Earlier this month I attend the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). CES 2024 was the 100th year of the Show and it did not disappoint. Autonomous Vehicles, Electric cars, Hydrogen Trucks, EVOTL and self-docking boats. It was all there. A vision of new technology and myriads of mobility options on display. With more than 130,000 attendees the conference is a staple for those engaged in technology innovation, particularly in the area of mobility.
While I did attend the show, I left early to fly to Kentucky for the homegoing celebration of my husband’s 102 year old grandmother. It was not a sad occasion but a celebration of the wonderful legacy that she has created with 5 generations present to say their final goodbyes.
Like CES, Mrs. Jessie Talbott had seen a lot in her 100 plus years. The evolution of modes of movement, the ingenuity of mankind and the implementation of technology. But nonetheless the problems that the technology is trying to solve appear to be familiar and still centered around mobility. How do we efficiently, sustainably, safely and affordably move people? 100 years ago, rail was routinely used, especially for moving long distance across the U.S. In towns and cities people customarily moved around via trolley and bus and in many instances people simply walked to their jobs each day.
The advent in this last century of widespread ownership and use of the automobile has changed the way everyday citizens move around town. While the expense of a personal car still limits ownership by some, personal use of cars has transformed the way we move through our communities. By the numbers, according to census.gov, about 5% of Americans use public transit each day with 73% commuting by car and less than 3% by walking. In the 1920s there were only 8 million registered vehicles in the U.S. for a population of 105 million people. Compare that to today where there are 330 million people with over 280 million registered vehicles.
How Our Transportation Views Have Changed Over Time
The more things change the more they stay the same. Jessie managed as a wife and homemaker to raise 6 children and begat generations who have reached the highest pinnacles of education and service, all without ever learning to drive herself. There is now a global push underway to get people to walk more. Today many community groups and associations are encouraging public/shared transportation. In addition, the federal government has increased its spending and support of movement by rail, and many are eschewing personal vehicle ownership. Furthermore, the 15 minute-city has been touted as the ideal concept for work/life balance, where neighborhoods give residents access to all the things they need to have a full life in close proximity to work and housing.
What a world Jessie witnessed during her 100 plus years. From airplanes to apps, diesel to biofuel, fast cars to self-driving vehicles. Fly, Drive, Boat, Bike, Electric, Autonomous, Hydrogen, Shared and Connected the point of it all is movement. Mobility connecting us to family and friends, work and home, food and medicine, goods and services. In describing the life and legacy of Jessie, mobility freedom would have to be at the top of the list. Jessie lived to see a world that went from relegating women like her to the back of the bus to a woman who looked like her becoming Vice President of our great nation. Transportation is Mobility and Mobility is Freedom™. Rest in Peace Grandmama.
