Auto-dependence should be a concern for all Americans

American conservatives have come to be associated with support for auto-centric transportation decisions, but David Schaengold argues in Public Discourse that public transportation should be supported by all Americans. Schaengold points out that our current reliance on the automobile has little to do with the “free market”, but more to do with policy biases such as: More regulatory obstacles for transit projects when compared to highwaysMore federal funding for highway funding, and a higher local match required for transit projectsZoning requirements that separate land uses, making development unwalkable and not conducive to transit Schaengold says that this diminishes a core conservative value – the loss of community. Gone are the small businesses, gone are the opportunities for small-scale entrepreneurship, and gone are the kind of informal interpersonal links that social conservatives say they desire. Read the full article here.