According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, nearly three billion gallons of fuel were lost in congested traffic in the US in 2005. At $2.31/gallon, that's $6.7 billion that was lost while people's blood pressures were rising and the language uttered by the drivers deteriorated.
I don't know about where you live, but the traffic in Seattle has not gotten any better in the past four years. Gasoline now averages $2.80/gallon, which translates to another $1.5 billion in money lost during the daily commute.
Coupled with that loss of capital was the atmospheric gain of nearly 30 million tons of carbon dioxide. A greater expansion of public transit and a reorganization of where we live in relation to our work will drastically change this. An enterprising transit agency could probably leverage the new carbon markets to get further capital to expand their services.
What would be really great is a partnership between the aviation and locomotive industries to develop the high-speed rail corridors. If we could get the sub-600 mile flights out of the large airports and on to high speed rail (Boston to DC, San Fran to LA, etc.) we would open up our roads and our skies as people could now travel along the ground at over 200 mph. Shorter security lines, high-speed internet and the use of cell phones? A proper dining car and even sleeping bunks to get in a proper nap before your afternoon meeting?
Any takers?
