Report of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission : transportation for tomorrow, December 2007, volumes 1-2

PDFTech Reporthttp://ntl.bts.gov/lib/33000/33400/33441/final_report/index.htmTransportationPolicy, legislation and regulationPolicyPolicy analysisPolicy makingTransportation policyEconomic and social factorsEconomic factorsEconomic analysisEconomic policyEconomic impactsEconomic benefitsUnited StatesNational Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission (U.S.)National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission (U.S.)NTL-ECONOMICS AND FINANCE-ECONOMICS AND FINANCENTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATIONNTL-LAWS AND REGULATIONS-Federal LawsNTL-LAWS AND REGULATIONS-Federal Standards and RulesNTL-LAWS AND REGULATIONS-State Laws and RegulationsNTL-PLANNING AND POLICY-PLANNING AND POLICYUS Transportation CollectionPresident Dwight D. Eisenhower had the foresightto understand how a system of Interstate highwayswould transform the Nation. If there was ever atime to take a similarly daring look at a broadenedsurface transportation network, it is now! TheNation faces challenges similar to those of theEisenhower era. However, the imperative forchange due to the global economy is even stronger.Transportation is a critical engine of theNation\ue2\u20ac\u2122s economy. Investments in the nationaltransportation network over the Nation\ue2\u20ac\u2122shistory, and especially the Interstate HighwaySystem during the last half-century, have been instrumental in developing the world\ue2\u20ac\u2122slargest economy and most mobile society.Transportation is the thread that knits thecountry together, providing the mobility thatis such an important part of overall quality oflife and is so deeply embedded in our cultureand history. Highways, transit, rail, and watersystems provide unprecedented access to jobs,recreation, education, health care, and the manyother activities that sustain and enrich the lives ofAmerican families.By 2050, the total U.S. population is projected toreach 420 million, a 50 percent increase over50 years. This growing society will demand higherlevels of goods and services, and will rely on thetransportation system to access them. In turn, thiswill cause travel to grow at an even greater ratethan the population. As part of an increasinglyintegrated global economy, the U.S. will seegreater pressures on its international gateways and its international gateways and domestic freightdistribution network to deliver products andmaterials to where they are needed. The Nationis faced with a massive increase in passenger andfreight travel.The Nation\ue2\u20ac\u2122s surface transportation program hasreached a crossroads. Will it continue to functionas it has since the completion of the Interstatesystem, pursuing no discernible national interestsother than the political imperatives of \ue2\u20ac\u153donorState\ue2\u20ac? rights and congressional earmarking? Orwill it advance concerted actions to confront thetransportation challenges facing the Nation thathave reached crisis proportions\ue2\u20ac\u201dthe deferredmaintenance of its basic infrastructure; theburgeoning international trade and its impact onour road and rail networks; the traffic congestionthat is crippling metropolitan America; thecontinued carnage on the Nation\ue2\u20ac\u2122s highways; andpowering cars and trucks with fossil fuels, much ofwhich is imported from foreign countries