Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
2009 Transportation Bill

Transportation for America Releases Blueprint for Transportation Reform

Picture_1.pngToday Transportation for America is releasing a 100-page document called "The Route to Reform," in which they outline policy recommendations related to the upcoming reauthorization of federal transportation funding legislation (download the executive summary here or the full report here). 

From the executive summary: 

The next transportation program must set about the urgent task of repairing and maintaining our existing transportation assets, building a more well-rounded transportation network, and making our current system work more efficiently and safely to create complete and healthy communities. It should invest in modern and affordable public transportation, safe places to walk and bicycle, smarter highways that use technology and tolling to better manage congestion, long-distance rail networks, and land use policies that reduce travel demand by locating more affordable housing near jobs and services. And it should put us on the path towards a stronger national future by helping us reduce our oil dependency, slow climate change, improve social equity, enhance public health, and fashion a vibrant new economy.

Getting there from here will require some significant reforms. To meet these goals, the T4 America coalition offers four main recommendations for the upcoming transportation authorization bill:

  • Develop a New National Transportation Vision with Objectives and Accountability for Meeting Performance Targets.
  • Restructure Federal Transportation Programs and Funding to Support the New National Transportation Vision and Objectives.
  • Reform Transportation Agencies and theDecision-making Process.
  • Revise Transportation Finance So We Can Pay for Needed Investments.

This transportation bill is going to be of crucial importance to all the issues we discuss on this site on a regular basis. The T4A report provides a great overview of the key points on which advocates can push for reform. Take a look.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday’s Headlines Remain Incomplete

Cities and states aren't devoting enough funding to Complete Streets to put much of a dent in the problem.

November 8, 2024

Friday Video: Would Our Cities Be Better Off Without Public Hearings?

Is the way America does public hearings making our cities more democratic, or obstructing the kinds of human-centered projects we need most?

November 8, 2024

Talking Headways Podcast: Thinking Bigger About Regional Economic Development

Waymaker Group CEO Julie Huls on economic development strategies for mid-sized cities, the impacts of the pandemic on regional thinking, and what a future of mega-regions means for cities trying to attract talent.

November 7, 2024

Thursday’s Headlines, Election Results Edition

Election Night brought bad news for federal climate policy, but mostly good news for local transit and environmental initiatives.

November 7, 2024

N.Y. Gov Twiddles Thumbs on ‘Unpausing’ First-in-Nation Congestion Pricing Before Trump Takes Office

New York Gov. Hochul is showing no urgency to "un-pause" congestion pricing before Donald Trump takes charge of the federal government.

November 7, 2024
See all posts