Anyone in this groups wants a dinosaur?
How can anyone deny the obvious? WE HAVE A MAJOR TRANSPORTATION CRISIS
and WE NEED TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES. The dinosaur must evolve...
Transportation Crisis
The United States of America finds itself in a major transportation
crisis. The serious decline of all forms of transport, evident even
before September 11, has now become acutely obvious. A smooth running,
efficient transportation system is the life-blood of any strong
economy. It is especially needed now to respond to citizen's safety
and economic concerns, to speed the recovery of America, and to set
the country up for a prosperous future.
Presently, the bulk of all passenger transportation in America takes
place in airplanes and automobiles. Both of these systems continually
experience serious problems and safety issues. Most importantly, both
systems have reached their maximum capacity to effectively and
efficiently move the masses. The nation must now develop an
alternative transportation system embracing issues of safety, economic
stability, national security, and environmental sustainability. The
building of an extensive high-speed train network addresses these
important issues, and is the best solution to our current and future
transportation problems.
Recent events have demonstrated the fundamental weaknesses in the
aviation business, while automobile driving has proven increasingly
problematic. Neither form of transportation offers a long-term
solution to our growing problems. Our nation's aging road systems are
already overloaded, and therefore physically unable to pick up the
slack left by the airlines. Huge investments, totaling hundreds of
billions of dollars, are needed to shore up these ailing
transportation systems to prevent further collapse. Many thousands of
miles of roads and hundreds of bridges are in serious disrepair, and
in need of replacement. Additional investments (also in the hundreds
of billions of dollars) are needed to expand the roads and airports to
meet current and future demand. Both forms of transportation have
proven unable to meet today's demands without long delays and
congestion, and even with increased investment, it's doubtful these
systems will be able to meet future transportation demands. With so
many people permanently seeking alternative methods of travel, the
future of the entire airline industry is in question. A recent article
in Fortune magazine confirms the industry's unlikely survival. In a
review of the industry's 2001 financial performance before the
September 11th disaster, "the industry had already lost $2.5 billion
and was on track to lose $3.5 billion, its worst performance since
1992. Now the losses will be truly staggering: between $10 billion and
$11 billion. "With heavy debt, rapidly increasing expenses, and very
low operating margins, the reduction in paying customers will force
most, if not all airlines into bankruptcy." Flying is no longer an
economically feasible way of moving large numbers of people safely and
efficiently.
Our road system is in a similar crisis. Congestion has reached such a
serious state that basic mobility is in question as thousands of miles
of traffic jams spread across America daily. According to a recent US
News story, congestion has been rising at an alarming rate: "Since
1982, while the U.S. population has grown nearly 20 percent, the time
Americans spend in traffic has jumped an amazing 236 percent."
Additionally, our roads are extremely dangerous as over 42,000 people
die every year in car accidents – more than 12 times the number killed
in the recent terrorist disaster. A recent study published in the
journal Science says that auto pollution kills even more people than
car accidents. The Futurist ran a story recently that points out how
motor vehicle exhaust is the fastest growing contributor to climate
change. "Motor vehicles accounted for 58% of carbon emissions from
transportation in 1990, but their contribution grew to 73% by 1997."
The prospect of making our roads safe, and ever building enough of
them to solve the growing congestion problem seems unlikely due to the
extreme costs. The amount of physical and environmental damage
additional roads and airports would create make both forms of
transportation an undesirable, unsustainable solution.
As unlimited investment in airplane and auto travel is unlikely to
solve the present transportation challenge, there is a better
alternative.
WHY TRAINS ARE THE SOLUTION
Investing in a nationwide, high-speed train system solves many
problems at the same time. A new train system provides the best
solution for improving mobility, stimulating the economy, reducing
dependence on foreign oil, saving lives, and cleaning up the
environment. A high-speed train network will free up huge bottlenecks
in our transportation systems, encourage travel and commerce of all
forms, and would create thousands of jobs with one of the largest
public works construction projects in American history. A nationwide
train system will solve the problems facing both the airline and
automobile industries at the same time. Furthermore, it will cost a
great deal less than fixing either industry. A new train network will
significantly increase mobility in a safe, clean, fast, and efficient
way. This will make it easy and pleasurable to travel nationwide in a
seamless system of fast and sleek trains.
A new train system promotes many different goals for improving
society. Trains are the most effective way to encourage smart growth,
urban revitalization, and the creation of livable, walkable
communities. Trains greatly reduce congestion and air pollution, while
saving lives and preventing injuries. They are a sustainable form of
transportation that strengthens and stabilizes our economy, can help
break our dependence on foreign oil, and stem the transfer of our
countries' wealth to the increasingly unstable Middle East. A high
quality train system is a long-term, community-building investment
that benefits many. It is the smart transportation solution for our
society today, and well into the future. High-speed trains are a major
form of daily transportation all across Europe, many of them making a
profit for their operators, while providing safe, moderately priced
transportation for the public.
http://www.newtrains.org/pages/354050/index.htm
