of your tax money spent on endlessly proliferating highways were reduced correspondingly, as part of a long-term rational vision.
As for me, I'd much rather pay someone else to drive the train or the bus, and sit back and relax and read. I view long-distance driving as a monotonous chore.
By the way, it's gotta be trains--planes are inherently much more expensive. There is something uniquely efficient about trains, and uniquely appealing aesthetically and environmentally about the rail, don't you think? |
