The transportation challenges for rural America have more to do with factors like access and opportunity than congestion and traffic. With volatile energy prices and longer distances between employment, groceries and health services, transportation choices are essential. 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. Rural residents with cars drive about 17 percent more miles each year than their urban counterparts.

CNT’s analysis finds rural residents feeling squeezed in every corner of America, from Alaska to Alabama. In the areas near Billings, Montana, average annual household gas expenses have reached $5,300 per year, up from just $2000 per year just a decade ago. Costs shot up $3,200 between 2000 and 2008 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. In the rural pockets surrounding Las Cruces, New Mexico, costs were up $3,100. In the image below, turquoise  indicates Billings-area communities where yearly housing and transportation costs exceed the 45 percent threshold.

The CNT formula defines true affordability as less than 45 percent of household income going toward housing and transportation costs combined.

The website features profiles of communities in both rural and metro areas alike.

CNT’s three recommendations for inclusion in a new transportation bill are: 1) making transportation costs as transparent as possible; 2) using a similar yardstick as the true affordability in future policies and funding priorities for transportation; and 3) increasing incentives for projects that increase transit options and proximity to employment and housing. Support for passenger rail and intercity buses — both heavily-relied upon in sparser parts of the country —can and should fit under these policy umbrellas.

But rural livability is much more than just a discussion topic in Washington D.C.  Stephen Lee Davis of Smart Growth America (and a Transportation for America colleague,) recently wrote about his experience living in Bentonville, Arkansas, a medium-sized town known best as the world headquarters for Wal-Mart Stores. In a two-part series on the Smart Growth America blog, Steve questioned the political figures who see livability as disconnected from America’s rural areas and small towns:

…for me and my wife and many others living in the older part of the city [street grid] in those weeks [in 2005] with astronomical gas prices, a pretty normal life was still possible, even while trying to cut back driving significantly to save money. Several weekends in a row, we parked our cars entirely, and managed to do our grocery shopping, go to church, visit friends, or listen to bluegrass in the square on a Friday night without having to get in either of our two cars. We walked 5 minutes to the grocery store. We biked to Walmart a handful of times — receiving many strange looks in the process. We went to eat at a new restaurant on the square. We went hiking on a short trail in the woods right on the edge of downtown. We went to the library.

Sounds pretty “livable,” right?

…and explained how current transportation policy has failed the residents of towns like Bentonville.

People who live in classic American small towns like Bentonville know a thing or two about livability. There’s nothing “livable” about being stuck in your subdivision that got built too far from town, work or school when gas prices get too high. Nor is it “livable” to have the federal government incentivizing (through money to the State DOT) the widening of highways into the county to encourage more sprawl outside of town even as the city is clamoring for more investment inside of it.

Like their urban counterparts, many residents in rural areas and small towns hope to preserve what they love about their way of life while making it easier to get by — and get around. CNT’s work helps to bring those challenges to light and move policy in a direction that produces results.

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 recommendations provide a clear road map for boosting the economies of Main Streets across America and connecting small cities and towns to increased economic opportunity. As the former Mayor of Meridian, Miss., and the board chair of Amtrak, he has experience on almost all sides.

The word may have connotations of big cities and tall buildings, but our small towns are decidedly “urban” — at least in the sense that many residents live decently close to a town center or square, with a street grid that gives people the option to walk. Schools may still be within walking distance in the town’s core, kids ride their bikes around town, families walk when they can, and these historic downtowns are still magnets for business and community events.

But while major metro areas are battling gridlock and congestion, smaller towns are looking at issues of access, ensuring that residents have good connnections to economic opportunities — and that they can get where they need to go quickly and affordably.

“Long commutes, volatile energy prices, and shifting demographics all impact the prosperity of these communities,” Mayor Smith testified this morning. ”Many small towns and rural areas lack the financial resources, planning capacity, or authority to implement solutions to their transportation needs. A bold new policy is needed at the federal level to meet those needs.”

He knows a thing or two about how transportation decisions can affect economic opportunity on Main Street after years as a mayor. “In my own hometown [Meridian, Miss.], through investment in our downtown and the creation of a transportation hub, we bolstered the local economy and reversed the decline of our historic buildings and city center. Other communities like ours can experience that same revitalization if our country will commit the resources needed to enhance the economic competitiveness of existing communities,” he said.

Download this Brief (pdf)

Mayor Smith, T4 America and our many partners in rural areas that developed these recommendations are seeking to provide a framework for residents of our small towns and rural areas to have the transportation options they need so they’re not stranded without options.

Residents of these areas are demanding good transit networks, safe streets, bridges that don’t fall down and highways that aren’t cracked and potholed.

Mayor Smith’s testimony to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee coincided with the release of a whitepaper on rural transportation entitled “Principles for Improving Transportation Options in Rural and Small Town Communities,” which describes T4 America’s recommendations in much greater detail.

You can read his full testimony here.

And read the official campaign press release.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Senate continues to develop a revitalized, long-term federal transportation program, Transportation for America (T4America) called on senators to support a bold new agenda for rural transportation that would spur economic development in small towns and cities across the United States.

In testimony today before the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, T4America Co-Chair John Robert Smith — former Mayor of Meridian, Mississippi and past chair of the Amtrak Board — issued a series of forward-looking recommendations to invigorate Main Streets across rural America and connect small cities and towns to increased economic opportunity.

The testimony is part of T4America’s Rural Transportation Initiative to gather policy recommendations from key transportation practitioners, nonprofit advocates, service providers, and elected officials who serve small town and rural America. The working group’s recommendations are summed up in the white paper released today along with Mayor Smith’s testimony entitled, “Principles for Improving Transportation Options in Rural and Small Town Communities.”

“Transportation challenges facing small town America are not of congestion but of access,” Mayor Smith testified. “Long commutes, volatile energy prices, and shifting demographics all impact the prosperity of these communities. Many small towns and rural areas lack the financial resources, planning capacity, or authority to implement solutions to their transportation needs. A bold new policy is needed at the federal level to meet those needs.”

The recommendations presented by T4America highlight the importance of six key areas of policy reform necessary to meet the transportation challenges facing rural America:

• Invest in Main Street to link public transit, passenger rail, high-speed rail, commercial air service and intercity buses. These intercity transportation networks will create local hubs and generate millions of dollars in private economic development to preserve and revitalize small town main streets across the country.
• Empower Local Communities through institutional reforms to ensure residents and leaders of small towns and rural communities are part of the decision-making process in finding solutions.
• Improve the Conditions and Safety of our Transportation System by fixing our rural infrastructure and finding highway design solutions to correct dangerous conditions that threaten the safety of our people.
• Invest in Public Transportation to meet the growing demand and need of an aging rural population that is increasingly reliant on local transit service.
• Preserve and Create Livable Communities to enhance the economic competitiveness, historic character and heritage of small town America.
• Move Goods Through Rural America with increased flexibility and investment in infrastructure such as rail, intermodal transfer points, and inland waterways to ensure that rural economies continue to be competitive in the 21st century global economy.

“Rural America is not what’s missing between the cities. It’s what connects us,” said Dee Davis, president of the Center for Rural Strategies in Whitesburg, KY, one of T4America’s partners in developing rural-oriented proposals for the transportation bill. “It makes a real difference having a chance to join the conversation about a more thoughtful, strategic way to invest transportation dollars. We thank the Senators for taking the time to listen to rural concerns, and look forward to a new bill that serves us all.”

Mayor Smith knows firsthand about the transformative power of thoughtful transportation investment. “In my own hometown, through investment in our downtown and the creation of a transportation hub, we bolstered the local economy and reversed the decline of our historic buildings and city center,” he said. “Other communities like ours can experience that same revitalization if our country will commit the resources needed to enhance the economic competitiveness of existing communities.”

Full EPW Testimony: http://t4america.org/resources/jrs-testimony-epw/
“Principles for Improving Transportation Options in Rural and Small Town Communities”: http://t4america.org/policy-papers/#rural1

We’re talking, of course, about the Obama Administration’s initiatives for livable and sustainable communities. The President’s proposed budget allocates a modest amount of the transportation, housing and environmental protection budgets to promote planning and projects that integrate the three areas.

The idea is that investments in one should help promote goals in the other. So, for example, highway investments in a small town should have the effect of strengthening the existing Main Street rather than undermining it. Similarly, federally supported affordable housing investments should be linked up with affordable transportation, in areas served by public transit. You get the idea.

Recently, some members of Congress have expressed concern that this initiative applies only to urban areas. The truth is that rural towns and smaller cities have just as much – and very likely more – need for funds to help create smart plans and to fund innovative projects than metro areas.

Senator Mark Begich of Alaska said he worried that his small communities would be left out, and Representative Tom Latham of Iowa labeled livability programs as “boutique.” Senator Kit Bond of Missouri declared: “I’ve got a lot of constituents for whom livability means having a decent highway.”

It is certainly true that a decent highway could be a critical connection for a small town, but whether the highway makes the place more livable is very much determined by where that highway goes, the kind of development it promotes (or thwarts) and whether it is safe for older residents and children as it moves through town. These factors may determine whether the heart of that town lives or dies – as has been the case in countless towns across America.

If any place is in need of resources to make strong, smart plans and implement them well, it is rural America.

Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari said it well at a recent hearing: “it’s clear that livability really applies to rural areas as much as it does anywhere else,” adding that the standards would prioritize a revival of “the quality of life that many of us enjoy in small towns.”

No one is saying we should stop funding highways. In fact, one of the goals of livability programs and others like it is making sure we’re smart about which highways to build and which ones are in need of repair. That remains a top priority for the DOT and is reflected in the President’s budget.

We need more than one tool in the toolbox to give rural America the lift it needs. Many low-income Americans lack access to a car or have to share one with a relative. Seniors who are not longer able to drive need a means to reach groceries, health services and social events. Americans from both dense metros and wide plains struggle with long commutes and gridlocked roads that keep them away from their families.

Livability programs instruct transportation officials to look at the whole picture. Is this new road close to where people live? Does it help them get to work faster? Does it facilitate recreation and better quality of life? These are considerations that matter as much to rural Americans as anyone.

Senator Begich, Senator Bond, Representative Latham and others want what is best for their constituents. A focus on livability can help facilitate that. And one thing we do know is that the status quo no longer will.

Photo courtesy of Smart Growth America.

Transportation for America co-chair and former Meridian, Mississippi Mayor John Robert Smith shared his perspective as chief executive of a mid-sized city in a rural area. During his tenure, Smith initiated a renovation of Meridian’s historic train station, sparking growth and economic vitality in the downtown corridor that is now the “life of Meridian.” The improvements that he championed resulted in $135 million in capital investments around the station, and property values quadrupled in an area previously devoid of residents. More importantly, a vital aspect of mobility was restored for all residents of the area. Knowing firsthand how vital Amtrak service was to Mississippians, especially many traveling on fixed budgets, he helped lead the fight to restore the train route between Atlanta and New Orleans, and has continued his advocacy for passenger rail travel ever since.

Rural and small-town residents throughout the country are seeking more transportation options and want to ensure that they’re not left behind. Briefing panelists emphasized that transportation reform, far from leaving the heartland in the dust, can actually encourage growth and improve quality of life.

For one thing, improving rural transportation helps seniors. In 2000, 23 percent of older adults in America lived in rural areas, and as they age, they risk being isolated in their homes in the absence of adequate transportation infrastructure. Broader accessibility is a challenge as well due to long distances some rural Americans must travel to reach employment, groceries and health services. And, intercity mobility remains limited in many parts of the country, cutting people off from friends, family and economic opportunity. During the briefing, Mayor Smith spoke not only about the economic benefits of revitalizing the area around the train station, but also about the transit service that connected low-income residents in Meridian’s HOPE VI housing development, ensuring their access to essential destinations.

Enhancing transportation safety, relieving highway congestion by shifting goods movement to freight rail, investing in public buses and paratransit services and increasing intercity and multi-modal connectivity are some potential solutions for small cities and rural regions. T4 America staff have partnered with National Association of Counties and the National Association of Development Organizations, both of which were represented at the briefing, to help promote these solutions as vital parts of the upcoming transportation bill.

Far from leaving rural America out, a much-needed overhaul to our nation’s transportation policy can in fact provide a needed lifeline and help rural areas and smaller towns succeed as vital, livable places for all.

Rochelle Carpenter of Transportation for America contributed to this report.

Access to jobs, schools, shopping, and critical community services is just as vital for Americans living in small cities, towns and rural communities. 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.

Listening to folks at the La Crosse Interstate Fair in Wisconsin this week, he heard many of the same things that we already know:

• It’s getting harder financially to depend on a truck or car for all of a family’s transportation needs.
• Rural residents need public transportation just like city-dwellers do.
• Access to commercial air service is increasingly difficult for rural areas.
• Shippers of grain and other products need better freight options to get rurally produced goods to markets.

Clearly, the transportation system in rural areas and small towns faces challenges and demands that are unique from those in our metropolitan areas. Small cities and towns have higher concentrations of older Americans and families in poverty who would absolutely benefit from more affordable transportation options, beyond just driving. 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. Non-metro areas have a larger share of people over age 65 (15 percent) than the country as a whole (12 percent) particularly across the middle of the country. (According to 2004 numbers.)

These challenges are amplified by global changes in the economic marketplace, insufficient funding to maintain substandard or unpaved roads, improve public transportation services, and upgrade or replace substandard and deteriorating bridges.

Our nation’s transportation infrastructure should provide access for all Americans, regardless of their geographic location, age, income, or disability status. While there are no easy answers here, Secretary LaHood’s comments are a good starting point for reframing the debate towards policy options that benefit all Americans, regardless of geography.

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:

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.

Register now!

Please join Transportation for America’s next 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.

A companion policy brief on transportation in small cities, towns, and rural regions will also be released on this date,  available online following the webinar with our other policy briefs.

Our discussion will be led by a panel of experts on rural transportation and related issues:

• Matthew Chase, Executive Director of the National Association of Development Organizations,
• Dale Marsico, Executive Director of the Community Transportation Association of America,
• Dee Davis, President of the Center for Rural Strategies and Chair of the National Rural Assembly, and
• Janice Brown, Executive Director of the Yellowstone Business Partnership.

Lisa Ballard, President of Current Transportation Solutions, will serve as the moderator, and will provide an overview of how T4 America’s transportation policy recommendations will boost local economies and achieve better quality of life outcomes in non-metropolitan areas.

Registration is free and open to the public. Register today and be sure to sign up for our other webinars being held over the coming months at t4america.org/webinars