The Changing Face of Transportation

by Abigail Knowles Wolfe (BPRW)

Whether you happen to drive a car, truck, SUV or one of the slew of newly minted “crossover” vehicles that have stormed the nation as of late, you’re still probably aware of fluctuating gas prices and that the days of paying 81 cents at the pump for a gallon are long gone. When gas prices go up Americans are in crisis, mainly because our culture at large, aside from a few key cities, is dependent on auto travel for transportation.

We mostly drive because there is no other reliable transportation source readily available to us. Sure taking the city bus is a fine means, yet how many transfers are required to get from point A to point B and how much time will it take to get to and from work every day? These are legitimate questions to ask.

According to the American Public Transportation Association, Americans of all backgrounds took 78 million more trips on public transportation during the first six months of 2007 as compared with previous years. According to these same statistics, public transport is accessed by individuals from all racial and economic backgrounds, 33% of which are African American passengers and 41% of which are Caucasian riders.

Could it be that driving a car is becoming more of a privilege than a right? International cities like London have begun charging the drivers of gas-guzzling vehicles triple the usual amount to drive into central London, around £25 or $49 a day while fuel efficient vehicles will be allowed access for free.

It will be interesting to see how this all develops and whether or not we can help one another cope with rising gas prices by carpooling and working together to get where we need to go.