Globally, we are facing many difficult situations: economic crisis, instability in the Middle East, and environmental problems.  All of these issues will impact our lives in some way and the overall implications are significant.

In the United States, recent events have caused many to re-think their consumption of resources.  Due to high gas prices in the summer, many Americans made drastic changes in their driving habits. Although media reports suggested that the number of people using mass transit systems surged this summer due to high gas prices, very few people that I knew of felt compelled to solve the issue by using mass transit.

In discussing the issue with friends and family, several issues became apparent.  The reality was that the many people considered the recent gas crisis to be a temporary economic setback and nothing more. They cited the gas crisis in the 1970's as their reference point for holding these views.  Chris relayed, "I remember how long the lines were back then and how you could only buy gas on certain days. Still, the situation eventually went back to normal."  Most Americans did not feel compelled to seek out long term solutions to the energy problem back then, just as the overwhelming majority of Americans do not feel compelled to seek out such solutions today.

Using Mass Transit Makes Environmental and Economic Sense

Not all people were easily duped or short sighted. S Black writes, "We need to look for more environmentally sound ways to fuel our world. It's not only our budgets that we need to worry about, but what we are doing to our planet. We need to be looking for other renewable options."   While filling up my car this summer, the man at the pump across from me audibly gasped when he saw how much it cost to fill up his SUV.  He wistfully concluded, "Maybe if we'd learned our lessons from the crisis during the 1970's and begun to work on other energy sources back then, we wouldn't be in this trouble today."   I wonder if he's made any real changes in his life as a result of his moment of epiphany?

Using mass transit would help to reduce the environmental impact of pollution, carbon emissions, and global warming.  It would also help to reduce our dependency upon Middle Eastern oil supplies, and might reduce the need for drilling to find new oil reserves.  This would conceivably make the economic impact of rising gas and oil prices less traumatic in the long run, because we wouldn't be so dependent upon those products!

As recently as 2005, statistics show that only 4.7% of Americans used mass transit.  An astounding 77% of Americans preferred to drive alone.  About 10% of Americans sought out carpooling as an option.   I wondered why the number of Americans using mass transit was so small.  I also wondered if mass transit issues were uniquely American issues, or if these issues were faced by people across the globe. 

There Are Obstacles That Must Be Overcome

To find out, I interviewed people from across the globe and found out that issues with mass transit are global.  Some countries seem to do a better job with the concept, but overall, there seem to be six factors that limit people's ability and willingness to use mass transit. These factors seem to transcend national boundaries. They are: limited access to mass transit or lack of a mass transit system to use, negative stereotypes about mass transportation, myths about technology, independence issues, learning curve laziness, and apathy.  Some of the factors are logistical and others are more subjective. In this series, we'll take a look at each of the 6 factors that I found and examine them.  Are they valid "excuses"?  What can be done to overcome these obstacles?

Initially, most people I interviewed for this article relayed that their town or city had no mass transit available.  Some people admitted that although they had access to a mass transit system, it was of no real use because they couldn't get to their jobs using the system. This meant that they had to use their car to get around.  In America, urban sprawl is a relatively new concept which has existed for about 3 generations.  After WWII, many people moved out of the city in search of the "good life".  The mass exodus was possible by the fact that Americans had access to affordable cars which could serve as their main form of transportation. 

It seems that little thought or planning went into the development process. Besides, there was no government program or money for the rural communities to pay for mass transit systems to combat the effects of urban sprawl in these small communities.  As journalist Elisabeth Rosenthal points out, "Urban sprawl and cars are the chicken and egg of the environmental debate. Cars make it easier for people to live and shop outside the center city. As traffic increases, governments build more roads, encouraging people to buy more cars and move yet farther away. 

Kat, who lives in a small community in New Mexico laments about her lack of access to public transportation and explains why she commutes to a job a far distance from her home. " I tried, I tried. There was no bus available, no train available, and no carpool riders available. Some communities just don't value the concept of mass transit, and unless many of us call out for change, none will come. I am looking for a job closer to home that offers health insurance.  I haven't been able to find one which is why I drive so far. But, I have purchased a car that gets over 35 mpg.  Believe me, if mass transit was available, I would use it."

In the United States, Congress recently created a billion dollar bailout package for the "Big 3" auto makers who were hoovering on the verge of bankruptcy.  General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford argued in Congressional hearings that if their businesses went under, this would create great hardship and further turmoil in the American economy.  Bailout weary taxpayers saw this bid in a negative light and were eager to share their views with me.  One woman I interviewed for this story questioned, "When does the taxpayer get their bailout package?" 

Other taxpayers were more thoughtful about the issue.  John explained to me, "One has to wonder how all of a sudden these 3 found themselves in dire financial straits.  I don't believe that it hasn't been coming for a while.  They have to ask themselves if they are really creating a product that consumers really want.  Honestly, with how expensive gas is, and the fact that food costs and other costs are rising, you'd think that the big 3 would be producing more compact vehicles which don't cost so much but get good gas mileage. Instead, the produce large vehicles that's MP3 compatible.  It's a joke."

Environmental activists from CCAN (Chesapeake Climate Action Network) organized their own protest in December in an effort to get Congress and the American public to think about these very issues.  Susanna notes wryly, "These are the same automakers who have heavily lobbied Congress against high gas mileage standards and who have sued California, Maryland and many other states that have passed clean car legislation requiring more efficient, less polluting vehicles."  Despite the protests from taxpayers and environmentalists alike, Congress chose "patch" the problem instead of looking for long term solutions to our economic and environmental issues.  Instead of using billions of dollars to create infrastructure for mass transit systems across the country (which could also create jobs for unemployed Americans), they chose to spend money to try to "fix" the situation.

Europe is also dealing with a transportation crisis of its own.  Elisabeth Rosenthal notes, " In Europe alone, 6,200 miles of motorways were built from 1990 to 2003 and 7,500 more are planned. Government enthusiasm for spending on public transportation, which is costly and takes years to build, generally lags far behind."

Rebecca and Emmet O'Connell are from Ireland and moved out to the suburbs mostly due to the unaffordable prices of homes in the city.  They worry about the fact that they have little choice but to drive a car.  They also feel they have little choice. "Believe me - if there was an alternative we would use it," said Ms. O'Connell, 40, a textile designer. "We care about the environment. It's just hard to follow through here." Ms. O'Connell says that no trains run from the city to the new suburbs where hundreds of thousands of people, just like her,  now live.  The few buses that travel out to the suburbs overflow with people and one can wait up to several hours until there is a vacant space on the bus.  Because of this, mostly everyone drives.

Some countries do have excellent and efficient mass transit systems.  When I visited France in 2004 with friends, I was amazed at the clean, efficient mass transit system in Paris.  The cost of a ticket was also remarkably affordable!  Because of this, people were able to easily commute between the countryside and the city.   One night, after visiting with friends outside the city, I took the last train back at 1:15 am in the morning.  Even at that hour, the stations were well staffed, and the train was on time.  For most of our trip, were able to use the transit system to travel around, instead of our rental car.  The bus system was also very clean, safe, and efficient.  It was common to see school children traveling alone on their way to school in the morning.

Heert, a Belgium student, spoke about the efficiency of the Belgium mass transit system.  Heert is 18, the age when most American teens are saving to buy their first car.  He says he feels no need to purchase a car because he can mostly go anywhere he needs to go using the transit system.  On the rare occasion that he is unable to take a train or bus to a destination, h e can simply call a cab.  Still, he admits that even with an accessible and inexpensive mass transit system, some Belgium citizens don't use the transit system and elect instead to buy cars and sit in traffic.

The Obstacles Can Be Overcome

What can be done to encourage the development of effective mass transit infrastructures which would reduce the impact of pollution on the environment, reduce our consumption of natural resources, and save taxpayers time and money?  Several things I believe. 

Firstly, governments need to take a pro-active stance and look at the energy crisis as a long term issue instead of spending money on short term "fixes".  Basically, money needs to be spent on creating mass transit systems.  This won't be a quick fix and it won't be inexpensive, but it can be done.  The key to getting the funding is to advocate for the issues with your local government representatives.  Be polite, but firm, and continue to advocate!  Remember to discuss the positive aspects of creating a mass transit system: the creation of jobs, the benefit to the local economy, and the benefit to the environment.

Secondly, the public needs to be informed about the benefits of mass transit.  Everyday, I am exposed to advertising campaigns. I see commercials on television and I can read billboards along the roadside.  Because of these campaigns, advertisers hope that I will buy their product or change my behavior. I see advertising campaigns geared towards educating and informing people about various subjects with the hopes of encouraging healthy behaviors.  There are campaigns which discuss the drawbacks of drug use, smoking, and pollution.  Recently, I've seen billboards which extol the virtues of public education!  However, I see a small minority of campaigns which are geared towards educating people about the benefits of using mass transit.

One such award winning ad campaign has begun in my local area.  The campaign is geared towards encouraging motorists to carpool and use the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes that are in our area.  You can see the one campaign commercial here.

Small Changes Can Have A Big Impact

Will these efforts have any effect on the problems we face? Experts say yes, but it will take a considerable amount of time and money to see a real positive progress on these issues. However, we as citizens and environmental activists need to take this challenge seriously.  Instead of waiting for the government to act, we need to think about ways in which we can reduce our personal consumption of resources.  Start small and work your way up from there. If you drive to work everyday, perhaps you might consider taking the bus one day a week or using the train. If you work close to wear you live, you can consider walking or using a bicycle on certain days. Perhaps you can start a carpool with some of your co-workers if no buses or trains are available.  If you can't do any of these things, can you shop on the way home from work to minimize your gas consumption?  If everyone would take the initiative to lower their consumption or resources, the changes in our lives and our environment would be astounding I'm sure.

In the next installment on the mass transit series, we'll discuss technological myths and look at solutions to overcoming that obstacle.

Related Reading:
More Americans Ready To Switch To Public Transport
Redesigning Urban Transport

Image Credits:
Atli Haroarson
Hamedog
Liberal Democrats