The United States’ car-focused transportation system is inequitable, expensive, and bad for the environment and public health. It is time for a new model—one that is more affordable, reduces heat-trapping emissions, is accessible to all people, and fosters strong, vibrant communities.
A Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) report released today outlines how decades of car-oriented policies promoted by the powerful auto, oil and road-building industries created the car dependency we have today and shows how that system, paid for by ordinary people, negatively impacts marginalized groups. The study also provides a vision for a transportation system that prioritizes options that better serve communities and keeps hard-earned money in people’s pockets.
“Investing in diverse transportation options is an environmental and moral imperative,” said Kevin Shen, lead author of the report and a policy analyst for the Clean Transportation Program at UCS. “It’s time for policymakers and community members to work together toward a more inclusive and sustainable transportation future.”
The layout of the United States today—with its suburban enclaves, strip malls, ever-creeping urban sprawl, and thousands of miles of crisscrossing roads and highways—is no accident. It was created by decades of federal, state and local policies prioritizing car-centric infrastructure.
“Cutting up communities with freeways has become a harmful addiction over the last 70 years,” said Kim Mitchell, co-author of the study and director of the Center for Community Renewal.
Those policies, while benefitting the oil, auto and road-building industries, have dearly cost the average person residing in the U.S. U.S. households spend an average of $17,000 a year, or a combined $2.2 trillion, on daily transportation—mostly to own, operate and maintain the cars they need to get to work, school and to buy necessities.
The high cost of car ownership and lack of other reliable transportation options exacerbates inequities in U.S. society, making it challenging for many individuals to maintain transportation needed to survive and thrive.
“The current transportation planning system works against the economic, social and environmental well-being of communities,” said Mitchell.
This issue can be particularly challenging for those living in rural areas, who often have no choice in transportation and must travel significant distances to meet their basic needs.
“As someone who grew up in a small town, I can speak from personal experience of the need of rural residents to travel long distances to meet their needs,” said Mike Christensen, report co-author and the executive director of the Utah Rail Passengers Association. “Unfortunately, providing transit solutions to meet the needs of these residents is typically overlooked by state departments of transportation.”
But it does not have to be that way. Transitioning to a clean transportation system would save people in the United States $201 billion in energy infrastructure costs, $128 billion in public health costs and $5.9 trillion in vehicle ownership costs through 2050.
“Transit serves as the foundation of our communities,” said Emmanuell De Barros, report co-author and the director of development and community engagement at Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE). “It’s time to invest in transportation that prioritizes moving people, not just vehicles.”