Source: Union of Concerned Scientists

Excerpt:

One of my earliest childhood memories is sitting with my mother on a Chicago Transit Authority bus, headed to spend a summer day on Lake Michigan. In fact, images of transportation often come to mind when I think about growing up: Morning walks to elementary school; riding my bicycle around the New Jersey suburb I moved to before third grade; taking a high school sweetheart on the NJ Transit train to an outdoor concert in Manhattan; driving my friends to the beach for our after-prom weekend. 

In my professional life, I have been driven by the recognition that—whether a train, bus, bike, sidewalk, or car—transportation is a means to independence.  

Unfortunately, transportation networks in the US deprive many people of that freedom, thanks to a historical pattern of investment into highways that have divided neighborhoods, and disinvestment in sidewalks, bike paths, and public transportation systems that move people around their communities. 

Read more: More Transportation Choices Lead to Better Health, Better Communities, and a Healthier Planet