Surface transportation congestion most likely will be a major issue
for Congress as it considers reauthorisation of the Safe,
Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act -- A
Legacy for Users (SAFETEA), P.L. 109-59, which is set to expire on
30 September 2009. By many accounts, congestion on the nation's
road and railroad networks, at seaports and airports, and on some
major transit systems is a significant problem for many
transportation users, especially commuters, freight shippers, and
carriers. Indeed, some observers believe congestion has already
reached crisis proportions. Others are less worried, believing
congestion to be a minor impediment to mobility, the by-product of
prosperity and accessibility in economically vibrant places, or the
unfortunate consequence of over reliance on cars and trucks that
causes more important problems such as air pollution and urban
sprawl. Trends underlying the demand for freight and passenger
travel -- population and economic growth, the urban and regional
distribution of homes and businesses, and international trade --
suggest that pressures on the transportation system are likely to
grow substantially over the next 30 years. Although transportation
congestion continues to grow and intensify, the problem is still
geographically concentrated in major metropolitan areas, at
international trade gateways, and on some intercity trade routes.
Because of this geographical concentration, most places and people
in America are not directly affected by transportation congestion.
Consequently, in recent federal law, Congress, for the most-part,
has allowed states and localities to decide the relative importance
of congestion mitigation vis-a-vis other transportation priorities.
This has been accompanied by a sizeable boost in funding for public
transit and a more moderate boost in funding for traffic reduction
measures as part of a patchwork of relatively modest federally
directed congestion programs. Congress may decide to continue with
funding flexibility in its reauthorisation of the surface
transportation programs. States and localities that suffer major
transportation congestion would be free to devote federal and local
resources to congestion mitigation if they wish. Similarly,
congestion-free locales would be able to focus on other
transportation-related problems, such as connectivity, system
access, safety, and economic development. Alternatively, Congress
may want to more clearly establish congestion abatement as a
national policy objective, given its economic development impact,
and take a less flexible and, in other ways, more aggressive
approach to congestion mitigation. Three basic elements that
Congress may consider are (1) the overall level of transportation
spending, (2) the prioritization of transportation spending, and
(3) congestion pricing and other alternative ways to ration
transportation resources with limited government spending. Congress
also may want to consider the advantages and disadvantages of
specific transportation congestion remedies. Hence, this book
discusses the three basic types of congestion remedies proposed by
engineers and planners: adding new capacity, operating the existing
capacity more efficiently, and managing demand.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
