Every day, hordes of Americans drive themselves to work, or to anywhere they want to go. Most of them are alone in the cars that they drive. They consume gas, space, air and parking; they produce noise, pollution and the headache of traffic. Nevertheless, they are here to stay.
             There is a small group of loyal people who take the bus wherever they wish to go. Some use subways, and some take a combination of busses, trains and subways. Some even walk! By far the majority of Americans, however, will not even consider taking a bus or a train to their destination. Most people are oblivious to the schedules, destinations, and capabilities of the mass transit system. Even people in legislative or executive positions, like congressmen don't think of mass transit as a viable alternative to cars. This can be seen by the fact that they appropriate huge sums of money every year to build new highways or to widen old ones so that more and more cars can reach the outermost suburbs, and the fact that the mass transit systems in most cities are inconvenient, dirty, incomplete or fail to connect up in a logical fashion. Political decisions govern where mass transit systems run, and few run where they will be most useful. The light rail, in Baltimore, for example, does not stop in Ruxton or Roland Park, two neighborhoods where car usage would appear to be very high. This is because the residents did not want public transportation stops in their neighborhoods.
            
             Even if people consider the mass transit option, many will still prefer to use their own cars as their primary source of transportation. Americans prefer their cars for the convenience, status, and privacy they confer. Cars are more convenient than mass transit because they can go anywhere, and one does not have to wait for a car, or stand in the rain or snow wondering if it will ever appear. The motorist does not have to have correct change or a ticket. One does not have to...