Think Big: Transportation Overhaul Would Save Money, Create Jobs, Cut Pollution, Burn Less Oil - DK

[WillyT]

Think Big: Transportation overhaul would save money, create jobs, cut pollution, burn less oil
by Meteor Blades for Daily Kos
SUN JUN 19, 2011 AT 08:00 AM PDT

<snip>

America’s infrastructure suffers from decades of reckless neglect, what bureaucrats and policymakers conceal behind the euphemism of “deferred maintenance.” Decrepit describes the consequences. Myopic describes the attitude. This affects many realms—our public schools, our public health system, our electrical transmission grid and, despite how deeply we Americans treasure personal mobility, our transportation system.

This crumbling of infrastructure has been met over the years with a certain amount of cognitive dissonance. Even though all the infrastructure in the aforementioned areas is crucial to a thriving existence in the modern age, it has been treated as if it doesn’t really matter, insubstantially patched up or simply left to rot. That's been as much the case with transportation as elsewhere.
Occasionally, as happened in 2007 just a few miles from where Netroots Nation is just finishing its sixth annual convention, a bridge will fall down, a few people will die or be maimed, and everyone will ask what could have gone wrong. In this particular case, it was the inevitable result of having 75,000 U.S. bridges in the “structurally deficient” category. The problem is everywhere. In California cars are a sacred birthright, yet the state contains seven of the 20 U.S. cities with the worst major roads and highways.


Interstate 35 bridge over the Mississippi River
in Minneapolis collapsed in August 2007.
(Photo by Kevin Rofidal, United States Coast Guard)

But our transportation infrastructure is not merely plagued with antique equipment and battered pavement. Shaky old ideas predominate as well. In spite of the obvious purpose of transportation—connecting human beings, goods and services—we have allowed inefficiency, gridlock, lethal pollution and fiscal insustainability to rule the day.

According to one study, the average commuter was delayed a total of 34 hours in traffic in 2009, one full week of work. Inflation-adjusted congestion costs rose from $24 billion in 1982 to $115 billion in 2009. Wasted fuel from congestion hit 3.9 billion gallons—equal to 130 days of flow in the Alaska Pipeline. About half of Americans have no alternative to travel by automobile and no reasonable access to public transit. Like our roads and bridges, that public transit has been subjected to decades of deferred maintenance that would take $77 billion just bring into good working order.

<snip>

More: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/19/984608/-Think-Big:-Transportation-overhaul-would-save-money,-create-jobs,-cut-pollution,-burn-less-oil?via=blog_1

:kick:

[jwirr]

1. Now just to figure out how to finance it without congress.

[OneGrassRoot]

2. Transportation/infrastructure is the one thing ...

for which I can't imagine a citizens' cooperative approach.

I can envision community- and worker-owned co-ops for nearly every industry. While healthcare should be nationalized, imho, I can envision local healthcare co-ops filling the void until we achieve that goal. Education is another system that should stay nationalized, but I can imagine local community co-ops in this regard as well if we must take things into our own hands.

But transportation and infrastructure are so intrinsically connected across the country...obviously...that I can't wrap my head around an alternative way of getting this done without government involvement.

It's maddening, because this is what we so desperately need, not only for jobs and to spur the economy, but for our very safety.

:(

[FreakinDJ]

4. Opposed to Privately Financed Toll Roads

which are coming

Transportation for the Rich - fuck the rest

[theophilus]

3. Unfortunately, saving money, creating jobs, cutting pollution, and burning

less oil does not seem to even make the priority list of a working majority of our elected officials. Oh, well.

[amborin]

5. totally agree

(just wish $$$$ was not being squandered on CA's "train to nowhere")

[nashville_brook]

6. k and r