Most Americans have no choice but to drive. How do we change that?
We produced this video in 2020 as part of our US election coverage. The rest of those videos are at youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ8cMiYb3G5eKjlXtsOo6SDi2ZvcHQ69q
In the middle of the 20th century, the US government made a decision that would transform American cities: It built a huge system of interstate highways, many of which went right through the downtowns of its biggest cities.
This sealed the country's fate as a car culture, and today we're seeing the results. In most cities, it's extremely difficult to get around without a car, in part due to public transit systems built to serve an outdated commute. And when our politics turn to infrastructure, the government often favors building new roads and highways instead of improving and expanding public transportation.
The result is a system that forces more Americans to drive, at the expense of those who rely on public transit. It's also the biggest contr...