Our present system of roads and automobiles, although perhaps not apparent to some modern auto lovers, and contrary to what we are led to believe, was never brought to us by the desires or input of the American public. Our present condition of publicly-subsidized sprawl was brought to us by corporate interests—auto, petrochemical, roadbuilding, trucking and numerous others including the US military.

Before the mass production of the automobile, public transit was readily available by train or streetcar. In his book The Geography of Nowhere, James Howard Kunstler tells how the auto industry promoted the use of buses to replace streetcars. At that time, industry wanted to build buses and have the public pay for roads, without which, the auto and related industries would not grow. With public funding for competing modes of travel, streetcars and trains lost both passengers and freight. Columbus’ streetcar system was bought by the Ford Motor Company and dismantled. This circumstance was replicated across the US.

Petroleum engineers and other experts around the world have been warning that worldwide extraction of oil is at or very near its maximum, will level off and within a very few years will begin a rapid decline, like the second half of a bell curve. This is referred to as “Peak Oil”, and the reduced oil supply will change every aspect of modern life. Efficiency will be the order of the day, using as little fossil energy as possible to accomplish the necessities of life. It is imperative that we being now to plan for a low fossil energy society. To wait invites disastrous consequences. Moving freight long-distances on the rail uses far less energy than by truck. Moving people by public transit is far more efficient than moving individual vehicles. If we have good public transit in place, the effects of oil depletion on our mobility will be far less severe. It takes time and planning to get a system in place. COTA is that mechanism in Central Ohio. Be sure to get out and vote for the COTA levy! Thank you!