American highway development and improvement should be prioritized to ensure capitalist autonomy and rural/suburban economic prosperity
The "North Loop", a growing suburb of Minneapolis. Suburbs like this have been characteristic of the United States for decades. (Source: startribune.com)
Recently, there has been talk of taking federal funds away from highway transportation and putting it towards public transportation. However, this would be a complete disservice to suburban and rural America. One ideal has guided this country through its entire existence: freedom. Therefore, it is no surprise that Americans have sought out the automobile, which is the mode of transportation that would give them the most sovereignty and control over their mobility. With a personal car, commuters do not have to coordinate their schedule to match a system, and they don’t have to wait for their publicly-funded chariot to arrive. Americans drive an average of 22,000 miles per year, compared to a Canadian’s 15,000, Brit’s 11,000, and Japanese’s 7,000 (grist.org), proving that despite the growth in public transportation, both here and abroad, Americans still have an affinity towards their own vehicles . There seems to be no end to this in sight, as the five largest public transportation networks in the USA saw a decrease in ridership, with most people opting for their own private vehicle. This is further evidenced in that despite spending over 10 hours per week behind the wheel, less than 3/10 Americans have considered trading in their keys for a subway card. Automobiles are so etched into American culture that many of the US’s most iconic motifs, from minivans in suburban driveways to floats in a homecoming parade, have the automobile at the forefront. In short, Americans love their cars, and without them, the American culture and economy could come tumbling down. Therefore, we must prioritize the funding of our highway systems to improve our infrastructure through the construction of new roads, and the revitalization of old ones.
To begin, home prices have quadrupled since 1950. This has caused more people, particularly millennials, to move further from downtown to offset rising home prices. By being further from the central business district, lower-income individuals and families are being forced to travel longer distances to their downtown jobs. However, not everyone is going downtown for work. As noted in the chart below, suburbs are seeing the highest amount of job growth in the United States on a year-to-year basis. With more jobs and cheaper homes, our regional road systems will be in demand. It is imperative we meet this demand with quality roads.
To begin, home prices have quadrupled since 1950. This has caused more people, particularly millennials, to move further from downtown to offset rising home prices. By being further from the central business district, lower-income individuals and families are being forced to travel longer distances to their downtown jobs. However, not everyone is going downtown for work. As noted in the chart below, suburbs are seeing the highest amount of job growth in the United States on a year-to-year basis. With more jobs and cheaper homes, our regional road systems will be in demand. It is imperative we meet this demand with quality roads.
Source: BLS QCEW, via @JedKolko on Twitter
It should also be noted that the National Highway System (NHS) significantly contributes to the economy. According to the Federal Highway Administration, for every $1 Billion spent on the federal highway system, over 42,000 jobs are created, with over 8,000 of them being direct and sustained. Further, interstate highways significantly help with transcontinental shipping. This not only helps distribute resources and goods across the vast nation, but it also helps bring money to rural areas by bringing their goods into bigger markets. By increasing the quality of American roads, we can continue to rely on the economic output these roads already provide, but also open the door for more investment and opportunity down the road, particularly for rural America. While public transportation might be advantageous for regional economies, the federal highway system has the potential to take that growth and make it national.
While the gut reaction is to invest in newer and larger highway systems, in order to save money, money should also be allocated to improving existing roadways. The 2017 Infrastructure Report Card gave the USA a D+, and it cites that “one out of every five miles of highway pavement is in poor condition”. This shows us that while new roads in growing areas are a necessity, an opportunity to save money exists in simply improving the infrastructure that we already have. Considering that 56% of poor people in the country’s 100 largest metropolitan areas live in the suburbs, when money is allocated towards expensive transit lines over highways as the way to improve American mobility, those who ultimately are hurt are the suburban poor who can’t afford a pricey metro pass. Given the influx of low-income families moving into the suburbs, prioritizing the revitalization of our road system is an ethical duty to ensure all the ability of achieving the American Dream.
With falling gas prices and the price of a new car expected to stop rising, the future's looking bright for the suburban quest for upward mobility. But, the only thing delaying their travels is American infrastructure and road conditions. The past and future of America are in the suburbs; creating bus and train lines that will only be of economic merit to those who already have the freedom to choose their method of transportation will only widen our wealth gap and further constrain our lower and middle classes.
The United States was able to become the world’s super power during the height of the suburban movement … Why change a system that is not broken?
While the gut reaction is to invest in newer and larger highway systems, in order to save money, money should also be allocated to improving existing roadways. The 2017 Infrastructure Report Card gave the USA a D+, and it cites that “one out of every five miles of highway pavement is in poor condition”. This shows us that while new roads in growing areas are a necessity, an opportunity to save money exists in simply improving the infrastructure that we already have. Considering that 56% of poor people in the country’s 100 largest metropolitan areas live in the suburbs, when money is allocated towards expensive transit lines over highways as the way to improve American mobility, those who ultimately are hurt are the suburban poor who can’t afford a pricey metro pass. Given the influx of low-income families moving into the suburbs, prioritizing the revitalization of our road system is an ethical duty to ensure all the ability of achieving the American Dream.
With falling gas prices and the price of a new car expected to stop rising, the future's looking bright for the suburban quest for upward mobility. But, the only thing delaying their travels is American infrastructure and road conditions. The past and future of America are in the suburbs; creating bus and train lines that will only be of economic merit to those who already have the freedom to choose their method of transportation will only widen our wealth gap and further constrain our lower and middle classes.
The United States was able to become the world’s super power during the height of the suburban movement … Why change a system that is not broken?