Crises present opportunities.  Our national fiscal, economic, energy, military, and political crises will not be solved quickly or easily.  However, if tackled thoughtfully, the changes they produce may enormously benefit the nationÕs health.

         IÕm just back from a short vacation in Zurich, Dresden, and Berlin.  Baroque, ravaged Dresden still echoes its days under the German Democratic Republic, with Stalinist buildings and all too quiet streets.  Yet each city puts American infrastructure to shame.

         Want to reach the airport in Zurich?  Take the tram, then any of numerous trains, and youÕll quickly be there, the price included in the city transport ticket Ð the double-decker trains are also scenic.  Trying to get from northern Berlin to southern suburbs?  Map your way with trams, buses, underground trains (U-bahn) and above ground trains (S-bahn) that can get you almost anywhere in the giant city within two to three hundred meters of your destination.  All these coordinated transport services carry a constantly updated electrical sign at every stop, telling you how many minutes till the next bus, tram, or train, and where they go.  During most of the day, the wait is 5 Ð 8 minutes.

         Berliners expressed surprised that I went Òall the way outÓ to the Museum complex in Dahlem. The trip was delayed by repairs to the U-bahn near my hotel; replacement buses took me to another stop.  Next the U-bahn, transfer to another line, then a walk of a few hundred meters to the museum.  Total travel time Ð thirty five minutes.

         The streets are filled with people, while the wide sidewalks make g pedestrian and bicycle traffic flow.  Many S-bahn and U-bahn stations have stores, cafes, and information centers.  Quite a few local subway stations contain more facilities and amusements than will be found in all but a few of the largest American train stations, and are generally cleaner and more inviting. 

         Similarities between Kyoto and BerlinÕs transport system, which I wrote about last year, are greater than the differences.  Bicycles in Berlin are more regulated and tend to stick more to bike lanes than in Kyoto, where bicyclists weave through pedestrians.  Germans love their fast cars, and I sometimes saw irate drivers upset with bicyclists pushing onto their roads, causing traffic to slow.  What was most impressive in both Berlin and Kyoto were how many people moved so smoothly and swiftly, often using healthy autotransport to get from one transit system to another.

Rebuilding the Infrastructure

         Not just American fiscal and monetary policies are falling apart, but our roads, highways, and bridges.  One recent estimate is that 30% of American bridges are not truly safe.  The recent Minneapolis bridge disaster remains another failed wake-up call.

         ItÕs time to rebuild America, in ways that improve our immediate economy and our long-term health.  There are problems to remaking our infrastructure, particularly as political districting does not follow economic trade flow patterns, as Michael Gallis and other urban planners have demonstrated. For example, much of New Jersey, Connecticut, and northeastern Pennsylvania are part of New York CityÕs regional economic network, and often political-economic cooperation is not easy.

         However, when you begin to think regionally, commonalities emerge.  Energy policy, water use, and overall public health can be recognized as deeply interlinked.

         The energy advantages to interlinked public transport are huge.  Energy use per person in Switzerland and Germany is just a bit more than a third of what it is in the U.S.  Gas, which stills costs $7 or $8 dollars a gallon there, certainly cuts back on auto use, but being able to get around through public means makes the big difference.

         Further economic advantages accrue to the public health.  Despite last monthÕs financial debacle, New York City may still be the wealthiest part of the US, yet itÕs overall energy use is only a third of the national average. In an often highly stressful and polluted environment, New Yorkers live longer then the American mean.  Getting around using your own body creates part of that health advantage.

         We need to rebuild AmericaÕs transport system.  The roads, highways, and trains are wearing out.  If we do it intelligently, considering a probable future of electric cars, greater requirements for mass transit, a population that needs to move in order to remain healthy, and shrinking water and energy resources, we will in the end make ourselves economically stronger, more energy independent, and healthier.

         ThereÕs no need to reinvent the wheel.  Others have been doing what we need to do for a long time.

Dr. Matthew Edlund practices sleep medicine and psychiatry in Sarasota.  His new book, Designed To Last, is available online. He can be reached at 365-4308 and via his Web site at doctoredlund.com.