LaHood Advocates Bold New Vision For Transportation Bill

US Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood addressed a Senate committee April 28, advocating a bold new direction for federal transportation policy that prioritizes investments that reduce driving and enhance economic recovery, public safety, livable and sustainable communities, accountability, transparency and performance. His remarks indicate that his priorities line up almost exactly with the priorities of the Transportation for America campaign that Reconnecting America co-chairs.

LaHood addressed members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, one of several committees taking up reauthorization of the six-year federal transportation bill that provides hundreds of billions of dollars for transportation projects. The Transportation for America campaign, which has grown to include more than 250 organizations and 18,000 individuals and elected officials, is working to promote more sustainable and equitable transportation policy and investments in the bill. Reconnecting America co-chairs the T4America campaign with Smart Growth America.

Secretary LaHood’s remarks are excerpted below. His full statement is downloadable below.

". . . Since 1970, there has been a 173 percent increase in vehicle miles traveled (VMT; the total miles traveled by all U.S. vehicles), while the population grew 47 percent. In other words, VMT increased at almost four times the rate of population growth. Notwithstanding some anticipated reduction in VMT growth in the near term, reflecting the current downturn in the economy, this growth trend is clearly unsustainable.

"In the past, population and economic growth have always led to large increases in highway travel. This is because most communities' have built transportation systems that only allow people and goods to move by road. This Administration believes that people should have options to get to work, school, the grocery or the doctor that do not rely solely on driving. We want to transform our transportation system into a truly multimodal system with strong alternatives to driving in order to maximize highway capacity, combat traffic congestion, reduce our reliance on oil and decrease greenhouse gas emissions . . .

"Addressing the mobility needs of our citizens, we must keep in mind that an aging population will increasingly challenge our transportation system. The percentage of the population over 65 will almost double during the next 50 years, from 12 percent to 21 percent. Those older people - the people just graduating from college today - will demand a high level of mobility. This population should be able to maintain a high level of mobility without having to rely only on the automobile. Public transportation, that provides convenient and affordable transportation service, must be available. Transit oriented, mixed- use development can especially benefit our older citizens. We need to continue our efforts to coordinate government and non- profit transportation services to make it easier for older adults - as well as people with disabilities and people with low incomes - to live independently and get where they need to go . . .

"That is why investments in alternatives to driving and livable communities are so important: it will allow many of these trips - such as school drop-offs or trips to the Post Office - to bypass the roads all together, making room for those that must rely on highway travel. Innovative policies such as road pricing can, where appropriate, significantly reduce congestion by providing users with incentives to shift non-essential travel to off-peak hours or seek alternatives to peak driving. The availability of reasonable alternatives to driving is crucial to the success of such innovation . . .

"[T]he major goals I have established for guiding the actions of the Department of Transportation: economic recovery; safety; and livable and sustainable communities will be the key organizing themes as we in the Department reformulate existing policies and develop new policy directions for the future . . .

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One of my highest priorities is to help promote more livable communities through safe, reliable and accessible surface transportation choices . . .

"Our initial focus will be on expanding the transportation choices available to American families. All segments of the population must have access to transportation services to get to work, housing, medical, educational, shopping, and other essential activities. Linking transportation and land-use planning to promote improved access to transit and creating walkable, bikeable communities will increase overall mobility and benefit all Americans.

"The average working American family spends nearly 60 percent of its household budget on housing and transportation costs, making these two areas the largest expenses for American families. Affordable housing near transportation is an important element of livable communities and we have already started working with HUD to help provide American families with more choices for affordable housing near jobs and improve their range of transportation options while lowering their transportation costs.

"Livability is not just an urban idea. The Department is working to improve livability of rural Americans as well . . ."