Garry Golden is a futurist. Futurists are scientists who analyze the way the world is today and use that information.to predict what the world will be like in the future. Golden focuses on the study of transportation.  He spends his days studying the relationships between cars, subways, and trains. But he's most excited about imagining the way these relationships will change in the future. Many public transportation supporters dislike big cities because they spend hours driving from one side of the city to the other.  And there aren't enough buses and. subways. However, Golden sees a trend   toward fewer cars' in the future. He explains, "Cities have a cost of car ownership, which is a challenge. All these vehicles cost the city in services, in having to repair roads and other things. "Cars also take up a lot of space. Golden points out that having so many parking spaces is wasteful. Much of the time the parking spaces sit empty. What is the solution?"I think cities will make new laws to limit the number of cars people can have ," says Golden. "Instead, people will use taxis, subways, and buses. New technology, like smartphones, can make these forms of public transportation even better. Imagine if everyone had a smartphone and used them to signal  when they wanted to ride the bus. Buses could change their route  to meet people's requests." How soon would these changes come? Golden admits that it will take several years.  Cities can be slow to change. Also, new systems of transportation can be expensive. "But it's coming," he says. "The trend of the empowered city will be here soon. " The other trend that excites Golden is electric cars. Golden especially believes in the future of electric cars that have sensors  to understand the world around them. "If we have cars that can communicate with one another, they can adjust speeds to cut down on traffic jams,"he says. Rush hour in big cities would be much less painful. One challenge is that it is hard to cheaply produce batteries that are strong enough for these cars. But Golden argues we could, also make cars out of strong plastic composites . The cars would then be much lighter and much cheaper to make. Golden remains positive about the future. "There are so many exciting developments ,"he says. "In thirty years we will live a different world. " What is Golden's attitude to the future of transportation?
Uncertain. Worried. Hopeful. Careful.