Introduction and summary
The goal of the U.S. transportation system is to safely, sustainably, and cost-effectively facilitate the movement of people and goods. When done right, infrastructure investments produce broad-based prosperity for American workers and firms. Conversely, poor project selection can increase local pollution burdens, create barriers to opportunity, and produce unproductive assets that serve as a drag on economic growth. In short, simply increasing federal spending is not sufficient. New federal dollars must be paired with policy reforms to ensure that funding from Washington yields the greatest social, environmental, and economic return on investment.
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Unfortunately, federal infrastructure policy and programs have not modernized to meet the five major challenges facing the U.S. transportation system: major injuries and fatalities, climate change, congestion, unequal economic opportunity, and crumbling facilities. Running through each of these five areas is the need to ensure that federal transportation policy promotes inclusive prosperity and social equity. This means accounting for the discriminatory legacy of past investments that resulted in geographic dislocation, reduced economic opportunity, and poor community health. To remediate these harms, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) should target funding to those communities facing the greatest need. Moreover, rules that govern state and local planning as well as environmental review should promote transparent decision-making and robust community involvement to the greatest extent possible.
Continuing with a business-as-usual approach will not result in progress on these pressing challenges. First, the surface transportation system is remarkably dangerous. In 2018, accidents involving motor vehicles killed 36,560 people. The risks are especially high for pedestrians and cyclists. In the past 10 years, pedestrian and cyclist fatalities have increased by 50 percent, while over this same time, all other motor vehicle fatalities have increased by less than 1 percent. Moreover, pedestrian fatality rates differ substantially by race and ethnicity. According to research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2001 to 2010, pedestrian fatality rates for Black and Hispanic men were more than twice the rate for white men.
Accident trends for commercial vehicles are also on the rise. Since 2009, fatalities from accidents involving large trucks and buses have increased by 38 percent. According to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fatalities, injuries, and property damage from motor vehicle accidents cost the economy $242 billion in 2010 alone. Improving safety will require regulatory reform, system design changes, and the prioritization of safety over vehicle speed.
Second, transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States. Beyond GHGs, motor vehicles emit toxic chemicals that cause “cancer, birth defects, neurological damage, damage to the body’s natural defense system, and diseases that lead to death.” According to the Fourth National Climate Assessment, “More than 100 million people in the United States live in communities where air pollution exceeds health-based air quality standards.” To improve community health and avoid the most severe effects of global warming, the United States must achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. This will mean adopting GHG reduction as a national policy goal and structuring federal programs and regulations to reward states that decouple mobility from fossil fuels, encourage sustainable land use, and provide residents with safe and affordable transportation options beyond driving.
Third, growing roadway congestion costs the economy more than $165 billion each year in lost productivity and wasted fuel. Since the 1950s, transportation planning has…
Read More: A Reform Agenda for the U.S. Department of Transportation