By: Owen Fugit

Editor-in-Chief

Driving is difficult to learn, stressful, and costly. However, we choose driving over every other conceivable method of transport in the US. From big cities to small towns, the US was built on the back of the auto industry. This is an issue. The US is the epitome of freedom around the world, but our choices for how we get from point A to point B are limited to one or two options in most cases. This creates issues for Americans, no matter who they are, because driving everywhere can make life worse. It makes us lonely and isolated, it is costly and takes up too much space, and it is downright ugly. If our nation is free, then there should be nothing stopping us from choosing a more diverse transportation portfolio for the future. It is not a question of money, but a question of interests.

Today, as more and more Americans realize that driving is not the best way to get places, the support for public transit is increasing, but at a very mild pace. However, public transit is not the only fix. In 2010, 70 percent of all trips Americans took were less than one mile and completed by driving to the destination. This contrasts with Europe, where 70 percent of all trips Europeans took were completed by walking. We can look at Santana Row, which is a pedestrian-oriented area. This local outdoor mall boasts a thriving downtown, overflowing with shops, restaurants, and live music, all within walking distance from the apartments right on top of the shops. This vibrant community is a shining example of what happens when we diverge from car-centric infrastructure and make cities that are built for people, not machines. Many major cities in Europe have robust metro systems that carry hundreds of thousands of people across the city every day. Think of the London Underground, which is famous for being the first-ever city metro system, or the Paris metro with 320 stations that can take passengers from Disneyland, Paris to the Eiffel Tower. The US has metros, but they are horribly underfunded and underserviced, like the New York metro, which famously lost 690 million dollars in 2022 to fare evasion. The blame rests on us as citizens for not lobbying for better access to public transit and more walkable cities.

In theory, having cars as a method of transportation sounds beneficial; everyone takes themselves where they need to go when they need to go there. It is supposed to save money that would be spent on public transport. Despite this belief, cars are heavy and damage roads over time, as per Forbes. Roads are expensive and take up massive amounts of space that could otherwise be used for parks or downtown commerce areas. There are one billion parking spaces in the US alone; spaces that could otherwise be used for parks, sidewalks, or buildings. We need to step up and start saying no to car-centric infrastructure. If we can spend 17.5 billion dollars on an aircraft carrier, it is safe to say that we can spend that much, if not more, on public transportation and infrastructure.

(Sources: Bloomberg, CNET, Common Edge, Commonwealth Times, Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Forbes, Habitat for Humanity, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, New York Post, Pew Research Center, US News, Vox, Yale Climate Connections, Council on Foreign Relations)