Leslie Blakey is a principal in Blakey & Agnew, LLC, a Washington, DC public and government relations firm, which manages advocacy organizations in addition to assisting individuals, companies and institutions communicate effectively in federal, state and local arenas.
As executive director of the Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors, Leslie has helped to unite a large and growing number of public and private organizations around the need for increased federal investment in multimodal freight infrastructure. She manages the Coalition's work to increase awareness of the benefits of goods movement infrastructure development and to coordinate legislative strategy and support.
She also directs the National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running. Founded in 2001, the Campaign provides the public and elected officials with information and analysis to better understand the problems of aggressive driving, particularly red light running and speeding, as well as the importance of law enforcement practices and tools to make our highways safer.
Blakey has testified before various government agencies and addressed transportation issues to a wide variety of groups, including the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences, ITS America, the National League of Cities and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. She also serves as Chairman of the Forerunner Foundation, an independent research and education organization dedicated to forward-thinking public policy.
Blakey holds a B.S. in Sociology and a M.S. in Public Administration from Florida State University. Blakey is fluent in French and holds a professional degree from the Lycee Hoteliere de Strasbourg in France.
One definition of "national policy" is a wide-ranging course of action used to guide the federal government in pursuing its goals. With respect to freight, this requires us to first establish our national goals, as distinct from local or regional goals. Obvious among these are providing for the efficient conduct of commerce across state lines and access to foreign markets for American exported products and, similarly, for products imported to meet in-country consumer demand. Then, there is the need to anticipate future demand and provide the necessary infrastructure to facilitate tomorrow's commerce and compete in the global marketplace. Third, given… Read more
The Freight Stakeholder Coalition, of which our CAGTC group is a member, released a reauthorization platform today that directly addresses this week's question. This consensus document is particularly notable for the array of organizations (listed at the end) endorsing the common theme of a dedicated national freight program and funding: FREIGHT STAKEHOLDERS COALITION 2009 Surface Transportation Reauthorization Platform The Freight Stakeholders Coalition represents shippers and public and private transportation providers working together to support policies to promote freight mobility in the United States. The Coalition believes that the next surface transportation authorization bill must maintain a strong federal… Read more
A broad based freight advocacy group, the Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors, contends that this is one of the most critical issues in the next authorization. Without a campaign of strategic investment to expand capacity and increase efficiency, U.S. productivity and global competitiveness will weaken, costs will increase and investment will lag. A new program should be established to address freight mobility, on all modes, by adding capacity and improving efficiency. We must focus on the system as a whole, rather than viewing the nation’s transportation infrastructure as several different systems that occasionally interact. As it stands, passengers… Read more
The question is a complicated one, particularly since the starting point is entirely different depending on whether passenger or freight needs are the focus. For various reasons, we have not done a good job integrating modes for passenger movement and there is enormous room for improvement. For example, high speed rail between heavily traveled airport destinations less than 300 miles apart could achieve multiple benefits for travelers and the broader public, while freeing up airspace and runways for long haul flights. Although this kind of intermodalism has been embraced in other parts of the world, it is a very long… Read more
Given President Obama’s strong statements about the need for investment in transportation infrastructure, the modesty of the proposed increase in overall transportation spending, less than $2B, will disappoint many. But, the biggest cause for concern may have to do with the footnote on page 3 of the Technical Changes document which says, “… the Administration does not support an extension of the minimum funding level contained in House rules.” The implication of this is a return to a pre-TEA 21 unified budget when Congress was able to use balances in the Highway Trust Fund to finance non-transportation general fund… Read more
Related Link: http://www.blakey-agnew.com
