Smarter thinking about transportation and growth will help lead us out of daily traffic jams, give us back some lost time, and yield a better quality of life. Communities could create a checklist of ways to improve livability. It does this by balancing roads with other forms of travel. It puts transit, sidewalks, crosswalks and bikeways in places where they are missing. It connects them to parks, schools, libraries, shops, services and places of work.
Good design softens the impact of concrete and asphalt.
Many communities are already involved in improving the means to get around. Hockessin, Middletown, Arden, Wilmington, New Castle, Newark and Odessa in Delaware, and Chesapeake City, Rising Sun, Perryville and Elkton in Maryland are working on designs to encourage walking and biking, mixed land uses, and promote a sense of community. All residents should take a look at the final draft of the plan as it will have some effect on everyone who lives and works in this region. Doubling bus service, expanding commuter rail, and adding trolley connections in Wilmington are other important links being added to the system. We have taken a quantum leap in merging transportation with sensible land use policies.