Reply to comment

Americas tend to be very individualistic and sometimes do not seem to realize that collectively they are harming their own environment through,  for example, increased automobile use. Recently, some state governments have begun to recognize the problem of automobile pollution and have slowly encouraged alternative means of transportation. Washington D.C. where I live has some of the worst traffic congestion, but also one of the best public transportation systems for the central city. The subway system saves one from driving in traffic, looking for parking, is cheap, runs frequently etc., and helps the environment. No system is perfect and even the best system has its problems.

            These systems are expensive to build and not all municipalities can afford them. Some places that actually have a fairly workable transportation system (eg. Septa) under utilize it due to expense, cleanliness, dangerousness, etc. Jurisdictions could cut back on automobiles in other ways. Taxis are useful because many people get transportation from fewer cars since they share them. They could also offer incentives. For example, instead of HOV2 lanes, how about an HOV>2 lane?  Perhaps society should slow down and not be in a rush all the time. If we weren’t in such a dash to get places, people would better utilize the transportation systems already available.