July 31, 2007 08:12 PM UTC

Alternate Modes of Transportation

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• by: EnvironmentColorado

As Colorado attempts to move to a more sustainable framework, diversification of the transportation network is a crucial factor. The negative implications of remaining dependent, almost exclusively, on vehicle travel have significant economic and environmental impacts. Creating viable, alternate modes of transportation is crucial to the economic stability and environmental vitality of the state.

Already strapped government budgets cannot fund the needed additions to highway capacity to keep traffic flowing efficiently. Even if there was enough money to build the needed capacity, the elasticity gained by new road capacity is lost in the long-run. Doubling the capacity of a road leads to a 73% increase in usage and eventually traffic congestion levels surpass the levels of congestion that were originally being addressed. Studies and experience have proven this result and illustrate that building our way out of traffic congestion is impossible and that adding highway capacity through expansion is unlikely to increase the overall efficiency of the transportation system.

Accommodating car travel by continuing to cover our land with roads and parking lots encourages the use of personal vehicles while degrading our environment. Run-off presents the highest threat to the maintenance of water quality while increasing vehicle use amplifies global warming pollution. Even with the lower emissions of new cars overall emissions are not reduced due to the large increase in vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Since building additional roads and parking lots creates greater amounts of pollution and degrades water and air quality, these costs need to be factored into the total costs of car travel.

Increasing the efficiency of our transportation system is best addressed by providing alternate modes of transit. When access to and the capacity of public transit is increased, fewer vehicles crowd roadways. In addition, tolls can be used to manage existing roadway capacity to maximize the overall carrying capacity of the system. These measures have the benefit of decreasing global warming emissions since less car travel is experienced. There is also less expansion of roadways and therefore water quality is not further degraded.

Diversification of the transportation system provides economic and environmental benefits. In the end, providing alternate modes of transportation will strengthen Colorado’s economy while at the same time addressing global warming issues. The economy will grow while emissions are reduced and Colorado’s quality of life will be maintained. Our dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil is reduced and a more sustainable framework of development is attained.