Transportation

Transportation is one of the most crucial problems for the United States.  Although getting into our cars to get to work or to running errands doesn’t seem harmful at the time, we increasingly add CO2 to the environment and cause health and environmental issues to people and Mother Nature. Below are some negative and positive to read and take in.

Negative facts to consider:
To feed our appetite for the freedom of a car, we use more than 100 billion gallons of gasoline each year. If that fuel were stored in a tank the size of a football field, the walls would have to be nearly 50 miles high. (Energy Information Administration)

Every gallon of gasoline burned releases 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, making the transportation sector responsible for about a quarter of overall US carbon dioxide emissions. (Fueleconomy.gov)

27 percent of total vehicle miles traveled by Americans are to and from work, which amounts to 734 billion miles each year. (Fueleconomy.gov).

Nine billion gallons of fuel are wasted in traffic each year - 800 times the amount of oil spilled by Exxon Valdez.  (The Association for Commuter Transportation)

30,000 commuters can get to work on a single subway train, which would require 10 additional highway lanes if the same individuals chose to drive to work. (Green your.com)

In North American cities, roads and parking lots account between 30 to 60% of the total surface (ITDP)

According to the WHO, each year road traffic injuries take away lives of 1.2 million men, women, and children around the globe and injure many more. (ITDP)

Nearly half (46%) of the U.S. population lives in counties that have poor air quality. (ITDP)