Most people experience some frustration with the Puget Sound region’s sluggish response to its transportation problems. Recently, both voters and leaders have been split on whether to invest in roads or in transit.

Regional transportation ends up sounding like a fight between interest groups. Wouldn’t it be great if we could find something we could all agree on?

An intense focus on big dollar infrastructure projects at the regional and local level has resulted in our neglect of other opportunities to maximize mobility. Mobility means transportation by all methods, including car, bus, bicycle, walking and a host of other modes. As individuals, we are all multi-modal. We can do a lot to become better at using more types of transportation through a focus on better education.

The U.S. Census shows Sammamish and Issaquah to be more car-oriented than average. As reported in the census, there is an extraordinarily high rate of household vehicle ownership, and the average travel time to work is 30 and 27 minutes, respectively, as compared with a State average of 25 minutes. Despite this, it is still possible to get around this area without using a car.

A well-known Issaquah family went car-free with two elementary-aged children and they remain so beyond the bend from high school into college.

Most families could not even entertain this as a viable choice, simply because they have no preparation whatsoever.

The constancy of U.S. car culture over the past 50 years has not prepared us well for a future that is certain to contain a lot of changes.

In the professional world of transportation planning, nearly everyone believes behaviors must change to accommodate population growth and sustainability projections.

Parents are daunted by the challenges the future world holds for their children. Will they be safe, financially successful, healthy, and still enjoy a beautiful environment?

Preparing them to make clear decisions about their own mobility is one of most powerful things one can do to prepare the next generation.

Mobility Education is a critical strategy for achieving our safety, health, environment, efficiency, and economic goals.In Washington, there are more youth fatalities from teen driving than from any other cause. If getting your driver license is the American coming of age ritual, we can do a far better job of it.

In the 21st century, this ritual ought to include the mastery of multiple ways of getting around. Teens who are given a multi-modal education will be better prepared for life itself.They develop into safer, more empathetic drivers who know how to share the road.

Walking, biking and using transit are far more sophisticated activities than they are given credit for.

Formal education for drivers is important and necessary, but most children already have a lifetime of experience riding around in cars.

The intricacies of the other modes can be insurmountable obstacles for those little life experience and no basic training.

One 30-something manager at a local software company commuted for years in heavy bridge traffic, in spite of the bus stop outside his front door.

His choice to keep driving was driven by the fear of possible embarrassment from not knowing how to use the bus.

After his co-worker offered to show him how and rode with him once, it became his logical choice.

Walking, biking, and transit also stand to be highly profitable. Studies show that people who get sufficient physical activity save hundreds of dollars a year on medical bills and live longer, too.

Owning and operating a car has an average annual cost of approximately $9,000 according to the American Automobile Association. Such savings accumulate over time. Add up several years of such savings and you have the down-payment on a house.

The Mobility Education Foundation has designed a training program that augments driver education by providing valuable new skills in multi-modal mobility. This curriculum integrates new state-of-the-art educational approaches, and it is dynamic and fun.

The purpose of this expanded curriculum is not to preach to teens about what they “should” do. Instead, it is about offering them the skills and knowledge to make more conscious choices.

In many respects, transportation has been one of the United States’ strong suits. Recent housing and automotive sector failures appear to be writing an unfortunate end to that chapter.

While it is critical to maintain our infrastructure, and public works projects can attract federal dollars, we need to open up our conceptions of transportation more broadly. We need a new type of cultural leadership that will help us prepare for 21st century challenges.

People’s lack of awareness and fears of using alterative modes limits their ability to exercise intelligent discretion.

It is high time that we begin preparing ourselves and those we care the most about to have a broader repertoire of mobility options.

David Levinger, PhD, PE, is the President of The Mobility Education Foundation