Transportation For America » Policy Papers

Policy Papers

Transportation for America produced a series of short policy briefs to accompany our webinar series.  Each of these briefs are a quick four-page overview examining how transportation investments affect a range of issues that are important to our coalition partners and affect each of us. In the webinars and these briefs we are looking at issues including health, housing, equity, and climate change, and what policy reforms we recommend.

For more information about our route to reform, please take a look at the Transportation for America policy platform.

Jump to a brief:

  1. Transportation, Economic Opportunity and America’s Future
  2. Transportation, Small Towns and Rural Regions
  3. Transportation, Health and Public Safety
  4. Transportation Drives Land Development
  5. Transportation + Housing: A Double Burden or Shared Opportunity?
  6. Transportation and Climate: A Critical Linkage
  7. Transportation and Social Equity: Opportunity Follows Mobility
Download this Brief (pdf)

Transportation, Economic Opportunity and America’s Future

Without strategic investments in a modern transportation system, America will be supplanted as the world’s most productive economy. America is currently investing only 2.4% of gross domestic product (GDP) in infrastructure, in comparison to 5% in Europe and 9% in China. While we struggle to meet the need for repair of our roads and bridges, countries such as Spain, Japan and China are leading the way on new high-speed rail technology and shrinking distances between regions. Prioritizing our investments in a complete and modernized system would significantly increase connectivity and productivity while mitigating the costs of congestion. This brief, Transportation and Economic Opportunity, covers three basic ideas:

  1. Americans are ready to meet the economic challenges of the 21st century; but they can’t do it with a 20th Century transportation system.
  2. A revitalized transportation program is needed to provide the foundation for personal opportunity, robust commerce, and a healthy population while helping us further 21st Century goals of on energy security and environmental sustainability.
  3. Transportation investments should connect our small towns, big cities, and metropolitan regions to each other and the world, provide access to jobs, education and government services, and add value to our communities by investing in regional economic development.
Download this Brief (pdf)

Transportation, Small Towns and Rural Regions

Here are a few facts from the policy brief on Transportation, Small Towns and Rural Regions — discussing how our transportation system affects those who live in smaller towns and more rural areas.

  1. Access to jobs, schools, shopping, and critical community services is vital for Americans living in small cities and towns, and rural communities.
  2. Rural areas and small towns have higher concentrations of elderly and low-income citizens, who can greatly benefit from access to a variety of transportation options. In addition, children in rural areas are 25 percent more likely to be overweight or obese than those in urban areas and face unique barriers to being active and maintaining a healthy weight.
  3. Our nation’s transportation infrastructure should provide access for all Americans, regardless of their geographic location, age, income, or disability status. We need to care for our existing transportation network, while ensuring that we build a 21st century system that will allow residents of rural communities, small cities, and small towns to thrive.
Download this Brief (pdf)

Transportation, Public Health and Safety

Here are a few facts from the policy brief on Transportation, Public Health and Safety — discussing how our transportation system affects our health and safety.

  1. Opportunities to be physically active have been engineered out of daily life.
  2. The amount of time people spend on the road, and the number of drivers, has increased dramatically over the years.
  3. Roads and highways are often built to accommodate fast and easy transport and greater numbers of drivers, without sidewalks and crosswalks to provide safe pedestrian routes.
  4. Greenhouse gases are the biggest human activity-related contributor to climate change.
  5. The transportation sector makes up 1/3 of the carbon dioxide emissions from the U.S.
  6. Safe routes to walk and bike to school, work, play or public transit are often not available, especially in sprawling communities.
  7. Many households have moved to the urban edges, where housing is affordable, but access to public transportation and safe walking and biking paths are limited.
Download this Brief (pdf)

Transportation Drives Land Development

Transportation Drives Land Development covers three basic ideas:

  1. Transportation investments drive land development and have an enormous impact on the way we design our built environment.
  2. Urban sprawl and unplanned growth is costly financially, environmentally, and from a public health perspective.
  3. Rather than limiting lifestyle choices, compact, walkable development served by multiple transportation choices provide a higher quality of life. Developers also believe that market demand for walkable communities is strong and growing, but that greater investment in transit and non-motorized travel options is needed.
Download this Brief (pdf)

Transportation + Housing: A Double Burden or Shared Opportunity?

Transportation + Housing: A Double Burden or Shared Opportunity covers three basic ideas:

  1. Americans spend about 20 percent of their household budgets on transportation – second only to housing as a share of household costs.
  2. For many working households, the goal of affordable living is becoming less attainable as fuel prices and trip lengths increase.
  3. We need a transportation system that provides affordable choices for all Americans.
Download this Brief (pdf)

Transportation and Climate: A Critical Linkage

Transportation is the second largest and fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to producing many other benefits, public transportation, rail, and bike and pedestrian infrastructure already help reduce greenhouse gas pollution by millions of CO2 tons each day. Transportation and Climate: A Critical Linkage covers three basic ideas:

  1. The transportation system no longer supports the American Dream – a dream of livable communities free from pollution with less time spent in traffic, less oil use, and less global warming.
  2. Poorly planned transportation spending out of step with local needs has restructured America’s landscape and put enormous pressure on our natural resources.
  3. While federal legislation has done much to mitigate environmental degradation, the benefits of these efforts — especially in air quality and water quality — are gradually being overtaken by growth in motor vehicle traffic and urban sprawl.
Download this Brief (pdf)

Transportation and Social Equity: Opportunity Follows Mobility

Our transportation system should provide everyone — regardless of age, income, race or disability — with viable transportation options. So there are significant issues with a system that doesn’t extend opportunity to everyone in the same manner. This brief, Transportation and Social Equity: Opportunity Follows Mobility, covers three basic ideas:

  1. The current system is failing low income communities
  2. Transportation is at the center of opportunity.
  3. The nation’s transportation investments can be a powerful force for social and economic equity.
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