May 2009 Archives

The American population will undergo dramatic demographic changes in the next few decades. The number of senior citizens is projected to swell by 36 percent from 2010 to 2020 as Baby Boomers hit age 65, and minorities are projected to constitute the majority of the total population by 2042, according to a recent report by the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program. What do we need to do differently to meet the changing needs of the traveling public as the U.S. population becomes older and more ethnically and racially diverse? What can we do in the next surface transportation bill to begin that process?

8 responses: William Millar, Robin Chase, Jack Kinstlinger, Greg Cohen, Keith Laughlin, Joung Lee, Robert Puentes, Nancy LeaMond

Noting that economic forecasts show the freight volumes handled by America's ports, roads, rails and waterways will be 70 percent greater in 2020 than they were in 1998, the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission's report concluded, "Without improvements to the surface transportation network (especially key freight transportation corridors), freight transportation will become less efficient and reliable, hampering the ability of American businesses to compete in the global marketplace." How can the next surface transportation bill best meet -- and pay for meeting -- the country's growing freight movement needs?

15 responses: Patrick J. Natale, P.E., Lisa Caruso, Ed Hamberger, Leslie Blakey, Paul Yarossi, Bill Graves, Richard F. Timmons, Steve Heminger, Leslie Blakey, Steve Van Beek, Mortimer L. Downey, Jack Kinstlinger, Paul Weinstein Jr., Janet F. Kavinoky, Kurt J. Nagle

Last month, the $2.5 billion deal to lease Chicago's Midway Airport to a private operator fell through because investors -- Vancouver Airport Services, Citigroup, and John Hancock Insurance Company -- could not secure the necessary financing. Had the deal gone through, Midway would have been the first major U.S. airport to be privately run under a Federal Aviation Administration pilot program that Congress created in 1997. What does the collapse of this potentially ground-breaking deal mean for future privatization efforts? Was the failure to raise private capital simply a casualty of the current credit crunch, or does it represent a larger setback for public-private partnerships to operate roads, bridges and other transportation assets, as well?

21 responses: D.J. Gribbin, Andy Steinberg, Emil H. Frankel, Jeffrey Shane, Phineas Baxandall, Jeffrey Shane, James C. May, Gabriel Roth, Steve Van Beek, Mortimer L. Downey, Geoffrey S. Yarema, Bill Graves, Patrick D. Jones, Robert L. Darbelnet, Patrick J. Natale, P.E., Michael P. Jackson, Greg Principato, Ron Kuhlmann, Richard Mudge, Bob Poole, Ken Orski

Transportation sources contribute 30 percent of U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases, and road congestion is a large and growing problem in many urban areas. Yet the Highway Trust Fund is facing a severe cash crunch, and state transportation departments are worried that there won't be enough money for highways and mass transit. Should the next surface transportation bill allow states and municipalities to use a greater share of scarce Trust Fund dollars on non-highway projects such as bike lanes and pedestrian walkways?

Special Editor's Note: To enliven the debate and add some new perspectives, this week we invited bloggers from the land use and urban planning Web site, Planetizen.com, to join in the conversation.

27 responses: Jack Kinstlinger, Jeff Rosen, Lisa Caruso, Robert L. Darbelnet, Rich Sarles, Lisa Caruso, Richard Mudge, Michael Lewyn, Gabriel Roth, Terry O’Sullivan, Bill Graves, Nancy LeaMond, Robert Goodspeed, Diana DeRubertis, Todd Litman, Jess Zimbabwe, Ian Sacs, Steven Polzin, Mike Lydon, Sam Staley, Michael Dudley, James S. Russell, Rick Abelson, Eric Damian Kelly, Jeffrey Barg, Charles Buki, Greg Cohen