Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

Transportation Reformers Applaud Obama’s Six-Year Transpo Plan

A fix-it-first policy for roads. More support for livability programs. Additional transit investment. Competitive infrastructure grants. In his new six-year, $556 billion surface transportation proposal, President Obama is hitting all the right notes with transportation reform advocates.

As part of his 2012 budget proposal -- released yesterday -- the President put forward a plan that would double investment in transit, give a boost to bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and generally chip away at policies that have led to billions going to waste on highways to nowhere.

false

Across the Network, the plan is getting rave reviews.

Transportation for America's James Corless released a statement saying:

The Administration’s visionary reforms recognize where we are at this moment in history: Having built the world’s best highway and bridge network, we have to focus on preserving those aging assets while we build the missing pieces of a modern system that allows people and goods to get where they’re going cheaply, conveniently and safely.

Yonah Freemark at the Transport Politic concurred:

The reforms announced by the Department of Transportation indicate how the Administration wants the Congress to move forward on a funding reauthorization bill, and the measures proposed make sense. The Highway Trust Fund would transform into the Transportation Trust Fund, providing new, specified accounts for highways, transit, high-speed rail, and an infrastructure bank (currently there are only highway and transit accounts). Transit agencies would be allowed to use some of their federal funding for operations, something that is not allowed under current federal guidelines. And the various grant-providing programs currently offered by Washington would be simplified. These would all be meaningful, useful improvements over the existing situation.

The NRDC's Deron Lovaas applauded the administration for thinking big:

This is a big, big budget proposal. And it should be. Transportation is the second biggest expense for most Americans, ahead of food and health care. The Administration is swinging for the fences on this one, and they’re going to get pushback from some conservatives. But transportation is one issue where both parties have a history of working together, and it’s an issue where the public expects bipartisan cooperation.

As Tanya noted yesterday, and as many bloggers alluded to, the big questions remaining are how the President's proposal will be received in the Republican House, where cutting discretionary spending is all the rage, and in the Senate, which still rests in Democratic hands. Across the Network, bloggers had mixed opinions about the chances for bipartian cooperation on the critical issue of the nation's infrastructure. Corless of T4A noted that the American public has indicated wide support for increased infrastructure spending. He added: "The task now is for the President and Congress to engage in the bipartisan problem-solving Americans expect in order to find ways to pay for the jobs-sustaining infrastructure they deserve."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Wednesday’s Headlines Say Smaller is Better

Driving is not ideal, but if you need a car or truck, it would be nice to have a reasonably sized and affordable option.

April 30, 2025

Breaking: House Moves to Rescind $3.1B for Reconnecting Communities Divided by Highways

The House Transportation Committee wants to slash funding for one of America's most critical equity-focused grant programs — unless advocates speak out and get them to reverse course.

April 29, 2025

Op-Ed: What Amtrak Privatization Advocates Miss

Americans overwhelmingly want modern passenger trains operating on a system that connects cities efficiently, reliably, and faster than a car. This writer argues that privatizing Amtrak won't get us there.

April 29, 2025

This Parking Bill Could Help Solve the Housing Crisis

Washington state just passed a package of reforms that could juice housing production and get landlords to give non-drivers a break on their rent. But will other states go even further?

April 29, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Stand Up for Transit

Transit needs investment, not defunding, Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib writes in The Hill.

April 29, 2025
See all posts