Webinar Series: Transportation and the Economy
May 28, 2009By Stephen Lee Davis
Can smarter transportation investments play a part in bringing about an economic recovery?
Join us as we discuss the connections between transportation and economic opportunity tomorrow, Friday, April 29 from 1-3 p.m. EDT. Speakers will explore how the transportation sector drives the economy and creates employment opportunities for American workers. Topics will include the transportation sector’s ability to create good jobs and sustain global growth, and the use of transportation as a driver of neighborhood revitalization.
A panel of experts on economic opportunity will lead our discussion, including Carmen Rhodes, Executive Director of FRESC, Mac Lynch, Program Associate at Apollo Alliance, Peter Skinner, Director of Transportation & Land Use at Silicon Valley Leadership Group. The session will be moderated by Dena Belzer, President of Strategic Economics.
Registration is free and open to the public — visit www.t4america.org/webinars to register today.
A new vision for freight
March 3, 2009By Andrew Bielak
| Download our fact sheet on freight (.PDF) |
The safe and efficient movement of goods across the United States is an absolutely critical aspect of our national economy. While discussions about building a modern transportation network often focus on the need to provide people with better options, an equally important ingredient for broad-based reform is the creation of a truly multi-modal freight system that matches the increasing demand for freight improvement while addressing national objectives for greater efficiency and reduced oil demand. Reforming our approach to freight won’t just improve the movement of goods — it will also make life much easier for commuters by reducing demand on our highways and opening our rail system for the freer movement of passengers.
The existing problems and needs in our system are clear:
- Between 1980 and 2006, road infrastructure capacity increased 4.5 percent while railroad route miles actually decreased 23.6 percent.
- Recent cargo projections for contained ports anticipate a doubling or tripling of throughput growth in the next 15 or 20 years.
- Recurring road congestion during peak periods is forecast to slow traffic on 20,000 miles of highway system and create stop-and-go conditions on an additional 45,000 miles by 2035.
- Every ton-mile of freight moved by rail instead of truck reduces GHG emissions by two-thirds of more.
Check out our fact sheet on freight, which is linked above, and be sure to sign Transportation for America’s petition urging Congress to take a new direction by making the creation of a 21st-century freight system a top priority in the next transportation bill. To get a more detailed look at some of our positions on investment in freight capacity, be sure to check out our newly released platform.
Getting Results on Transportation
November 21, 2008By Andrew Bielak
With the ripple effects of our economic downturn putting state departments of transportation and local transit agencies in serious financial trouble, our federal government needs to make a firm commitment to investing in our crumbling infrastructure and providing Americans with affordable, efficient transportation options.
In an excellent article in this week’s New York Times, writer David Leonhardt reminds us that we can’t simply face these challenges by throwing billions of dollars at new highway construction projects without a coherent set of goals or a system for measuring gains. We need to look at what we’re getting with the money we already spend — and then ask ourselves why the results aren’t better.
A lack of adequate financing is part of the problem, without doubt. But the bigger problem has been an utter lack of seriousness in deciding how that money gets spent. And as long as we’re going to stimulate the economy by spending money on roads, bridges and the like, we may as well do it right.
It’s hard to exaggerate how scattershot the current system is. Government agencies usually don’t even have to do a rigorous analysis of a project or how it would affect traffic and the environment, relative to its cost and to the alternatives — before deciding whether to proceed. In one recent survey of local officials, almost 80 percent said they had based their decisions largely on politics, while fewer than 20 percent cited a project’s potential benefits.
Without accountability at the state, local, or federal level, rigorous data collection to prove results, or coherent national goals that articulate the purpose of our investments, it comes as little surprise that Americans are faced with endless traffic jams, overburdened mass transit systems, and rising costs of transportation.
As Rob Puentes, a transportation expert at Washington D.C. think tank The Brookings Institution, makes clear, the system is broken in part because we don’t think about what benefits our transportation program brings; we just “send a blank check and kind of hope for the best.”
Governors call for new approach to transportation
October 15, 2008By Andrew Bielak
Sarah Karush of the Associated Press examined Transportation for America’s plan to rebuild our economy with smart investment in infrastructure, and found support from Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, and former Maryland Governor Parris Glendening. The entire article is printed below.
(Continue Reading)
Saved by the Deficit?
October 9, 2008By Andrew Bielak
Prominent economist Robert Reich argues that with all signs pointing to the economic recession getting worse, now is an important time for government to invest in education, health care, and infrastructure. (New York Times)
Bailout gives tax break to bicycle commuters
October 9, 2008By Andrew Bielak
Through a provision in the $700 billion bailout package, people who commute to work on two wheels will become eligable to receive a $20 tax-free reimbursement each month. (San Francisco Chronicle — Rachel Gordon)
Issues: Infrastructure: Approach With Caution
October 6, 2008By Andrew Bielak
With the financial crisis and $700 billion bailout package dominating conversation in Washington and on the campaign travel, political candidates are avoiding a central economic issue — the need to reinvest in our crumbling infrastructure. (Congressional Quarterly — Colby Itkowitz)
Oil Prices Down After Spike
September 23, 2008By Andrew Bielak
Wild stock market swings put oil prices all over the map on Monday, with light, sweet crude rising by $25 — the largest increase ever in a single day — before dropping to $107 a barrel on Tuesday morning. (New York Times — Matthew Saltmarsh)
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- Transit grants out the federal door, but what about the cuts?
March 8, 2010 - Transit riders in Atlanta face massive cuts, “wholesale restructuring” of service
March 5, 2010 - Opposition to Senate extension results in looming shutdown of federal transportation programs
February 26, 2010 - T4 jobs proposal would create nearly half a million jobs, according to Economic Policy Institute
February 17, 2010 - Obama’s 2011 budget gives a lift to livability and transportation
February 2, 2010
- Transit grants out the federal door, but what about the cuts?
The United States of Transit Cutbacks
Driving is down and transit ridership is at record highs. Yet transit agencies across the country are considering layoffs, service cuts and fare hikes. Find out more and learn what you can do to help at t4america.org/transitcuts
Transportation: In your eyes
Send us your transportation-related photos.
