The Future Of U.S. Ground Transportation

Anthony Down's complete testimony makes for fascinating reading. One excerpt: "How likely is America to resolve the many problems with its future ground transportation? ... Regarding traffic congestion, I do not believe there is any such thing as a solution or a remedy that will stop congestion from getting worse. We can and probably should built moreroads to accommodate new growth areas, and better repair the roads we already have. We should also develop more effective means of public transit. But the desires of the Americanpublic for low-density living served by private transport and the immense flexibility it provideswill not be diverted into any huge shift into mass transit. Moreover, all the added public transitwe build will not really reduce future traffic congestion much, as our experience to date soclearly demonstrates. Some of the worst traffic congestion in the nation occurs in those MSAsbest served by large-scale public transit systems, such as those in New York, San Francisco, andBoston."