I was born and raised in the suburbs of Northern Virginia.  It’s a very beautiful place.  The yards in my current neighborhood (OK, well, I’m living in my parents’ house during law school) are large, there are plenty of trees, and it is quiet and far away from any major roads, so children can play on the streets without fear.

However, it takes me an hour and fifteen minutes to get to work.  Some people that live in this neighborhood spend even more time commuting.  Northern Virginia is also fairly spread out, so to drive to the store, or to a mall, a lot of time is spent in the car.

So is it worth it?  Is living in a pretty house with a nice yard and a car worth giving up 2+ hours a day commuting to work plus even more time driving to the grocery store, the mall, and the gas station instead of spending time with friends and family?  Is it worth being dependent on a machine that could break down at any point and leave you stranded?  Or being dependent upon a fuel that could increase in price significantly at any moment (see: now) and strain your budget?

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Proposed Transportation Solutions

The world needs to answer a serious question. How can the problems of resource depletion, congestion, and environmental degradation be addressed without sacrificing the benefits of mobility? No doubt, this question is a global one. These three problems exist across the planet.

Nevertheless, it is important for developed nations to lead the way. There have been a number of policies enacted within Europe intended to address these problems, however, in the United States, national action has been lethargic. For global progress to be made, the US must step forward and take leadership on this issue by exploring various sustainable transportation policies.

There have been many proposals for solutions to these transportation problems. Each of these has various costs and benefits, and some are more politically feasible than others. The following is a consideration of the details, benefits, costs, and shortcomings of a number of policies that could be enacted within the United States.

1. Raise the CAFE Standards

Background Information

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The Three Major Transportation Problems

The current state of transportation in the US has three major problematic characteristics. For one, it relies on crude oil, a resource that is being rapidly depleted. Secondly, increased per capita driving is causing massive congestion problems in major cities and the suburbs. Finally, transportation is causing serious environmental degradation.

A. Resource Depletion

The world is running out of crude oil, also known as petroleum. Crude oil is one of the most important commodities in the world economy. Today, it is being consumed at a rapid and increasing rate. At the same time, it is in finite supply, and projected to run out within the next 30-65 years.[1] Currently, no feasible alternative fuel has been developed in its place. Therefore, the world has a resource depletion problem.

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Canals to Cars: History of the Transportation Problem

To improve the current system of transportation in the United States, it is important to identify how this system came to be and why it is important. During the 18^th and early 19^th centuries, the US had a humble, slow, and expensive transportation system, yet it would evolve rapidly over time.[1] Much of the evolution of transportation was a result of three key factors: the necessity of a fast and affordable means of transportation, increasing per capita income, and the proliferation of the automobile.

Continental transportation was a great burden to the US shipping industry in the 18^th and early 19^th century. It suffered from three serious problems: slow speed, high costs, and irregular service.[2] This had serious commercial ramifications. For instance, shipping perishables was often impossible, and shipping goods over long distances infrequently occurred due to high transportation costs. Furthermore, because the United States economy was focused on international trade, internal transportation improvements, such as building and maintaining roads, were ignored.[3]

Ed Note: This is a guest article, written by JJ.

First off, let me say that I love Sheryl Crow. She’s easily one of my all-time favorite artists. She’s a brilliant musician and a fantastic songwriter. Having said that, I really hope she sticks to music from now on.

By now, I’m sure you’ve all heard about the “Sheryl Crow toilet paper” story that began circulating a couple of weeks ago. The story involves a recent blog entry posted by Ms. Crow herself, in which she submits her assertion that we can all be a part of the global warming solution by reducing the number of squares of toilet paper we use to one square per person, per lavatory visit. She also goes on to suggest that people should no longer use napkins. You can read her blog here.

Initially, people took Sheryl’s comments quite literally. And she instantly became the punch line for every joke told on late night television for a solid week.

Now it seems as though the joke is on us.