The Politics of Gridlock

"It is time to require that a significant share of federal transportation funding to the states be based on real performance, particularly progress toward congestion mitigation, increased safety, and reductions in emissions. The principal reason it is even possible to begin to consider

moving to a performance-based transportation program is that for the first time it is possible to accurately measure system performance. The rise of information technology and telecommunications technologies, including traffic sensors, means that it is possible to automatically measure congestion in our nation's metropolitan areas in real time. As a result, states should have much more flexibility in how they spend their transportation dollars, but should be held accountable for real results.

...It is time for a new consensus that is based on the realization that we will never get Americans out of their cars. Trying to make the experience worse or more expensive is not only politically unpopular, but it is bound to fail at anything but the margin. It is time we not only accept the fact that in America many people want to live in suburbs and drive cars, but we should also work to solve the problems this creates. We need to develop solutions that let people go where they want faster and more conveniently while at the same time being sure not to exacerbate problems."

[Editor's note: The link below is to a 300KB PDF.]

Thanks to Transport-policy listserv