Mass Transportation: The Need to Increase and Improve Individualized Mass Transit (Part 2)

Mass Transportation: The Need to Increase and Improve Individualized Mass Transit

Part 2

How Do We Improve Mass Transit

To improve our infrastructure in the United States, we must consider alternative forms of mass transportation while better utilizing the alternatives we have. We should focus on three areas: ports and waterways, high-speed rail systems, and Rapid Urban Flexible. To improve or establish these areas, we must devise ways to increase funding and, more importantly, invest both private and public funds in our transportation system, something we currently are not doing.

For moving large amounts of goods, we need to move toward ports, waterway, and high speed railways. Ships are slower than current modes of transit but are able to contain much more and cost considerably less. By upgrading our port system, we will be better able to utilize our nation’s vast waterways and more quickly move large amounts of goods from ships and barges to high speed rails cars. To connect the ports and waterways with factories and the third phase of the transit plan RUF, we need to replace our railroads and freight trucks with high speed railways bent on transporting goods and people from place to place. High speed railways are faster than freight trucks and more energy efficient. Under this system, they can also be easily connected to join RUF when nearing major cities.

Rapid Urban Flexible (www.ruf.dk) inclusion focus’s on the individual commuter and would replace the current interstate highway system we have now that is slow moving, congested, too bulky, environmentally unfriendly, energy inefficient, and aesthetically disheartening. RUF was developed by Denmark scientist Palle R. Jensen in an effort to combine the best of both the railway and the automobile. Under RUF, only local roads remain in tact. The highways are replaced with automated high-speed rails that allow for coupling of automobiles, nonstop traffic flow ranging from 20 to 30 mph at intersection to 70 to 90 mph in the city to 120 to 150 mph between cities. The cars, rufs as they are known, are dual mode, able to operate on both roads and on high-speed rails. When on the rails, they are fully automated allowing the driver to type in where he or she wants to go and then being able to sit back and relax, take a nap, or use the high-speed internet to do research for an assignment therefore providing better customer service. With the system being fully automated, consumer productivity will increase as they are able to focus on other things while traveling and not waste time driving or standing in line at a subway station. Also, unlike other mass transit systems, RUF runs on the individual’s schedule, not some train or subway schedule, departing whenever the consumer is ready.

To improve our transportation system, we must be willing to invest in our future, not continually patch up the present as we have been. The estimated cost of RUF to fully implement nationally is somewhere around $1.2 Trillion. This may seem expensive but the U.S. currently spends around $50 Billion a year federally plus what the states pay to improve and expand our interstate highway system meaning in 25 years, we can pay to fully implement RUF if we put the money in the right place. Also, moving goods off highways and onto waterways and railways while also replacing the highway system with RUF will greatly reduce automobile accidents which cost the U.S. economy more than $240 Billion annually. Short-term methods of paying for high-speed railways and port improvement could be to charge a user fee based on distance traveled value of merchandise, and size, a fee companies should be willing to pay in exchange for cheaper and faster transport of their goods in the long term and short term.

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Transportation and Logisticsare the arteries and veins of America. We don't need blood clots. Kick the butter.