PolicyGuy

Tuesday, April 17, 2007


Speak Truth to Power: We Need More Roads, Not Light Rail.

The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission (now that's a mouthful) is holding a hearing tomorrow (April 18) at the University of Minnesota. You can find an agenda here, though there does not seem to be any time for public comment.

The Commission was created by Congress. "The Commission," says its web site, "is working to examine not only the condition and future needs of the nation's surface transportation system, but also short and long-term alternatives to replace or supplement the fuel tax as the principal revenue source to support the Highway Trust Fund over the next 30 years."

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, AASHTO, which snatched up the domain transportation.org, has already released two reports (out of six) for the committee. AASHTO makes some sensible recommendations, but there are some unhelpful nods towards transit. There are also some calls for transit-oriented development (fine if it comes about voluntarily, not if it's pushed by government) and using transportation planning as a backstop to, if not every social ill imaginable, too many for the competency of public planners.

Labels:


"Justice Louis D. Brandeis'?s metaphor of the states as "laboratories" for policy experiments ... had almost nothing to do with federalism and everything to do with his commitment to scientific socialism. .... To this day, it continues to inhibit a truly experimental, federalist politics." -- Michael S. Greve

Home
BlogMatrix