Trains were once the transportation backbone for people and goods in the United States, until the car and truck came along. Of course, the car gave individuals great freedom of movement in time and place, and that is why they are so difficult to leave behind. This car dependence has had a dramatic effect on the development of land in the U.S., with a tremendous amount of sprawl that has tracked the increase in car ownership. There are those of a certain generation, and older, that remember what it used to be like to be able to go for a leisurely drive, with hardly a car in sight on a country road. That was a very nice time, but, I’m afraid it has come to an end, and what about the experience of those who live in large metropolitan areas? Los Angeles has been a traffic nightmare since the late sixties, and pretty much anyone traveling the interstates in the eastern half of the U.S. knows that it is chock-a-block with traffic most days of the week, especially with semi-trailers, and you can forget about holidays altogether!

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