For decades cars have been the primary method of personal transportation in cities. Owning a car is an element of American life that symbolizes freedom and independence. We cherish the personal power to travel when and wherever we please. In high traffic areas, however, cars cause danger, slowdowns, and noticeable pollution (both air and sound). These problems should be significantly reduced by decreasing the number of vehicles in a given city while maintaining the same number of people being transported. Imagine bigger vehicles that can hold at least a couple dozen people apiece. Have a driver that goes to everyone's destinations on a regular basis. Better yet, engineer the vehicles to use something else than fossil fuels. One obvious problem: people like the freedom and independence of owning and driving their own cars.
Cities like Chicago have made good progress employing buses and trains to improve the movement of people from place to place. Yet there are still traffic jams, vehicular collisions, and the ever-present stench of engine exhaust on the streets. Many technologies have been developed to diminish these issues. Using hybrid, electric, and hydrogen-fueled cars can effectively cut back pollution. Some devices dramatically increase the range of “walking distance”. Bicycles have long been an environmentally friendly and personally healthy option for getting from A to B. Modern computing power is sufficient to coordinate personal vehicles throughout a city, preventing collisions and ensuring accurate navigation. Having computers at the wheel might be the next transportation revolution. But will it happen? Will people ever relinquish their ownership for efficiency while in the city? Will urban transportation ever change, and if so, when?
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