Minnesota public transportation needs new path

Transportation has become a mainstay of the 21st century as humanity continues to seek developments that will allow us to travel farther. Transportation has come a long way since the time of horseback riding to now soaring the skies in planes. These days, transportation is also a key focus when planning the development of any city, state, or country. With global warming and forest depletion becoming major concerns, urban planners today are also facing the challenge of coming up with new ideas for transportation that will have the least impact on the environment.

Living in a major city offers residents several advantages in terms of transportation, whereas living on the outskirts of a major city is a very different story. While the majority of businesses located in more populated areas of larger cities operate 24-hours a day, businesses on the outskirts will likely have fewer hours of operation. Getting from point A to B in a major city is easy when one can take a bus, train, or taxi to their destination. If one lives farther from the city one either becomes dependent on nearby bus schedules, which may not always be reliable, or must own a vehicle for transportation.

Although owning a vehicle has many advantages—like being able to travel wherever and whenever one pleases—there are also several drawbacks to having this extra convenience, like having to make payments for insurance, vehicle repair services, and fuel. One other major issue with vehicles is the threat of air pollution, with transportation being one of the largest causes of air pollution in the United States. Poor air quality caused by pollution also aggravates respiratory ailments, such as asthma, and heightens the risk of developing life-threatening conditions like cancer.

In the U.S., the state one chooses to live in plays a vital role in deciding whether or not to purchase a vehicle. Minnesota is not necessarily a booming or busy state, in comparison to California or Florida, meaning that its cities are farther spread out and its transportation systems have been slower to develop.

In my opinion, vehicles are a must in widely spread-out states like Minnesota, with the exception of regions like the Twin Cities where public transport operates on a regular basis. In smaller cities, like Mankato, most people end up buying a car due to the reduced availability of and need for daily buses and trains.

Transportation has always been a vital issue when planning to live in any type of place. Problems that have come about over past decades, such as urban sprawl, pollution, or suburban settlements all deserve more of a conversation when developing new city transport systems. Creating a transportation system that would link all commercial, residential, and industrial locations would without a doubt be a more sustainable development and better serve the people in the area.