The road ahead of America's car culture
By James Tong Sep. 25, 2024
Since the launch of the Model T Ford in 1908, over 15 million personal automobiles were brought onto American roads in only two decades. As cars transitioned away from being an exclusive luxury, road systems expanded to the new growing industry. America's transportation is driven by its car-centric culture, but there is a changing inclination toward developing a prominent public transit system. Despite the downsides to our car-centric culture, the infrastructure it has shaped for America remains suited to our dynamic daily lives.
In 1982, car manufacturing provided the most job opportunities for Americans and automobiles had become the center of American consumerism. Prior to the introduction of mass-produced cars in the U.S., trains were the primary long-distance transport method and cities were designed to be easy to navigate by foot. Although Ford's mass production innovations were a major factor in car-centric culture, General Motors systematically bought public rail transportation options and removed them to increase the market for the automotive industry which directly led to more paved roads.
The widespread preference for personal vehicles ultimately fueled the automotive industry in America and began the transformation of its infrastructure to accommodate for the influx of automobiles. The convenience of personal vehicles influenced Americans to move out of cities and assisted in connecting rural areas.
Suburban neighborhoods developed as a result of car culture—it allowed people to live in low density residential areas while being able to get to work in cities. Rural areas, especially in the Midwest, benefit greatly from owning personal cars. As such, owning personal vehicles provides the freedom needed to keep up with the pace of daily errands in these large, spread-out communities.
"Although I've never used public transportation because I've heard it to be unsanitary and slow, it is effective at accommodating those who may not be able to drive," Sophomore Nathan Varshavsky said.
Conversely, a car-oriented infrastructure has its obvious drawbacks: traffic congestion, urban sprawl, ineffective land use and massively increased greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, the U.S. car infrastructure has also harmed underrepresented communities in the form of highways. In the mid 1900's during segregation, highway developments were sometimes purposefully routed through minority communities and used as racial zoning. The U.S. should invest in moving these highways away from residential neighborhoods and revamp city road networks to solve both community separation complications and traffic.
Granted that the car culture results in high emissions, the U.S. economy is heavily dependent on gasoline. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, automobiles were classified as the top four exports and the top two imports of the U.S. in 2022. If America switches against individual transportation, not only would the economy be majorly impacted—as both the automobile and petroleum industries are cornerstone to the American economy—but over 4 million Americans will also lose their jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Furthermore, the replacement of roads and implementation of rail is not feasible at this scale. Unlike the transit that is widely used in European countries, the U.S. is much larger and has widespread rural areas. Infrastructure in smaller countries cannot simply be magnified to fit in the complex U.S. transportation networks.
"I use my car every day to get to my swim practices and to work so I never need to take public transit. However, my grandmother lives downtown, so she often takes the light rail when she visits because it is convenient for her," Junior Leonardo Yousefpor said.
The infrastructure the car-centric culture has shaped for America remains suited to our fast-paced daily lives. While emission rates are undesirable, the U.S. economy is heavily dependent on the automobile and petroleum industries and a switch towards a public transit oriented society is impractical not only economically but also logistically. Moreover, the implementation of public transportation is unrealistic at this immense scale as it is used everyday for almost every American. For these reasons, the U.S. should instead invest in road systems and improving traffic rather than trying to promote public transit against an already extensive car culture.
About the Contributors
James Tong
staff writer
James Tong is a writer for the school journalism. He enjoys collaborating with others and this is his first year in journalism. His hobbies include swimming, biking, hanging out with friends and listening to music.
Lyn Kang
art director
Lyn Kang is a Senior at Leland High School and the art director. She love to draw digital illustrations and this is third year in journalism. She likes to watch sport game and hang out with her best friends.
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