ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION GOES TO WASHINGTON

Written in 2008 by the Rails to Trails Conservatory and The People for Bikes lobbying group, the "Active Transportation for America" report is a 46-page compilation of reasons why the United States should shift its transportation funding away from the personal automobile.

Their argument, in four parts, states that shifting funding will:

• Plug holes in our transportation infrastructure
• Fight climate change and oil dependency 
• Counter the obesity epidemic
• And ultimately save a few billion tax dollars

Anyone who's ever given more than ten minutes of thought to America's transportation network has probably already come to the conclusion that we're over-reliant on personal cars, but this document is specifically designed for people who haven't thought much about our nation's needs: elected officials. 

And with Our Unflappable Leader promising some 1.7 trillion to upgrade and repair our nation's roads, bridges, spaceports, and whatever else, it's a great time to this document back up and see how we've progressed this decade.

The short response: the feds haven't done much. 

True, federal funding for "Active Transportation" has almost doubled, but that isn't saying a lot. In 2008 we spent about 1% of the total pie on transportation, now it's 1.8%. 

While the Active Trans report didn't spark the level of change it was intended to in Washington, it does represent one of the first major lobbying documents that contributed to a massive paradigm shift in the U.S.'s cultural consciousness. 

2008 was significant because, obviously, the housing market crash started the greatest financial crisis since the depression, and at the same time the Millennials, one of the largest age groups since the Baby Boomers, came of age. 

Being more sensitive to environmental issues, more inclined to metropolitan living, and less interested in cars (or any big monetary investment), the Millennials are the major drivers of the Active Transportation movement. It's not that this age group is powerful, but that they will be. The current zeitgeist of American federal expenditure comes from the minds of people who grew up during tremendous net prosperity. The car – as a transportation device and a symbol of status – represents the opulence of the American way and works as a kind of mascot to the rest of the world and to ourselves. But like a former high school football star watching replays of his past glory, our nation can't pretend we're living in the 50's, 60's, and early 70's forever. Eventually a more realistic worldview has to take over. Eventually, the mindset of the newer generations, which focuses on inexpensive and practical transportation options like walking, biking, rideshare, and taking the bus, will become the leading American outlook. It has to, we're running out of money going the old way:

So when you go to vote next Tuesday (or the next time you vote after you read this, whenever that is), think of what ideology you want for the nation. Do you want to look to the past for answers, or do you want to think of the future?