Before we even get near the potential solutions related to the transportation problem, we have to look at the myriad problems related to transportation in the United States.

Right now, the most common ways people travel in the United States for long distances continues to be by airplane and car. Even short distance traveled in the United States continues to be dominated by personal vehicles rather than rapid mass transit.

Partly, this is due to “rapid” being left out of the “mass transit” that is present in small and large cities. It’s difficult to have people believe in investments in the infrastructure necessary for new rail lines and more bus routes before there is a large enough mass of people willing to take advantage. But in the meantime, people feel compelled to use their personal cars, SUVs, and other means to get where they’re going, whether recreation or work on time, because it otherwise feels like rolling the dice on arriving promptly.

Flying on a plane is not much different. Flying is almost always coupled with long delays, cancellations, and at the very least, long waits as one meanders through ticket lines, security lines, baggage lines, loading lines, and then when you’re on the plane, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be on your way anytime soon (if at all). In short, flying can be the ultimate travel pain.

So why is it so popular? According to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, U.S. cost of flight delays is $41 Billion per year! According to the article, that figure includes:

$19 billion in extra operating costs for the airlines, $12 billion in costs to passengers from reduced productivity and lost business and leisure opportunities, and almost $10 billion in indirect costs, particularly to food and lodging industries that rely on air traffic.

This is a problem that politicians seem to think throwing more money at a higher number of air traffic controllers will fix. As air traffic increases, the chances of mistakes causing loss of life goes up, and we know all too well that terrorists target flights as possible hostage situations and have used the large vehicles as flying missiles, as they did on 9/11. The risks are too great to keep relying so heavily on flight for travel.

The cost of gasoline has gone up so much that it is at least helping people to see that rapid transit makes better financial sense. At the very least, Americans are becoming much more open to the idea of trading larger vehicles for cars with comparatively better gas mileage in the face of gas prices approaching $4 per gallon.

But in the interest of improving our national envirohuman impact as well as becoming more productive and leading the world to a more sustainable future, potential solutions are out there and it is the combination of solutions that will give strength to the potential, this looming problem needs a multi-faceted resolution.

Coming up soon: solution proposals!

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