T-4 America testifies Before Congress

CMT is linked with a number of organizations across the United States working for Congress to adopt a truly reformative transportation bill. The organization is called T-4 America which is headed by James Corless. Yesterday James testified before the Senate Commerce Committee on the goals of T-4 America. These are some of them.

Ensuring Accountability by Measuring Performance

Transportation for America further recommends that Congress establish National Transportation Performance Targets for states and regions to evaluate progress on achieving the National Transportation Objectives.   This combination of measures should be powerful drivers of change since no single measure can fully assess achievement of a particular national goal, since all are complex, are dependent on many variables, and have multiple ways in which they can be evaluated.  Consistent with typical planning horizons, targets could be set for 20 years.   Financial rewards and penalties based on progress toward NTO’s should serve as a basis for accountability.

Transportation for America recommends the following key performance targets be embedded in new transportation legislation as a means for ensuring national progress toward the National Transportation Objectives:

• Increase the share of surface transportation facilities in a state of good repair by20% in 20 years;
• Reduce traffic-related crashes by 50% in 20 years;
• Reducing per capita vehicle miles traveled by 16% in 20 years;
• Triple walking, biking, public transportation, and passenger rail use in 20 years;
• Reduce the transportation-generated CO2 levels by 40% in 20 years;
• Reduce vehicle delay per capita by 10% in 20 years;
• Increase the share of freight carried on rail by 20% in 20 years;
• Achieve zero population exposure to at-risk levels of air pollution in 20 years;
• Reduce household expenditures on housing and transportation by 10% in 20 years;
• Increase by 50% the number of essential destinations accessible within 30 minutes by public transportation or a 15-minute walk for low-income, senior and disabled populations in 20 years;

To read the full testimoney click here.