IAC Transportation - A World-Class Transportation System for the Future

A Zero-Sum Future?
Or, a World-Class Transportation System for the Future?
Economic Growth and Environmental Stewardship
9.17.07 by Marcus Bowman

Current transportation policy discussions in Washington, DC seem to be increasingly treating transportation as a zero-sum issue. AASHTO recently published a report seeking to "reduce growth in VMT" at the same time AASHTO seeks to "double transit ridership" by 2030 and "double it again by 2050".

The zero-sum view of transportation believes one mode of transportation should be reduced while others should be expanded.

If we are to continue to improve our living standards and prepare this nation to handle an expanding population we need to think big. We need to expect that more people will want to move more places in the future. And in this context, growth of all modes of transportation can, and should, be supported.

The U.S. Census Bureau projects the U.S. population to grow to 420 million by 2050—a 48.8% increase from the 2000 census. The growth in population increases demands for transportation—both in terms of personal mobility and also in terms of freight-- economic growth generated via an enlarging population spurs freight demand.

We will need more highways, more lanes, more public transportation, more railroad tracks, more bike paths, and wider sidewalks. And, the U.S. can achieve all of these objectives in parallel fashion. Moreover, the environment is going to continue to improve. We will have more highways, and more lanes, and yet much cleaner air in better-designed scenic settings.

There are 2 simultaneous, twin-faceted goals to promote:

Accommodate growth in the economy and the population; and facilitate easy, flexible mobility.
Improve the environment (cleaner air) and improve our scenery (through context sensitive design).

These are actually complementary objectives. And, the link between the two is innovation and technology.

A striking statistic that has been under-reported is that despite more cars traveling longer distances, total overall emissions from vehicles are 54% lower today then they were in 1970. Again, according to EPA data, from 1970 to 2006, total combined aggregate emissions (nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and lead) have declined 54%, despite a 177% increase in vehicle miles traveled (VMT). And this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the future we are migrating toward. Everyday there are more hybrid cars on the roads. And just behind the scenes, hydrogen fuel cell and electric-only vehicles are already being manufactured as the next generation of fuel efficient vehicles. Support for technology will do far more for the environment than any focus on mode trade-offs.

IAC Transportation supports a “world-class transportation system of the future” that embraces, maintains, and increases all modes of transportation, including personal vehicle travel, roads, and highways. People in the U.S. deserve better bike paths, easier and safer pedestrian routes, improved rail speeds, public transportation options, as well as strong support for personal vehicle travel and roads.

Vehicles enable the dynamic flexibility inherent in the U.S. economy and way of life. Consultants and sales people travel to different places on different days. Plumbers make several house calls a day. People visit grandma, travel to the beach, pick up dry cleaning, and have appointments with doctors, dentists, accountants, and real estate agents. We live in a spontaneous, flexible, and free country. And we will have cleaner, near-zero emissions vehicles in the future to support this dynamic way of life.