Transportation For America

New policy paper: Transportation in small towns and rural regions

May 28, 2009
By Stephen Lee Davis

Check out the sixth in our ongoing series of policy briefs. These policy briefs are short, four-page, concise summaries of an issue with interesting facts and some clear recommendations for improvement through the federal transportation bill. Download this Brief (pdf)

Smaller towns and rural communities face a different set of issues than urban or suburban America, and we need a transportation program that recognizes those differences, provides access for all people, and helps them succeed economically.

In our webinar two weeks ago, we talked about transportation challenges and solutions in smaller towns and rural areas, and we encourage you to download the accompanying policy brief on Transportation, Small Towns and Rural Communities.

As the policy brief makes clear, our current transportation program leaves rural communities stranded.

Providing access to jobs and the economy is critical for these rural areas and smaller towns. Unfortunately, since many of the decisions about how to invest in transportation are made at the state and federal level, local residents often have little say over how their transportation dollars are spent.

The 56 million residents of rural areas and small towns – about 20 percent of the population of the United States – often fall through the cracks of federal transportation policy.

These towns have higher concentrations of elderly and low-income citizens, who face unique challenges in accessing their jobs, school or civic life. 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.

Consider five short facts from this brief:

More than 1.6 million rural households do not have access to a car.
Demand for better transportation is growing — between 2002 and 2005, ridership for small urban and rural public transportation systems jumped nearly 20 percent.
Across America, households in the lowest 20 percent income bracket spend about 42 percent of their annual income on transportation. This burden is especially heavy during periods of high energy costs, since residents of rural areas drive about 17 percent more than than urban residents.
Limited transportation options are causing traffic congestion in small towns and rural areas to increase by 11 percent per year, twice the rate of large, urban areas.
There are more than 450,000 rural bridges, and almost half of the bridges more than 20 feet long are structurally deficient. 58 percent of highway fatalities occur on rural roads, a rate twice that of urban roads.

Rural transportation connects people to jobs, health care, and family and contributes to regional economic growth by linking businesses to customers, goods to markets, and tourists to destinations. Research has shown that rural and small metropolitan transit services offer measurable economic benefits. In one study, rural counties with transit service were found to have 11 percent greater average net earnings growth over counties without transit, and the estimated annual impact of rural public transportation on the national economy was over $1.2 billion.

Bottom line? 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.

Check out the webinars page to listen to or watch a recording of our recent session on this topic.

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Tags: new reports, policy briefs, rural towns

Webinar wrap: Transportation, energy and climate change

April 3, 2009
By Stephen Lee Davis

Download the second in a series of policy briefs from T4: Transportation and Climate Change: A Critical Linkage (pdf)

Nearly 150 transportation practitioners, environmental advocates, and green energy supporters signed up for our second webinar yesterday, focusing on Transportation and the Environment.

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 for America held this online discussion to explore how building the second half of our transportation system and reforming our local, state and federal transportation policies can help conserve oil and contribute to meeting the nation’s energy goals.

Deron Lovaas, Federal Transportation Policy Director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, moderated the discussion and provided an overview of the greenhouse gas reductions possible from the transportation sector and the potential benefits of a U.S. cap-and-trade system.

John Holtzclaw, of the Sierra Club’s 21st Century Transportation Committee, discussed the costs of sprawl versus the benefis of compact, walkable develoment patterns. Joshua Saks, with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation presented an overview of the impacts of transportation on water quality. Finally, Michael Replogle, Transportation Director for the Living Cities Program at the Environmental Defense Fund, discussed the impacts of the transportation system on climate change and opportunities to ensure a low-carbon transportation system is possible in the future.

For those of you who attended the session, check out the Transportation for America Policy Brief on the issue and view a transcript of the presenters’ responses to your questions. This policy brief (available for download now), Transportation and Climate: A Critical Linkage, covers three basic ideas:

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.
Poorly planned transportation spending out of step with local needs has restructured America’s landscape and put enormous pressure on our natural resources
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 it now and feel free to pass it along to friends and colleagues. And be sure to join Transportation for America to help us tell Congress that smarter transportation investments should be part of any climate solution.

Webinar resources:

Audio and video recording of the entire webinar (click to launch in a new window)
A summary of the questions asked and responses (pdf)
T4 Policy Brief on Transportation, Climate and Energy (pdf)
Register for more upcoming webinars

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Tags: climate change, energy, energy security, policy briefs, webinars

Wrapping up the first Webinar: Transportation and Social Equity

March 26, 2009
By Stephen Lee Davis

Download the first in a series of policy briefs from T4: Transportation and Social Equity: Opportunity Follows Mobility (pdf)

Our first webinar in a series of them was held earlier this week, and it was a great success. Nearly 100 advocates and supporters signed up for a session on Transportation and Social Equity.

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.

Judith Bell, president of PolicyLink, led an informative discussion about ways in which transportation policies and programs affect low income, minority, and other often marginalized populations.

Nathaniel Smith, Director of Partnerships for Equitable Development at Emory University and Ron Achelpohl, Assistant Director of Transportation for the Mid-America Regional Council, spoke about local actions in Atlanta and Kansas City respectively to make equity considerations a fundamental part of the transportation planning process. Laura Barrett, National Policy Director for theTransportation Equity Network, discussed advocacy efforts at the national level — particularly around equitable stimulus spending.

For those of you who attended the session, we wanted to make sure that you don’t miss the first in a series of policy briefs from Transportation for America. This first brief (available for download now), Transportation and Social Equity: Opportunity Follows Mobility, covers three basic ideas:

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

Download it now and feel free to pass it along to friends and colleagues. And be sure to join Transportation for America to help us tell Congress that our transportation investments should extend opportunity to all Americans — regardless of race, class, or gender.

Webinar resources:

Audio and video recording of the entire webinar (click to launch in a new window)
A summary of the questions asked and responses (Coming soon)
T4 Policy Brief on Transportation and Social Equity (pdf)
Register for more upcoming webinars

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Filed Under: Campaign Blog
Tags: equity, featured, policy briefs, policylink, webinars

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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