Taxpayers' hard-earned money should be spent intelligently and efficiently. Dangerous, pollution-clogged traffic jams should not dominate our way of life. Unless we tackle our transportation problems, these goals are a lost cause. Washington residents drove almost 50 billion miles in 1993. This pollution causes health problems and harms trees and crops.
Cars are major contributors to global warming, urban sprawl, water pollution, and oil spills.
Traffic accidents kill around 40,000 people in the U. S. each year and seriously injure 500,000 more. Excessive driving erodes community life. It consumes public spaces and makes city streets generally unpleasant places to be. Funds spent on cars and roads could be used for parks, housing, and other needs. Excessive driving hurts the economy.