The pandemic has reaffirmed a lesson that should have been taught by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack: the importance of having a resilient society that can withstand all kinds of unexpected events. The most resilient form of transportation we have, which works through hurricanes and wildfires, pandemics and recessions, and all sorts of other stresses, is motor vehicles and highways.
This makes it all the more distressing that in Colorado’s largest metropolitan area, the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) wants to cancel planned highway expansions for fear they would lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions. Partly for the same reason, the city of Denver is turning roadway lanes now open to all vehicles into exclusive bus or bike lanes. Fifty years of experience shows that such policies do more harm than good to both the economy and the environment.
Fifty years ago, American cars were gas guzzlers that darkened urban skies with pollution and killed 55,000 people a year in accidents. Federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responded by ordering auto manufacturers to make cars cleaner, safer, and more fuel-efficient.
See the full article by Randal O’Toole, September 23, 2022