Lisa Caruso covers education, immigration and transportation for National Journal. She joined the magazine in 2003 as editor of the People section and later served as a lobbying reporter. Prior to that, she covered budget, appropriations, and the congressional leadership for CongressDaily. A graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, she got her start in journalism at the York Dispatch in York, Pa. before covering environmental issues for Stevens Publishing and Congressional Green Sheets.
The following response was sent in by Scott Belcher, president and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America): This question is one that should be central to all current discussions regarding the next surface transportation bill. The economic opportunity and prosperity that our nation has enjoyed since the creation of the Interstate Highway System are at risk. Each day, congestion continues to worsen in virtually every major city and freight corridor, the number of motorists killed and seriously injured in traffic accidents remains at unacceptable levels, and wasteful CO2 emissions from cars stuck in traffic jams continues to… Read more
The following response was sent by Clifford Eby, former deputy and acting administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration from 2005 to 2009. He is currently a senior vice president at Parsons Brinckerhoff. Inbound or Outbound? Berkshire Hathaway is a patient investor. Low leverage, large cash reserves, and a reliance on fundamentals allow it to buy and hold investments for long periods. On its surface, Berkshire Hathaway appears to be the ideal landing place for a long-lived capital-intensive railroad, but for years, Berkshire Hathaway has avoided capital intensive railroad investments. Why now? Many have speculated on the rationale for Berkshire Hathaway investment in railroads. Is it… Read more
Updated at 1:39 p.m. on Nov. 13. Samuel Staley, the libertarian Reason Foundation's land use expert (we have Reason's transportation expert, Bob Poole, on this blog), has an interesting post on the BNSF sale on the foundation's Web site. Check it out: http://reason.org/blog/show/atlas-shrugged-railroads-and-w… Read more
The following post is from Bill Wilkinson, a consultant and the former head of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking: A “Lack of Awareness” …? I think not. Rather, it is a lack of will and a lack of leadership that sustains our appalling highway (un)safety record. Has there ever been a Secretary of USDOT or a NHTSA Administrator that wasn’t “aware” of the problem? After 40+ years, can either of these two agencies – or anyone else – honestly assert that the “problem” is due to a lack of data or that we need more research? What we… Read more
Anne McCartt, senior vice president, research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety sent us the following post: The problem with distracted driving is not awareness. Surveys show that most people agree that drivers should not use cellphones and drive, even many of those who also admit they do so. The problem is how to make laws effective in changing driver behavior. The cumulative evidence from various types of studies points to cellphone use as a risk factor for crashes and impaired driving performance. While studies have reached different estimates of the magnitude of the risk, well-controlled research that… Read more
Transportation Secretary LaHood and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski today annouced a partnership between their agencies to educate the public about the dangers of distracted driving and to look at technologies that could reduce it. Here's a link to what he posted on his blow, the Fast Lane: http://fastlane.dot.gov/ So, what does everyone think of this effort?… Read more
Roger Wentz, CAE, President and CEO of the American Traffic Safety Services Association, sent us the following response: Commendably, Secretary LaHood has repeatedly stated that safety is the number one priority for U.S.-DOT. But he is right on another point as well. Far too many people die on America’s road; on average, 40,000 individuals die each year in car crashes. Yes, distracted driving is an issue that deserves serious and thoughtful consideration and action in order to reduce distractions and enhance a driver’s ability to focus on the road. However, there is roadway safety infrastructure that can implemented right… Read more
Dr. Paul Lebow, past president of One Less Car and past president of MADD – Central Maryland, submitted this response: Upon reading the responses to the question Lisa posed, it is evident to me at least that as long as one remains immersed in the present transportation paradigm (i.e. inside “the box”) the best we can do is recycle platitudes. In fact, the current transportation system is the result of a steady evolution from a its ancestral root, the horse and buggy – it is time let go of some of the vestigial characteristics that continue to lead to failing… Read more
The New York Times has an interesting story today about the tough approach that Britain is taking to distracted driving. If you haven't read it yet, here's the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/02/technology/02texting.html?_r=1&th&emc=th… Read more
The following post was submitted byEllen Dannin, the Fannie Weiss Distinguished Faculty Scholar and Professor of Law at Penn State Dickinson School of Law: Claims that infrastructure privatization shifts future financial risk from the public to the private contractor are not correct. That the claims are not correct is apparent to anyone who reads the contracts. Infrastructure privatization contracts are filled with terms that mean money flows from the public to the private contractor when there are lower than anticipated revenues. In fact, these contracts tend to run on for over 100 pages because of all the provisions that… Read more
The following was submitted by Tony Chavira, associate editor of FourStory, a non-profit affordable housing online magazine that champions issues of fair living conditions: It would be strange to talk about the potential for the interconnectedness of agencies and the Obama administration’s “Livable Communities” initiative and not mention the HUD’s HOPE VI “Public & Indian Housing” program and it’s varied successes over the past 20 years. Even despite the fact that the Bush administration essentially gutted the program’s budget, HOPE VI has set a great record for strategically-targeting blighted areas and structures and working with both federal and local agencies… Read more
Just wanted to let everyone know that I have an "Insider Interview" I did yesterday with former Transportation Secretary (and NJ expert blogger) Mary Peters posted elsewhere on the Web site. Here's the link: http://insiderinterviews.nationaljournal.com/2009/10/post-1.php… Read more
The following post was submitted by Allen D. Biehler, Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation and AASHTO President: It is one of my greatest frustrations when I learn that a local government has rezoned a piece of property that will generate additional truck or car traffic without looking at the larger transportation grid. A new manufacturing plant? Great for the economy but why is it stuck at the end of a highway with no access to the Interstate? An upscale residential community? Again, good for the tax base but how will the homeowners get to work if transit, buses or other… Read more
The following was submitted by Susan Monteverde, Vice President, Government Relations for the American Association of Port Authorities: In a word…yes…our transportation system is safer since implementing the many security policies and programs called for after 9/11. Looking at America’s seaports specifically, from the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 to the SAFE Port Act of 2006, billions of government, port authority and private-sector dollars have been invested to enhance the ports’ ability to thwart terrorism and protect people and cargo from malicious intent. These investments have ranged from guards, fences and sophisticated surveillance cameras, to federal ID cards with embedded… Read more
Hiroko Kawai, principal with the transportation practice group at the Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado, submitted the following response: We are encouraged to see that transportation stakeholders and experts agree on the need for a national freight program. That is exactly what we heard from the trucking industry at a Charette held in Denver last April. Convened by Rocky Mountain Institute, 40 trucking industry players — including truck OEMs, component suppliers, technology innovators and engineering design firms, and state and federal level policy makers — met to bust the “efficiency barrier.” As Steve Van Beek, president and CEO of Eno Transportation Foundation stated,… Read more
The following post was submitted by David Foster, executive director of RAIL Solution (www.railsolution.org ), a non-profit citizens' rail advocacy group. Pivotal to the future of land transportation in America is implementation of a National Steel Interstate System (NSIS). Analogous to the vision, scope, courage, and function of its highway forerunner, it would do for the nation’s railroads what the Eisenhower Interstate System did for roads. A core national network would be created of high-volume rail corridors, the backbone for movement of both goods and people in the 21st Century. They would be multi-tracked, grade-separated, higher speed, employ state of the… Read more
Gregory Albjerg, Vice President and National Director of Airspace Planning for HNTB Corporation, submitted the following response: Many of the airlines and general aviation operators have indicated that they are willing to invest in new technology if that technology provides clear benefits. The element of the NextGen system that has great potential to provide early benefits is precise satellite based navigation (typically known as RNAV and RNP). The FAA has been pursuing an aggressive program to implement the development of these procedures. However, to date the majority of them, especially for arrival to airports have been “overlay procedures” based upon… Read more
Jeff Breneman, executive director for the U.S. Coalition for Advanced Diesel Cars and contributor to National Journal's Energy & Environment Expert Blog, offers the following response to our question this week: Indeed a smart and holistic approach to traffic and land use management is critical to reducing emissions from the transportation sector. As these strategies are considered and eventually implemented, in the short term we must appreciate Americans’ historical love for hitting the open road and find ways to leverage technology that will significantly reduce petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions. A close look reveals a host of technologies… Read more
Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., sent us the following response: I agree with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood that tolling of federal interstates should not be permitted on existing facilities. Moreover, I believe it has been best stated by House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar, when during a 2007 visit to Pennsylvania he said, “They’re taking existing capacity, built with federal highway trust funds, and charging you twice for it by putting a toll on it.” The Interstate Highway System was created to enhance the flow of goods and services throughout the country and has improved our economy and the… Read more
Frank Rapoport, Chair of the Global Infrastructure and Public-Private Partnerships practice at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, sent us the following: Earlier this year, the ASCE adjusted their analysis of America’s crumbling infrastructure to the tune of $2.2 trillion. As the 2010 US election cycle approaches, we’re hearing an increasing number of public officials join the timely debate on public-private partnerships (P3). Between now and Fall 2010, over 460 US Congressional, 37 gubernatorial and hundreds of municipal (including New York City, Houston, Detroit, Atlanta and Seattle) elections will occur, ushering in a new class of politicians. According to a national… Read more
The following was submitted by Susan Monteverde, Vice President, Government Relations for the American Association of Port Authorities: In a word…yes…our transportation system is safer since implementing the many security policies and programs called for after 9/11. Looking at America’s seaports specifically, from the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 to the SAFE Port Act of 2006, billions of government, port authority and private-sector dollars have been invested to enhance the ports’ ability to thwart terrorism and protect people and cargo from malicious intent. These investments have ranged from guards, fences and sophisticated surveillance cameras, to federal ID cards with embedded… Read more
Jan Lars Mueller, senior policy associate with the transportation & energy program at the Environmental & Engery Study Institute in Washington, D.C., offers the following comments: Should VMT reduction be a goal unto itself? Let's accept the premise, per other commenters, that we are not talking about limiting access or mobility--quite the opposite, we are accepting the challenge of enhancing access, mobility, and freight movement by the most cost-effective, efficient, and satisfactory means possible while reconciling other critical national goals. VMT reduction, in that case, may be an important pathway or by-product of achieving national goals--e.g. oil independence, greenhouse… Read more
Peter Appel, Administrator of the Department of Transportation's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, sent us the following: As we look forward to modernizing and rebuilding our transportation system and infrastructure, technology must be a part of our efforts. How that is specifically incorporated is yet to be seen—but Intelligent Transportation Systems will be a large part of our plan. In the near-term, our nation is presented with a tremendous, unique opportunity to advance ITS projects across the country through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). ITS projects planned by state and local governments are eligible for funding from the ARRA’s… Read more
Peter Samuel, editor of TOLLROADSnews, weighs in this week with the following: Not one of your experts seems to have grasped a fundamental point. The only objective way to measure the overall performance of the transportation system is to see what users are prepared to pay to use its component parts as compared to the operating and capital costs of each. The benefits of any facility will be measured by what users are prepared to pay by way of tolls, fares or other user fees, or they won't use it. Those revenues can be compared to costs. This test… Read more
Rodger James Sillars, a consultant with Effective Melodious Metamorphic Sagacity and former administrater with the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, offers the following comments: The short answer is that of course operating expense should be federally funded. It was funded for a good while as the federal role in funding transit began after the mid sixties. It simply made good sense. The problem was that for major players the capital needs were so great at most systems that major efforts were made to fund big capital needs and seek local support for lesser operations needs. The capital funding… Read more
Thanks so much to Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr., executive director/CEO of theSan Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and treasurer of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), for submitting the following response: If the nation is to achieve it’s economic, environmental and mobility objectives, the answer is a resounding “YES.” As chronicled in reports across the country, public transportation ridership has been growing significantly in the past 10 years, soaring to historic highs last year when gas prices rose to over $4 per gallon. Unfortunately, simultaneous with this unprecedented demand, transit agencies have been forced to cut service, raise fares and layoff… Read more
Updated at 11:16 a.m. on June 2. Under the heading of great minds thinking alike, I wanted to let everyone know that Secretary LaHood has posted an entry on his Fast Lane blog about the benefits of public transportation. Of course he isn't commenting on the policy question we're debating this week, but like us he is thinking about public transportation and the role it plays in our national transportation system. Click here to read LaHood's comments.… Read more
Richard Stroot of Rail Executable Solutions in Grapevine,Texas, offered the following response to our question: After seeing the peak in freight movement in 2007/2008, I would be curious to see if the 1998 study was updated to reflect the peak volumes and what the increase would be between 2010 and 2020, or has the rail industry has been set back ten years from a capacity standpoint. Does this actually reset the clock making 1998 volumes equal to 2008 volumes? The Ports of Southern CA will likely never see the volumes just two years ago. With the Panama Canal project, cargo… Read more
Cindy van Empel, AICP, a California-based policy planner specializing in land use, transportation, and environment, offered the following: Times change, needs change, and knowledge improves. Before the Highway Trust Fund was established, fuel taxes were paid into the Treasury’s General Fund. The HTF was initially intended to dedicate fuel taxes to the construction of the Interstate Highway System, but was later expanded to fund transit projects. It is also used to fund the construction and maintenance of roads on what is known as the federal system, which includes more than interstate highways. Most states’ budgets are severely strained maintaining existing… Read more
Keith Laughlin, president of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, send us the following response: From a policy standpoint, the question of whether trust fund revenues should be used for bicycle and pedestrian investment is an unqualified “yes.” Since 1956, building the interstate highway system has been the primary focus of federal transportation policy. As a result, we have created a transportation “monoculture,” with driving often the only way to get from Point A to Point B. By designing our communities to ensure the rapid movement of automobiles, we have created places where it is difficult, and even dangerous, to walk or bike.… Read more
Michael Baiada of the ATH Group (www.athgrp.com), a consulting firm in Lanham, Md., that focuses on the management of the air traffic control process, sent in the following: The airline industry can definitely "be profitable and serve the interests of the traveling public without greater government intervention", but this requires a new and different perspective of the problem facing the airlines, and, therefore, the solution. As I have read and listened to the discussion of airline profitability and Air Traffic Control (ATC) problems, punctuated by bankruptcies, delays, congestion, meltdowns, etc., I have concluded that the problem, and therefore the solution, lies… Read more
Bob Mann, an airline industry analyst and consultant from Port Washington, N.Y., sent us the following post: A public/private partnership approach, taken now, can stabilize the airline industry and improve customer utility and outcomes. Scheduled airlines and private aviation have for decades been major contributors to American business productivity, promoting efficiency, faster communication and improved readiness in times of peace and conflict. The business productivity that aviation throws off creates further consumer demand and skilled jobs through a strong multiplier effect. Over the past two business cycles however, and ironically, partly a result of the 2001 Air Transport Stabilization Act,… Read more
Today, April 16, President Obama, Vice President Biden and Secretary LaHood released the administration's high-speed rail plan, which would be funded initially by the $8 billion in the stimulus package and the $1 billion a year over five years proposed in the president's budget. This link will take you to the Federal Railroad Administration's page with detailed information on the plan and on the rail component of the stimulus: http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/31 … Read more
Some thoughts on the subject from Jay Moor, the retired chief of strategic planning for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) Let's stop talking in bits and pieces (as in rail's share of the bailout). America needs to build a new economy. Efficient transport is the circulation system for any robust economy. Up to now, highways and the highway lobby have held up their end of the bargain. But today the whole system is in trouble. Even with the stimulus package, almost none of the fundamental elements of our rapidly declining economy will return to good health in… Read more
Perhaps I need to stir the pot a little to get things going. To that end, let's expand our discussion to question whether what some say is the "conservative culture of transportation leadership" can truly lead in an environment that calls for bold new approaches in finance, mobility management, institutional efficiency, and technology. How can state and federal DOT professionals become “mobility managers," and what can Congress and the administration do to foster a more innovative orientation?… Read more
This very important post, giving a young professional's take on this week's question, comes to us from Hill staffer who follows transportation policy: Unlike most graduating civil engineers, I desperately wanted to work for my state’s Department of Transportation despite other high paying offers from well-ranked construction firms. Graduating just after 9/11, I was willing to sacrifice salary for quality of life, job security, and public service. However, my idealism was met with skepticism by my professors, who unequivocally believed a job at the state would kill my career aspirations. They were almost right. After three years of working… Read more
I apologize for not having responded to Ken Meade's request for an explanation of contract authority and budget authority (I've been out sick today). Hopefully will explain matters: In the 2010 budget outline, the Office of Management and Budget suggested reclassifying the contract authority that the transportation committees set in their multiyear highway and transit legislation as discretionary spending that instead would subject to the annual appropriations process. Contract authority, which the authorizing committees write into the surface transportation bill for each year over the life of the bill, is now considered mandatory spending for budget scoring purposes. By scoring contract authority as… Read more
My colleague Darren Goode reports in this afternoon's CongressDaily PM that Secretary LaHood and the Obama administration are open to working with Congress on the controversial proposal to score contract authority as discretionary rather than mandatory spending : Transportation Secretary LaHood today opened the door for compromise on a controversial change proposed by the Obama administration that would subject surface transportation projects to annual tinkering by appropriators. LaHood promised Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd at a transit hearing this morning that he would try to find middle ground. Dodd, backed by transportation authorizers from both parties, opposed the proposed change.… Read more
Bern Grush of Skymeter Corp. replies to Bob Poole and Kathy Ruffalo: Bob: You are right that hacker-proof after-market devices are critical. Prototypes are already available and standards are being written in the EU (ISO 17575 touches on this, but there is another standard currently called "trusted element" that was established nearly a year ago, that will take another 2 years to finalize). While non-trivial, but as Commissioner Geoff Yarema pointed out in an IPR piece a few days ago, this is not as hard as getting to the moon. Fleet turnover is critical metric or factory installs, but… Read more
Bern Grush, chief scientist for Skymeter Corp, sent us the following post. Skymeter is a member of ITS America and is a Toronto-based data services operator that enables location-based payments (the kind of technology that might be used to implement a VMT system). Six Key issues the US must address in moving from gas tax to VMT charging. The events of February 20 to 26, 2009, in the US have launched a significant debate for Americans regarding its critical surface transportation system. This debate will have a lot of low points such as the Lahood-Gibbs-Oberstar shouting match that helped… Read more
Richard Gilbert, a reader from San Diego who has clearly given this issue a great deal of thought, sent us this post: Taxing Vehicle Miles Traveled As we wean ourselves off gasoline with alternative energy means ( electric, hydrogen or whatever), there will be a need for supplanting the current gasoline tax. A program is currently underway that proposes to install GPS computers in each and every road vehicle to measure vehicle miles traveled for the purpose of taxing such mileage (http://www.roaduserstudy.org/). You would be billed periodically for your use of the roads. This elaborate system would run well into… Read more
Gabriel Roth makes a good point in his last post (addressed to Robin Chase) about my using the word "tax" to describe the VMT. It could just as easily be referred to as a VMT "fee" or "charge." I used the word "tax" simply because it's the word being used in the mainstream media, but given how loaded it is I should really switch to a more neutral term. Thanks for keeping me honest in my responsibility to report information and raise questions in the most accurate and neutral manner possible, Gabriel!… Read more
The following was submitted by Steve Kirkikis of Shreveport, La., who has been involved in transportation and highway financing for more than 40 years: A road use tax for "miles driven" will address the issue of wear and tear on roads and highways caused by more fuel efficient vehicles, and by vehicles that do not use gasoline such as electric vehicles, and vehicles that use propane, compressed natural gas and hydrogen. For the non-gasoline fueled vehicles, the road use tax can be 1 cent per mile driven, or more, that is paid at the time the vehicle is purchased… Read more
FYI, here's a link to the summary and text of the transportation section of the House Appropriation Committee's FY09 omnibus, as well as the relevant section of the conference report: summary: http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/THUDFY0902-23-09.pdf text: http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/2009_Con_Bill_DivI.pdf conference report: http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/2009_Con_Bill_DivI.pdf… Read more
Earlier today I was part of a roundtable discussion that Transportation Secretary LaHood held with some transportation reporters. Although most of it was about the stimulus, the administration's commitment to high-speed rail, and its agenda for the FAA, I did ask the secretary about how involved he plans to get in negotiations over climate change legislation. He said that he has been invited to "at least half a dozen meetings" on the issue with White House Energy and Climate Adviser Carol Browner, but indicated he intends to follow her lead. "We're going to be in the room," LaHood said. But he… Read more
FYI :The stimulus bill text and explanatory statement are now available at http://appropriations.house.gov/ - Bill Text - Division A - Bill Text - Division B - Joint Statement - Division A - Joint Statement - Division B Feel free to sound off on the stimulus's infrastructure provisions -- as well as on the question of the week, of course. I also wrote a short story in this week's magazine on Obama's infrastructure spending agenda (such as it is), which you can find on the magazine homepage or with this link: http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20090214_6911.php… Read more
Dennis Slater, President and Secretary of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (www.aem.org ), sent us this response: Some might say America just needs to remember what it’s like to be the world leader in infrastructure, and that it takes a willingness to invest. In the 1950s President Eisenhower had the vision to understand what infrastructure would mean to the nation. Since then the structure he put in place has been a key driving force behind the greatest economy in history. We must embrace a vision like this or risk being outstripped by others in a global market place that is increasingly… Read more
Here is an interesting article about reducing car use in Paris that could provide ideas for reducing urban congestion in the U.S. Below are the first four paragraphs;for the full text you can click to http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/22/business/wbspot24.1-411196.php A driving force to change Paris PARIS: For his efforts to reduce the privilege of car drivers in Paris, Denis Baupin has been saddled with nasty nicknames, including "Monsieur Embouteillages" (Mr. Traffic Jam), Khmer Vert and worse. As the transportation chief of the French capital for seven years, Baupin, who has written a book called "All Cars, No Future," was the force behind the development of Paris's… Read more
BNSF Chairman, President & CEO Matt Rose is also a member of a new group called the OneRail Coalition, which was formed to advocate for greater investment in passenger and freight rail initiatives. To learn more about the coalition, see my colleague Bara Vaida's post on National Journal's lobbying blog, "Under the Influence." Here's the link: http://undertheinfluence.nationaljournal.com/2009/01/rail-coalition-forms-run-by-qu.php… Read more
Since we're talking about the stimulus this week and it was just released, I thought I'd post links to the text of the bill, the text of the accompanying report, and a summary of the bill. Here you go: Bill text: http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/RecoveryBill01-15-09.pdf Report: http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/RecoveryReport01-15-09.pdf Summary: http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/PressSummary01-15-09.pdf These links are from the House Appropriations Committee Web site, since the Appropriations Committee wrote and introduced the bill. Now we have some specifics to discuss, so have at it everyone!… Read more
Here is what William W. Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association, has to say: There is no question that public transit has arrived. I have often said that the American people are way ahead of elected officials, and that is certainly true when we talk about public transportation. Americans in small, medium and large communities are riding public transit at record levels. This trend started before gas prices skyrocketed, and has continued in the third quarter of 2008 with the largest percentage increase in riders in 25 years, even as gas prices decreased. Americans are also supporting increased… Read more
The following was submitted by Jerry D. Ward, co-author, with Bill Garrison of Berkeley, of Tomorrow's Transportation: Changing Cities, Economies, and Lives: Yes, there will be a lot of people turning 65 soon. But, outside of Manhattan, most folks really consider themselve old when they can no longer drive. I don't know the average age at which that happens -- I'd guess about 76, but even with the population aging, the ratio of non-drivers-because-they-are-old to active drivers is pretty small. And is transit the right answer for this cohort of old-non-drivers? They do not want to walk even a block… Read more
Nancy LeaMond, AARP's executive vice president of social impact, submitted the following comments: America is aging rapidly and transportation policy and spending must acknowledge this demographic shift. In 2030 nearly 71 million people will have reached age 65+, doubling the retirement age population since 2000. Seventy-eight million Boomers born between 1946 and 1964 began turning 62 this year and the last of this group will turn 65 in 2029. These Boomers have gotten what they wanted or needed for most of their lives—schools, jobs, and houses have changed to meet their needs and demands. They will expect to remain… Read more
The following comments come to us from Judith Bergquist, Associate Director of Rural Programs in the Denver office of the Colorado Center for Community Development., which is funded in part by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and the University of Colorado Denver. Her submission follows: I think that sometimes we look past some simple and very viable alternatives to multi – modal transit for bigger glitzy solutions. We should look at road and bus systems that could effectively be started today and get buses to run every 10 minutes from suburb to suburb and suburb to work centers… Read more
This response was sent in by Christopher B. Leinberger: Real estate developer, Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Professor and Director of the University of Michigan graduate real estate program, former Managing Director/co-owner of the country’s largest real estate advisory firm and author. Over the past decade, there has been a growing consensus among real estate market analysts, industry observers and developers that there is pent up demand for high density, walkable urban development. American downtown revitalizations, the re-emergence of former and new city neighborhoods, the resurgence of suburban downtowns, the redevelopment of dead and dying suburban malls and the… Read more
Barry Holiday, chairman of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Fairness Coalition and technical director of the Dredging Contractors of America, sent me the following comments that I thought everyone would find interesting. I do not take positions on any of the subjects discussed here; I am simply posting Mr. Holliday's unedited comments in my role as neutral moderator of this blog. -- Lisa Barry Holliday, Chairman, Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Fairness Coalition It is very troubling that almost without exception, nearly every article, quote, or discussion of our transportation system neglects to mention or acknowledge our Marine Transportation System. Yet, our ports and harbors… Read more
Jon Martz, President of the Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT), offers the following comments: The freedom of mobility is a cornerstone upon which this nation was built. America’s waterways, railroads, highways, and transit systems have allowed its citizens to travel freely for centuries. Our economy has depended upon the ability of getting product to market quickly and efficiently. Some fifty years after the construction of the interstate highway system began; these freedoms are being challenged by congestion. This dilemma is no longer exclusive to large metropolitan cities. Congestion affects almost every aspect of our lives from the air we breathe,… Read more
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