Give me Liberty, or give me Justice

For years now, I’ve been contemplating liberty and justice in relation to one commonly held public good: namely transportation. 

I know, I know. You’ve got to be wondering why any sane, average Aaron would openly write about liberty and justice when the speech-trolls and ideologues could notice and release the hounds; putting my family, my dog, my house, and my employment at risk. 

Aaron, can’t you just be practical and keep your head down? 

My, haven’t I heard that before.

Well…I’ve often wondered whether I am sane; so, if you are qualified to make a diagnosis, please do. I know I need help! With that in mind, I think it’s insane not to try to have a good faith conversation when speech-trolls and ideologues are roaming about. 

Roads can’t be that controversial, right?

However, I must pause to recognize that you are right to question. Tensions have been amplified at the crossroads of liberty and justice. Some rather poignant voices have come to the fore claiming injustice is built into the very fabric of our nation’s founding and that this injustice continues to rear its head in every one of our institutions – even transportation. 

That’s quite likely. Nobody’s perfect.

Trying to figure out where there are failures and fixing any problems is one of the most American of things we could do. The US of A’s greatness and greatest shames are essentially linked to our striving for, protesting for, fighting for, rioting for, and dying for the right for ourselves and others to enter into that community where there is Liberty and Justice for All.⁷ 

I do have to agree; it’s easy to be frustrated when progress takes far more time than you and I may like. 

What’s the Problem?

I would contend that our current transportation system provides liberty for some and is an impediment to that same liberty for others. And, where there’s a failure in liberty, justice fails too, because liberty and justice are two sides of the same democratic coin. 

In St. Louis, and most of the United States for that matter, automobiles are almost mandatory for employment, nutritious groceries, and most recreation and leisure, as well as most services like doctor visits. Considering AAA claims the average auto owner pays $8,849 annually for vehicle operations and maintenance, there’s a pretty steep fee to freely participate in society. 

(Yeah, I thought the same thing. That sticker price is fucking high! But, hey, you’ve gotta believe it. They are AAA rated after all.)

Problems Work Hard

There are plenty of factors creating inconvenience – even barriers – for people of limited means. In urban areas, one of the biggest culprits is cities are designed for personal cars and commercial vehicles, not people.

Almost everything in our society is based on cheap fuel to drive our cars to jobs in places where we don’t want to live and deliver cheap Chinese stuff halfway around the world on a ship to a truck that drives halfway across the country, and voila! The cheap Chinese stuff lands at my doorstep. All of this automotive dexterity keeps the prices of goods and services low and my personal comfort high. Another benefit: less and less people have to remember their neighbor’s names or spend time getting to know them. Oh, the fruits of liberty that cheap energy produces!

For the past few years, I designed and helped implement more liberating transportation infrastructure, often referred to as alternative transportation. 

Huh..I didn’t hear that?

“What in the hell is alternative transportation?” 

Well, it’s basically infrastructure for people walking, biking, and utilizing many other travel options (think electric scooters, onewheels, neighborhood electric vehicles, etc.). Everyone walks, so you could call it transportation for all. 

“How in the hell is that liberating?”  

Well…let me tell you a story about this guy I know.

I made friends with a janitor in a building where I used to work. Great guy! Always encouraging, always very happy to see me, always offering to help fix something or give me money “for those four kids (I do have four kids!),” and always telling a good story. One such story had to do with his car breaking down. As a result, he rode his bike to work and got in late, which his manager wasn’t overly pleased about. On top of that, he couldn’t continue his side jobs cleaning houses until he got one of his cars up and running. 

“How many cars you got?” I asked. 

“I’ve got three. One of them is for parts to fix the other two.” 

“How often do you have to fix them?”

“Oh, I’m always tinkering on one of them.”

“Is there any way I can help?”

“Oh no, man. I’ll get by. And you have those four kids to take care of.”

Many where I live in the St. Louis metro area only understand walking or biking as a more leisure, recreational, or hipster way to get somewhere. I’m not sure I understood alternative transportation in any other way when I decided to start commuting to work on my bike, and sometimes by train or bus. In the first three months, I lost 26 pounds and claimed the respect of a radical do-gooder (and tree hugger) within my workplace. I utilized the bus and train more often during the winter, because I do not trust motorists in snow and ice…plus, it was cold…and, I was unmotivated. Let’s be honest.

Sometimes while standing on the station platform, I would overhear conversations that go something like:

I have got to find another job. It takes me three hours to get to work. 

Or

I’ve got to ride the bus to the train, get on another bus, transfer to another bus, and then walk ½-mile to get to work. 

For those unfamiliar with the St. Louis Metro system, waiting for the next ride can take more time than actually riding on the train/bus. I heard this enough that I decided to do the math:

If it takes 6 hours to get to and from work

• you work 8 hours (likely 10, maybe 16)
• you sleep 8 hours (probably 6)
• you shower and change clothes everyday

(Carry the 1)

• you eat a quick meal
• skip sitting down for breakfast

+ factor that you don’t live with your mom

At best, there’s maybe one hour left in the day to do anything else. I’ve searched for jobs numerous times, and I have found that job hunting, in and of itself, is a full time job. It’s really hard to make a change. It’s even harder when you’ve got less time and resources to work with.

Problematic Thinking

Encounters like these (which have been more common than you might think) knock down the argument that poor people “need to get jobs” or are simply “lazy.” Sure there are some lazy poor people, but having worked in both the blue- and white-collar worlds, I can say, quite authoritatively, there are just as many lazy “well-off” people. 

There’s a few common retorts I’ve heard about people hovering around the poverty line.

Why don’t they just work harder? 

…If working one job eats 14+ hours out of your day and, at that rate, brings home less than $5 per hour, I’d think you’d be pretty damned tired of working. 

And “they?” Honestly! 

Why don’t “they” live closer?

...Because jobs are often in unaffordable places, like wealthy suburbs, or unlivable places like strip malls, industrial courts, or most of St. Louis’ downtown. On top of that, nice, well-located and walkable neighborhoods price people with lower incomes out of the market. 

Well, “they” should have made better choices.

...hmmm…Upon reflection, I’ve made some really bad choices myself, and thank God I haven’t been ruined! 

Obviously, ”they’re” poor because “they’re” (sinners).

...Oh, go to hell! Particularly if you call yourself a Christian. It especially pisses me off when Christians toss out “questions (accusations)” like these and then go to church every Sunday morning to sing their praises to a merciful homeless man.¹³ 

One of the most enlightening statements I’ve heard was: 

Being poor doesn’t make you bad. It just means you’ve got a need.¹² 

A Values Problem

Most cities are strapped for cash and have to rely heavily on county, State and Federal funds for their most impactful infrastructure. This goes for larger cities and smaller rural communities alike. In Missouri, our taxes subsidize and advantage vehicles to the neglect of our disadvantaged, elders, youth, households with unreliable vehicles, and those without automobiles. 

In 2019, Missouri’s Department of Transportation (MoDOT) spent around $1.7 billion on transportation capital improvements, operations, and maintenance. Of that, 93.7% kept the roadways humming, 1.9% went to transit, 1.4% toward airplanes, another 1.4% for trains, 1.1% exclusively for people walking and biking, and 0.5% for ships and dinghies.¹⁴ So, I guess I designed infrastructure for the bottom 1.1%. As noted, most everyone walks, toddlers on up to our grandparents. So, the “Show Me State” has shown what (and who) it values. 

The Value of Our Values 

So, let’s say, hypothetically, next year that $1.7 billion in State and Federal funds typically allocated to roads gets spent on transportation for all? What could we buy with such a pretty penny? 

I went ahead and did a few calculations based on my experience. Here are a few ideas to put on the table:

• First, you’d need to know where to spend the money. Most larger cities already have alternative transportation plans. I propose all Missouri cities with populations between 1,500 – 50,000 (280 to be exact) would conduct community vision plans including alternative transportation master plans; 207 of those towns with 1,500 – 10,000 residents would then have up to 100% of the planned alternative transportation infrastructure implemented; the other 73 cities with 10,001 – 50,000 would have at least 25% of their plans built.¹⁵ 
• Missouri would have a statewide alternative transportation master plan with infrastructure considerations for traditional and innovative modes of travel (transit, rail, electric and autonomous vehicles, integrated virtual technologies, the Hyperloop,¹⁶ etc.). This plan would connect all Missouri communities.
• Each of St. Louis and Kansas City’s transit authorities could replace 100 gas-powered buses with electric powered vehicles; Springfield could have 40 new electric buses; and both Columbia and Jefferson City could get 20 electric buses; all this and an additional $100M could go toward implementing rural transit across the state.¹⁷
• Nearly $200M could construct quick-build and signature projects in Columbia, Kansas City, Springfield, and St. Louis.¹⁸
• The state-wide Rock Island Trail connecting Kansas City and St. Louis would be fully constructed, which would create a 450 mile loop with the Katy Trail delivering tens of millions in moolah to rural economies, along with many new jobs; there could be another 110 miles of trails connecting the Lake of the Ozarks, Jefferson City, Rolla, and the Missouri wine country near Hermann to that Katy / Rock Island Trail loop; and thousands of miles of a secondary rural gravel trail network – primarily on gravel roads – could be implemented including wayfinding, bridges, and off-road trail connections.¹⁷
• Ten percent ($160M) would employ designers and engineers to generate the plans for construction.¹⁹
• Ten percent ($160M) would establish a maintenance and operations trust to support infrastructure in disadvantaged and rural communities.²⁰

Ideas like these would thoroughly transform almost every nook and cranny of the state making everyone’s life better in one whirlwind year! That is, if there were enough people to do the work.²¹ 

And there would still be those measly funds for transit, airplanes, trains, and dinghies;) Oh, and that 1.1% that typically goes exclusively toward bicycle and pedestrian facilities? That could be allocated to automobiles.

The Value of Vision

You may be thinking ideas like this are too idealistic or radical, maybe even dangerous. 

A few years back, there was a ballot initiative to increase MoDOT’s funding. Hey, they really need it!

It failed with some opponents calling for reforms to business as usual, and there were exit surveys indicating voters wanted a more holistic approach to transportation. 

To be fair, we get a LOT for a LITTLE in Missouri! Missouri stands 18th nationally in state population, yet ranks 7th for total maintained roadway miles and 6th for bridges which would put us in the mix with states with twice our population. And get this. MoDOT’s budget ranks 47th in funding per mile right there with states one-eighth of Missouri’s population. Personally, I think it’s fair to say Missourians have demanded a LOT for a LITTLE! (You might think twice before cussing out a pothole next time.)

A year before that vote, MoDOT developed a new mission statement aspiring to “provide a world-class transportation system that is safe, innovative, reliable and dedicated to a prosperous Missouri.” When determining how to allocate infrastructure resources, making the common good of all Missourians the highest priority would require vision and innovative solutions (particularly with such a strapped budget).

Now, I’ve helped craft dozens of mission statements. These kinds of words are commonplace. You have to ask, what do they actually mean? 

Hopefully, there is an understanding that prosperity amounts to more than economic development and includes a variety of aspects to life that would make Missouri an attractive place to live, work, and play. Similarly, innovation needs to involve more than efficiency and cost reduction.

If we can make investments that are sincerely trying to promote a better life for all, more people will be productive citizens resulting in more individual, community, and corporate investment – even from investors outside our great state. That would generate more tax revenue at every level.

I would bet some social ills would also recede, which would reduce the amount of resources required to remedy (or placate) those unfortunate situations. And, the unspent social services resources could get reinvested in more productive ventures.²²

If everyone sees such improvements, voters might be more likely to approve a budget increase next time. Maybe we could get funding up to 18th nationally, in line with our responsibilities. 

Beyond the already mentioned benefits of envisioning transportation for all, rethinking Missouri’s spending in such a way could also help our state transition well through the technological transportation revolution already underway, so that we can maximize the potential benefits. There are likely some ideas about how this revolution will play out in our fair state. However, without a vision that includes all residents as well as visitors, Missouri could be leaving money on the table and exacerbating the current situation for those with less access to reliable transportation. 

Radical Vision

The term world-class is simply radical. To be world-class, you have to have talent and you have to work hard and make great sacrifices. Why don’t we just change our state nickname from the “Show-Me State” to the “Show-You State?” 

If we start taking steps to provide all community members higher quality access to transportation, world-class would be within reach. And, the rest of the nation may just start calling Missouri the I’ll-Show-You State.

Come to think of it, an I’ll-show-you-who-cares attitude could really pay off! So, why not drive the better-for-all bus instead of the business-as-usual town car?

I mean, try some things like what I proposed once, and, hey, the next year go back to business as usual. Well, kinda. Every Missouri community over 1,500 residents would have a vision for their future; have made significant strides toward more safe and prosperous transportation for all residents and visitors; and there would be a razor’s focus guiding investments for the whole state in the years to come. 

As a result of those plans and actions, I would bet that that one-year hiccup in roadway funding could be made up in a relatively short amount of time. And, such a comprehensive breadth of planning would keep the momentum going. It would be a real and tangible way to show that Missouri cares about everyone.

The Value of Radical

Objectively, over time things have gotten better for just about everyone. Only the Amish still use horses and buggies for transportation (which need to be included in transportation for all!), the catalytic converter almost single handedly eliminated smog, modern transit service far exceeds that of the trolley, and ride-hailing apps make catching a ride just about anywhere in the world available to everyone with a smartphone.

For the most part, that’s the history of the United States, an imperfect people incrementally getting better over time. Being imperfect, our solutions are often far from perfect. When we address a problem, new problems are bound to be created. Without the car there would never have been white flight, for example. Failures, tensions, and protests need to be baked into any plan or solution.

I mean, it took over 100 years, the radical efforts of hundreds of thousands of Americans of every skin color, and lots of bloodshed between the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement to make it illegal to force black people to sit at the back of the bus. Unfortunately, the cost required to make that revolutionary transportation improvement possible was far too great. Looking back, I think we can say it was worth it though.

I do know one thing; writing the United States of America’s revolutionary declaration “in order to form a more perfect union” was radical. Like, never been done before in history, radical. There never would have been a “United” States if that one old guy who authored our foundational protest declaration had started it with “I,Thomas Jefferson.” I think we can all agree that that was a good move on his part. 

Why did ol’ Tom believe he could write something as radical as We the People? When he wrote that, he and all those other radical old guys sitting around the table were willing to give their lives for an ideal (well, maybe not Tom who became French during the Revolution). They were operating with the same foundational assumption though, namely, that each one of us would take responsibility for ourselves and for our neighbors. That is radical! 

I’m not sure whether they thought the colonists could defeat the most powerful nation in the world. That’s a pretty radical thought, too. But, that they would even risk that endeavor to entrust everyone with the opportunity to govern themselves, those guys had to have been crazy! 

But, what do you know, for the most part it’s paid off handsomely. Some of their assumptions have even become the new standard operating procedure for many other nations around the world.

Radical Institutions 

The logical conclusion of such a view of governance is that trustworthy people don’t need rulers, but trustworthy leaders. One of the more electrifying of those old guys (or, uh, electrified), ol’ Benji Franklin said as much; and continued, only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. Virtue is kinda synonymous with justice – similarly freedom with liberty. 

Is the institution of transportation intrinsically unjust? I’m sure you have your thoughts, and I’d like to hear them. Institutions created by the people and for the people are only going to be as good and just as the people.

Hey, no one’s perfect. Ol’ Tom knew as much, so he wrote in a disclaimer. “In order to form a more perfect union” let us all off the hook from actually being perfect. But, it also meant that as American citizens we should strive to be more perfect to become a stronger union. That means each of us is expected to try to be better, do better, and be there for our fellow citizens in need of help. 

For the most part, we are an unselfish people willing to sacrifice for others. Every once in a while, that means doing something radical. That’s the American way. Maybe Missouri could show the rest of the nation what it means to be American.