Posts Tagged "rural towns"
Fix-it-first would be a win for rural communities
The lack of repair requirements in the infrastructure bill will shortchange rural areas, costing them potential jobs and leaving them with crumbling roads and bridges that won’t get repaired. Our report highlights why using highway funds to fix roads and bridges would bring numerous benefits to rural America.
It’s time for infrastructure that works for rural America
Rural Americans need and deserve reliable and convenient transportation options, but current policies are failing them. Today we’re releasing six recommendations to help the administration make things right, combined with stories of success from rural America showing a better approach.
Rural areas desperately need a transportation overhaul, too
People disparage rural areas with the term “flyover country,” but our federal transportation program currently treats rural areas even worse—as “driveover” country. If Congress adopts Transportation for America’s three new policy principles, transportation investments could truly help rural areas prosper.
Catch up and learn about what’s at stake for small and rural transit providers in the budget
Smaller cities and rural areas are facing potential funding reductions, phase-outs or the total elimination of vital federal programs they depend upon to provide transit service — whether as a lifeline or a powerful economic development tool.
Housing and transportation squeeze hitting rural America, new reports concludes
When the Center for Neighborhood Technology released its revised Housing and Transportation Index last week, much of the focus naturally tilts toward cities due to the measurement of metropolitan areas. But CNT’s rural companion report on transportation costs in less-populated areas deserves ample attention as well. More than 1.6 million rural households do not have access to a car, making routine trips a strain on a family’s time and budget. For those who do drive, high gas prices take a big chunk out of monthly incomes.
T4 America co-chair testifies before Senate on rural transportation
Mayor John Robert Smith, T4 America co-chair and President of Reconnecting America, testified before a Senate committee today about the transportation challenges facing rural areas and small towns — and offered six practical suggestions for how the federal government can help them meet these challenges head-on. Far from being left behind or left out of federal transportation policy, Mayor Smith’s testimony provides a clear road map for boosting the economies of Main Streets across America.
Rural Senators focus on heartland transit
How could a new transportation bill revitalize rural and small-town America? That was the focus of a Senate Democratic Steering Committee briefing on “Issues and Innovations for Small Towns and Rural Communities” in the Capitol Visitors Center last Friday. Transportation for America co-chair and former Meridian, Mississippi Mayor John Robert Smith shared his perspective as […]
56 million people in rural America looking for better transportation solutions
A top priority in the transportation debate is addressing the mobility needs of the 56 million residents of rural areas and small towns in America – about 20 percent of the population of the United States. Rural areas and small towns often fall through the cracks of federal transportation policy, which focuses on statewide priorities for building new highways and often overlooks local needs and preferences. Transportation for America has been working closely with our coalition partners on this important issue for some time. Now, it looks like Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is also getting on board.
New policy paper: Transportation in small towns and rural regions
Our current transportation program leaves rural communities stranded. Providing access to jobs and the economy is critical for these rural areas and smaller towns. With little local control over how transportation money is spent, local transportation initiatives are often made in small towns and rural communities with little attention to local preferences and concerns. (Download our latest policy brief on Transportation, Small Towns and Rural Communities.)
Next Webinar May 14: Transportation in Small Cities, Towns, and Rural Regions
Please join Transportation for America’s interactive webinar on May 14 at 2 p.m. EDT to learn how federal leadership can reform transportation systems to benefit those in small cities, towns, and rural regions, and transform these smaller communities into centers of economic vitality, improved health, and livable places.
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