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A Common Vision
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
A timely essay by David Schaengold for The Witherspoon Institute has received attention in recent days from our friends at Trains for America and Streetsblog. Schaengold’s piece illustrates the societal benefits that would come from a transportation system that gave people viable options for their travel needs other than the personal automobile, and argues that these benefits should give both sides of the political aisle equal reason to advocate for better transit and, by extension, better intercity trains. Here at NARP, we have witnessed the truly bipartisan support our cause is capable of drawing for 42 years.
NARP’s vision of a robust, interconnected network of fast, frequent, comfortable, and reliable passenger trains, connected with transit networks in the cities and towns it serves, should be seen as a key puzzle piece in a broader vision of a reconnected society of revitalized communities that should inspire both social conservatives and social liberals. By giving Americans more opportunities to interact with their neighbors and contribute to their local economies, instead of isolating ourselves from each other in our cars and fighting ever-increasing traffic to get from A to B, a more diverse transportation network forms a vertebra of the backbone of a healthy society.
For many of us, the “humble civic satisfaction that comes from a convenient, timely, and comfortable train trip” (to borrow Logan Nash’s elegant phrase) is a worthy goal in itself, but let us not lose sight of the broader ends to which getting transportation right can serve as a means. Given the daunting collective challenges we face, a shared vision for a vibrant, and green 21st-century America should link Americans of all political stripes in common cause.
—Malcolm Kenton
Malcom is a 23-year-old recent college graduate from North Carolina and a longtime political activist and passenger rail advocate. He will be joining NARP’s staff on May 26 as an intern. He says, “Expect me to contribute frequently to this blog.” We look forward to that and working with him! —Ross Capon
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