Transportation
Transportation is a multi-faceted term used to describe the human activities of "getting to work", "getting groceries", "going out for entertainment", "traveling for business", and "traveling for recreation". Addressing the issue sensibly requires that the proper context be established. If the problem being discussed is that of "getting to work" and the symptom observed is the "rush hour congestion on a freeway" then it makes sense to talk about freeways and alternatives. Such a discussion will however have little relevance to the problems of shopping and the maintenance of a family.
It is to be naturally assumed in all discussions of transportation that current dominating mode of transportation is that of the personal automobile (just count TV ads if there is any doubt about this). It should also be noted that in many places, the basics of life cannot be practicably obtained without access to an automobile.
The costs of owning and maintaining one or more automobiles per family constitutes one of the largest parts of the family budget. In addition to the monetary cost of automobile ownership, there are other impacts on the society as a result of the prevalance of automobile. Noise and pollution are two obvious costs. Death, personal injury and property damage are other costs. Dehumanization and objectification of other drivers and the consequential loss of civility might also be seen as negatives. What are the positives? Apparently we live in a society where personal convenience and mobility is valued above all other things (might TV ads really be working?).
The remedy for relieving traffic congestion to and from our metropolitan cities has long been to build more and wider roads. This strategy is beginning to reach its end in some regions with no more space to build or widen roads. What has happened to Los Angeles is spreading to other cities.
Part of the problem is that cars are starting to plateau on their speed to safety ratio. The ceiling of 75 MPH is not likely to be increased, nor is it wise to do so as the safety problems will no doubt increase as well.
Additional speed outweighing convenience will be the only way to pry Americans from their cars. Amtrak has long been criticized as an unprofitable venture while America spends literally trillions on roads and highways. Infrastructure profitability is not simply a direct return on investment, but support for entire economy. Rebuilding America's rail structure will reduce pressures on our existing highway system by providing a clean, fast alternative. Commuter rail planned for Utah tops out at 70 MPH. Although it will be used, it's obsolete on the day it opens due to the use of existing Union Pacific rail lines.
For rail to offload our highways and be successful, it needs to start at 200 MPH. There are existing rail technologies such as what is used by the French TGV which we can use today. More expensive technologies such as "maglev" are surpassing 400 MPH.
Ubiquitous fast rail is key to the future of America and rural revitalization.
