It is one of the responsibilities of highway engineers and officials to see that the most efficient use is made of transportation in order to conserve fuel while at the same time preserving mobility. The greatest consumption of gasoline occurs in the work trip. An effective conservation measure is carpooling. The Highway Users Federation along with other employers has sponsored carpooling programs and they have proved a success in many instances. Innovative programs such as the vanpool organised by the 3M Company in St. Paul have prospered, and they continue to save fuel and reduce vehicle mileage. Incentives must be provided for more increased use of carpools. Economics can be an incentive since carpools can be more economic and efficient than many forms of public transit. Priority treatment such as exclusive and bypass lanes, traffic control systems that reduce delay thereby saving fuel, and reduced speeds are also good incentives. In considering a shift to transit, the relative energy efficiencies of each mode must be taken into consideration. Urban area size and development affect this greatly. Some energy, of course, can be saved, but not that much transit diversion can be expected to occur without altering basic lifestyles. Conservation depends upon what each individual is willing to give. Highway and traffic professionals, by creating new methods and enhancing old ones, can contribute toward a national, as well as personal, conservation goal.
Samenvatting