Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Thursday that an infrastructure plan expected soon from President Joe Biden will offer a "once in a century" opportunity to remake transportation in the United States, where cars and highways are no longer king. Speaking at the Austin, Texas-based South by Southwest conference, which is being held virtually this year, Buttigieg compared the new possibility to the creation of an interstate highway under President Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s and a transcontinental railroad under President Abraham Lincoln a century before that. "We start with something unglamorous, which is fixing and improving what we're already got — there's been a trillion dollar backlog just in the roads and bridges we already have," he said. "But I'll add there are some things that need to be reduced ... sometimes roads need to go on a diet." He said the U.S. can no longer follow a 1950s mentality of building roads and communities based on moving as many cars as possible, but must adapt to the reality of climate change and ensure the safety of growing numbers of bicyclists and pedestrians on the streets. "The design choices we make, how fast cars move, whether there's bike lanes and sidewalks ... green space even, all of this is part of that view," Buttigieg said. "Sometimes we do need to add a road or widen one. Just as often, I think we need to subtract." Buttigieg's remarks came after a report on Wednesday forecast that global gasoline demand has peaked and is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels due to shifts in consumer behavior, such as increasing telework and people moving to electric vehicles. People also are shifting to other modes of transportation, such as bicycles or scooters, for shorter trips. Tap link in bio to continue on @EDGEmedianetwork ?️‍?????(?: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg / Instagram)

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Thursday that an infrastructure plan expected soon from President Joe Biden will offer a "once in a century" opportunity to remake transportation in the United States, where cars and highways are no longer king. Speaking at the Austin, Texas-based South by Southwest conference, which is being held virtually this year, Buttigieg compared the new possibility to the creation of an interstate highway under President Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s and a transcontinental railroad under President Abraham Lincoln a century before that. "We start with something unglamorous, which is fixing and improving what we're already got — there's been a trillion dollar backlog just in the roads and bridges we already have," he said. "But I'll add there are some things that need to be reduced ... sometimes roads need to go on a diet." He said the U.S. can no longer follow a 1950s mentality of building roads and communities based on moving as many cars as possible, but must adapt to the reality of climate change and ensure the safety of growing numbers of bicyclists and pedestrians on the streets. "The design choices we make, how fast cars move, whether there's bike lanes and sidewalks ... green space even, all of this is part of that view," Buttigieg said. "Sometimes we do need to add a road or widen one. Just as often, I think we need to subtract." Buttigieg's remarks came after a report on Wednesday forecast that global gasoline demand has peaked and is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels due to shifts in consumer behavior, such as increasing telework and people moving to electric vehicles. People also are shifting to other modes of transportation, such as bicycles or scooters, for shorter trips. Tap link in bio to continue on @EDGEmedianetwork ?️‍?????(?: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg / Instagram)