A Vision of America’s Transportation Future

This chapter describes how great interest exists in the future of transportation in the United States. Growing population, record freight movements, safety concerns, and burgeoning demands for increased mobility for people and goods all motivate a desire for change, improvement, and a more effective national transportation system. If the Unites States continues on its current course, the future is predictable; further grown in congestion, tragic mortality and injury levels, and inability to compete in the global marketplace. If industry leaders and public policy makers could influence transportation’s future, what then would it look like? Would consumers have choices in transportation decisions? Would investments reflect sound business practice? And perhaps most important, would transportation become a transparent element of our existence and not the current drain it is on the quality of life? Virtually every man, woman, and child is affected by transportation systems at the national, state, and local levels on a daily basis. Whether commuting to work on a freeway or light rail, going to school on a bus, or traveling around town on errands, transportation is always present in our lives. Some would argue that a person confined to a retirement home might not depend on transportation because they never venture beyond the confines of the care facility. However, on the other hand an argument can be made that the cost of the person’s food, prescriptions, or their ability to go to a physician for healthcare are all influenced by the effectiveness and efficiency of the transportation system. This chapter considers some large-scale factors affecting transportation and presents a vision for the future of transportation in the United States.