Out of Control

That’s our transportation network.

I had an op-ed on that in yesterday’s Investor’s Business Daily:

Despite its massive $286.4 billion price tag, last year's federal transportation bill wasn't designed to beat back traffic congestion. Thankfully, the Transportation Department has just put gridlock in its cross hairs with a new plan that relies heavily on the user-pays principle and private highway financing.

And it's appropriate to take aim at congestion on this, the 50th anniversary of the interstate highway system. Early on, the system's chief architect promised it would take Americans "from anywhere to everywhere."

We might regard that vision as a tad outdated because new technology has given business a new kind of mobility. Armed with cell phones, laptops and BlackBerries, we can "be" almost everywhere without crawling into a car, train or plane. But good old-fashioned mobility — moving people, parts and products across physical space — still matters a lot. Just ask Austin, Texas.

Whole thing here.