TABLE OF CONTENTS The problems associated with automobiles have been reviewed at great length in numerous publications. [38] It is almost a separate major branch of journalism and book publishing in the United States, and nothing has escaped the various investigators. The material has appeared in the popular media and in penetrating philosophical and technical analyses. The latter, however, are read primarily by a self-selected group of advocates and academicians who are already converted. The mass market is continuously inundated by material that accepts the automobile as a matter of course, explores the advantages of new models, and describes automobile-based lifestyles as normal and desirable, without thinking too much about the impacts.
The fact that Americans know what societal and environmental consequences are being generated by motor vehicles does not mean that members of the public will change their behavior voluntarily if their own convenience and preferred lifestyle are affected. (Such recognition, however, may make corrective and compulsory programs politically acceptable, even if grudgingly.)
Not everybody has access to a car, can drive a vehicle, or may wish to do so. The reasons may be age, physical capability, financial means, or personal preference. The simple conclusion is that automobiles cannot be the sole means of mobility in any community because such a state would strand a sizable component of the total population. In neighborhoods with older and poorer populations, as well as in districts with severe space crowding, this condition is particularly critical.
If the...
