by Dennis Cerrotti
If anything, the results of the recent election tell us that the public has decided that it is time to take firm and decisive actions to solve the nation’s energy crisis and stop global warming. It has become obvious that the matter has been neglected far too long, and that denial of the problem is no longer possible. A new day is dawning wherein we can seize the opportunity to solve the problem and radically improve the world we live in.
We already have the technology and manufacturing infrastructure needed to rapidly produce vast fleets of energy efficient electric cars. In addition we also have the basic infrastructure in place to expand trains, subways, buses, planes, ferries and other modes of mass transportation. Everyone knows mass transit is far cleaner and cheaper than automobiles. Of course, the real question is whether people will actually use the energy efficient cars and high speed trains after they’re built.
We will use them if it makes sense. But it doesn’t make sense today to hop aboard the train in most circumstances. I live in Boston and know the region well. Boston is much better off than most cities in the U.S. in the area of mass transit resources. But anyone who lives here knows that if you want to take a train, driving through downtown traffic to South Station or North Station and parking a car in the lot for ten to twenty dollars an hour is not an option for most people. It costs too much. It takes too long. The schedules are inconvenient. It’s too long a walk from area parking lots to the station. The list goes on. But the problems really mount when you step off the train at the other end, and have to find local mass transit, an expensive rental car cabs or uber to get around. These inconveniences are the main reason why we insist upon our antiquated and inefficient systems, and will continue to use them until these basic infrastructure and access problems are solved.
The first one is easy. In order to expand mass transit, there needs to be a new interface between road, bus and rail. That means several things, including new transportation terminals at the perimeters of major cities where roads, rail and bus lines intersect. These new terminals would feature massive parking garages, modern automated loading and unloading systems, along with a host of other technological innovations to increase efficiencies. The fact is that from the beginning of the 20th century, rail lines and highways have been on parallel courses. As railroads diminished in popularity and usage, they became primarily a secondary option useful for those who have easy access and limited travel itineraries. Today, they serve a relatively small slice of the population. That can rapidly change if new transportation hubs with adequate parking and speedy access can be created.
The second is more difficult to impliment, but it will go a long way to making travel cheaper, easier and faster. We can move to a new concept I call ‘system leasing’. This may sound a bit nebulous, but it is simple. Instead of buying your car, you would lease your car. But along with leasing your car, you would also lease other components of the system, subways trains, buses, planes, etc., depending upon your particular needs and desires. And, at the end of the line, if a car for local driving is needed, a lease vehicle is provided through the system with your luggage automatically loaded and the venhicle left at a convenient access point. What could be simpler? Lessors would pay for only what they use, and would have ready access to a seamless web of energy efficient and comfortable transporation, along with the private needs served by a personal auto. Never again would a traveler end up stranded at the end of the tracks.
All of this can be accomplished by policy makers bringing together the auto industry, mass transit officials, highway departments and others to create this new, highly integrated transportation system based on system leasing. The fact is that we don’t have a real transportation system now because the parts operate independently from the whole, and that is why its doesn’t work well for most people. Its expensive, wasteful and inefficient. If this government had provided the planning and oversight need to create a unified transportation system, it could have prevented some of the excesses that have led to the current crisis. But its not too late for changes. In fact, there couldn’t be a more opportune time!
All of this can be accomplished by policy makers bringing together the auto industry, mass transit officials, highway departments and others to create this new, highly integrated transportation system based on system leasing. The fact is that we don’t have a real transportation system now because the parts operate independently from the whole, and that is why its doesn’t work well for most people. Its expensive, wasteful and inefficient. If this government had provided the planning and oversight need to create a unified transportation system, it could have prevented some of the excesses that have led to the current crisis. But its not too late for changes. In fact, there couldn’t be a more opportune time! Shifting to system leasing is an important key to solving the crisis.
It is time for the government to take leadership and do what should already have been done – bring order out of the chaos. The fact is that competition between the various transportation system components have resulted in a haphazard, inefficient, unprofitable and uncertain situation for all. We need a transportation system that works great! We can have it, and it will cost less.