For us, our problem is that the rest of the world is such a mess that everyone wants to be here and we do nothing to stem the tide. If even Mexico could be dragged out of the dark ages, our immigration problem would get much better.
Telecommuting should be encouraged. The other side of that coin is that the people in charge of our roads should be dragged into the middle of them and shot. They consistently shoot behind a moving target, so you have constant construction and capacity is never enough. Throw in the political weenies pusing HOV lanes and the like (in Houston, the HOV system take 25 percent of lane capacity and uses it for 4 percent of the traffic) exacerbating the problem.
We don't have insurmountable problems, we have incompetent ideologues who are just making things worse.
13...Would telecomuting be the answer?...
14...in Houston, the HOV system take 25 percent of lane capacity and uses it for 4 percent of the traffic...
Telecommuting will help, but the answer lies beyond that. We need a private system of passenger trains and buses. They have a public system in Germany that is great. I know that one is public funded, but I'm sure a private one can work.
The roads should be semi-privatized. Imagine a parallel highway system in the urban areas, where the HOV in Houston is now. A private company pays the county for right-of-way, maintains the road, and then charges the customers for use. Anyone could pay a toll to use the road. There is a public high speed tollway running through the middle of Okinawa Japan that is like that. You pay according to the number of exits you pass. It's great to drive on and you avoid all traffic.