An unsustainable transportation system

It probably is impossible to come up with all the money necessary to maintain the road and highway system that has been built in the United States.

Randal O'Toole is associated with conservative think tanks and he is a fervent supporter of roads and automobile-centric transportation, and is a vehement opponent of transit.

The New York Times, in "Bridge Disaster Revives Question About Spending," quotes O'Toole and identifies him as an "transportation and engineering expert." (I guess I just need to write a book...)

"Too many American cities are spending far too much money on expensive rail transit projects, which are used for only 1 to 2 percent of local travel, and far too little on highway projects which are used for 95 to 99 percent of local travel," Randal O'Toole, a senior fellow with the Cato Institute, said in an e-mail interview.

He takes the bridge failure in Minnesota as an opportunity to rail against funding transit, making the point that the road system needs the money more.

The issue is the efficient movement of great numbers of people. Granted this requires compact development, and closer distances between home, work, and other destinations. In the places where that is effected, such as Washington, DC proper or Arlington County, Virginia, New York City, or Chicago, transit is far more efficient at moving large numbers of people quickly.

Also see "London bridge is falling down Nursery Rhyme: Lyrics, History and Origins."

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