T4America Platform
As Congress develops the next transportation authorization, these six priorities should guide them.
1 Establish Accountability for Responsible Investment
Under the current system, most federal transportation dollars go to state departments of transportation, with few questions asked. DOTs remain largely geared toward building highways between metropolitan areas rather than providing multiple options for mobility within metropolitan areas. This is despite the fact that the United States population is highly urbanized, with 80 percent of us living in metropolitan areas and 85 percent of our nation’s economic activity occurring within them. The current law assigns metropolitan areas responsibility for transportation planning, but it does not give them real authority to implement those plans.
2 Invest to Compete in the 21st Century
Poorly planned transportation investments, combined with spread-out development patterns, has forced families to spend 20 percent or more of their household budgets for transportation. Many spend hours driving in congestion every day, reducing their productivity. Our heavy reliance on oil leaves the nation’s economy vulnerable to inevitable price shocks. The absence of high-speed rail lines and sophisticated, long-distance freight systems common in other nations puts us at a competitive disadvantage. Our aging infrastructure is placing a strain on state and local budgets, often leaving metropolitan areas with few resources to remake transportation networks that can revitalize cities and towns. Without smart, strategic investments in modern transportation systems, America will be supplanted as the world’s most productive economy.
3 Invest for Multiple Payoffs in Solving our Energy, Air Quality, and Climate Challenges
Our federal transportation investments can work simultaneously to end our overwhelming reliance on oil, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, clean up polluting ports and trucks, and help Americans save money through these actions:
4 Reward and Support Smart Local Land Use Planning
The most efficient trip is the shortest – or the one you don’t have to take at all. More than 60 percent of the growth in driving is due not to population or economic growth, but to spread-out development. Our nation can no longer afford the endless cycle of building roads, allowing them to become overwhelmed by poorly planned development, and widening or building again. The federal transportation program can encourage coordinated planning between transportation facilities and land use, ending the de facto subsidization of unsustainable development through these initiatives:
5 Invest for Public Health and Safety
Our transportation system can do much more to foster human health and safety. While other countries have made strides on safety, traffic deaths in the United States hover around 43,000 people per year, with disproportionate deaths among older Americans, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Millions of Americans, and particularly those in low-income communities, face asthma and other health problems caused by pollution from cars and trucks. Wide streets with fast traffic and no sidewalks or bike lanes discourage this physical activity, contributing to associated health effects.
Local innovations in roadway design and operations have effectively reduced the rate of death and injury on our streets, and should be encouraged across the country. The federal transportation program could also help get Americans moving with programs to make active transportation the cornerstones of a higher quality of life.
6 Find New ways to Pay for What We Need
Federal transportation funding has long relied almost exclusively on taxing each gallon of gas, but the limitations of this source have become clear. Congress has already propped up the Highway Trust Fund with general funds. The situation could get worse if the drop in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) that began in 2007 continues, draining expected revenues. Opposition to raising the tax is strong, as Americans already cope with high transportation costs. A revenue distribution scheme that rewards the states whose population drives the most runs counter to other national goals.
We need to develop new long-term revenue sources that are complementary to the nation’s need for energy efficiency and continue to protect our investment in our public assets. Transportation for America stands ready to support an increase in federal transportation investments if – and only if – they are directed towards the sorts of priorities and objectives outlined in this document.
http://t4america.org/docs/T4_platform.pdf
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