Dear World Friends (you will see why this opening in a minute),

 

As a least some of you know there is a rather interesting project going on
under the leadership of something called the National Journal in Washington,
DC, where they have created an expert blog in which they've invited a couple
dozen "transportation insiders" (in their words) in order to provide
counseling guidelines to be transportation team of the incoming Obama
administration.  You can see all about it at
http://transportation.nationaljournal.com.

 

The idea is that each week the editors are asking the expert panel to
respond to a question in the hope that some interesting ideas will appear
there and make their way into the discussions and considerations of the
incoming team at the Department of Transportation. The question that will be
posted over this weekend will be the following:

 

“What lessons can America learn from the rest of the world in terms of
transportation developments that are safe, efficient, cost-effective, and
sustainable?

 

“We Americans often think of ourselves as sitting at the very top of the
social, economic, technological, entertainment, and political pyramid.
After all, we invented human flight, the Super Bowl, the Interstate Highway,
the transcontinental railroad, and Rock ‘n’ Roll.  But perhaps we’re not as
advanced as we like to think.  Perhaps innovations in transportation, land
use, and energy consumption are much more evenly distributed around the
world than we ever thought possible.  Indeed, perhaps America is closer to
the middle or bottom of the pyramid when it comes to transportation
investments.  What lessons can America learn from the rest of the world in
terms of transportation developments that are safe, efficient,
cost-effective, and sustainable?”

 

Since they originally invited me to join this panel, I guess in part because
they think I have something to say from an international perspective, I have
had a bit of a role in getting this question onto the agenda.  As those of
you who know me can well imagine, I think I have something to say on this .
. . however I think I have an even better idea than that, so let me share it
with you.

 

Specifically, I would like to you the chance to respond to this question
terms of the following routine, if you agree:

 

1.     Please address one and only one idea or topic either to me privately
via [log in to unmask], or if you feel it will be of interest to
the group as a whole to the New Mobility Café at
[log in to unmask]  (if you do this, kindly conserve the above
Subject line).

 

2.     Kindly make your point in less than 250 words.

 

3.     Sign it in a succinct matter with your name, institutional
affiliation, country, and e-mail.

 

4.     Allow me to edit it on the understanding that I will not denature
your commentary.

 

While we don't have a lot of time for this, I for one will be extremely
interested to see what kind of compilation we can make of this if we put our
heads together.  I just have to think that it's going to be frightfully
interesting.  And I'm sure it will tell the reader almost as much about
ourselves as it does about the ideas we are addressing.  As far as I'm
concerned that's okay too.  After all the solo transportation is people.

 

Let's see what happens now.

 

Eric Britton

 

 

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