Courtesy of the Transportationist comes this 4 minute time-lapse video of a cross-country road trip from San Francisco, CA to Washington, D.C.
The producers of the video used a time-lapse camera that took a photo once every 10 seconds over the course of this 3,052 mile route. As much as I may write about the virtues of rail and the importance of public transportation, there is still something undeniably romantic about the American road trip, especially of the cross-country variety.
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics the US had 4,032,126 miles of paved public roads as of 2007. However, of that, almost 3/4 of the mileage, 2,987,758 miles of it to be exact came in the form of rural mileage. I adore the fact that Americans can drive just about anywhere and see pretty much any part of this country just by hopping in their cars. However, the time has come to essentially stop building. How many more roads do we need? As of the 2000 Census, 79% of Americans lived in urban places. Those people need means to get from one urban area to another and out of the urban areas altogether. That said, we currently have the means to do it. Building more roads is only a burden down the line of maintaining them.
It is now time to focus our funds on urban areas and sustainable ways of moving people within metropolitan areas and from one area to another. The focus on building highways should rightfully come to an end. I too one day want to take the great American road trip and I want those roads maintained for longevity, but we do not need any more for that dream to be realized.
meltzerm
morangre
The Transit Pass 
September 15, 2009
Road Trip
Posted by meltzerm under Transportation Commentary | Tags: 2000 Census, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Cars, Highways, population density, Public Transportation, Road Mileage, Road Trip, Rural Roads, Transportationist, Urban Population, urban sprawl |1 Comment
Courtesy of the Transportationist comes this 4 minute time-lapse video of a cross-country road trip from San Francisco, CA to Washington, D.C.
The producers of the video used a time-lapse camera that took a photo once every 10 seconds over the course of this 3,052 mile route. As much as I may write about the virtues of rail and the importance of public transportation, there is still something undeniably romantic about the American road trip, especially of the cross-country variety.
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics the US had 4,032,126 miles of paved public roads as of 2007. However, of that, almost 3/4 of the mileage, 2,987,758 miles of it to be exact came in the form of rural mileage. I adore the fact that Americans can drive just about anywhere and see pretty much any part of this country just by hopping in their cars. However, the time has come to essentially stop building. How many more roads do we need? As of the 2000 Census, 79% of Americans lived in urban places. Those people need means to get from one urban area to another and out of the urban areas altogether. That said, we currently have the means to do it. Building more roads is only a burden down the line of maintaining them.
It is now time to focus our funds on urban areas and sustainable ways of moving people within metropolitan areas and from one area to another. The focus on building highways should rightfully come to an end. I too one day want to take the great American road trip and I want those roads maintained for longevity, but we do not need any more for that dream to be realized.