Smart Transportation is Pennsylvania DOT’s integrated response to the crisis of crumbling infrastructure, limited revenues to address it, and the need to better align transportation with community revitalization and sound land use policy. PennDOT was the first state program reviewed in detail by SSTI, and remains one of our prime examples of a thoughtful DOT wrestling with the challenges of fiscal austerity, sustainability, and system preservation. The review was done at the request of PennDOT to assess the effectiveness of its Smart Transportation program in integrating land use and transportation in its decision-making and to identify areas of opportunity to advance the Smart Transportation agenda.
reports
Performance Measures for Freight Transportation (NCFRP Report 10, 2011)
The objective of this research was to develop measures to gauge the performance of the U.S. freight transportation system. The measures as sought in the project statement are intended to support investment, operations, and policy …
Failure to act will cost money, a lot of money
“The nation’s deteriorating surface transportation infrastructure will cost the American economy more than 870,000 jobs, and increase transportation costs by $430 billion by 2020,” according to a report conducted by the Economic Development Research Group …
Have TOD promoters been putting the cart before the horse?
Building on its previous publication, Transit and Employment (2008), the Center for Transit-Oriented Development recently released a new report, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and Employment. The report challenges the assumption that employment dispersal outside of central …
More counting
The Metropolitan Policy Program of the Brookings Institute has developed a comprehensive database and accompanying report that provides a detailed look at transit coverage and connectivity across and within the nation’s major metro areas. Top …
More counting
The Metropolitan Policy Program of the Brookings Institute has developed a comprehensive database and accompanying report that provides a detailed look at transit coverage and connectivity across and within the nation’s major metro areas. Top …
WSDOT quantifies the GHG reduction impact of sidewalk coverage.
“If you build it, they will come” seems to hold for building sidewalks. A recent report for the Washington State Department of Transportation found that increasing sidewalk coverage from 30 percent to 70 percent of …
Public-private partnerships for transportation: A toolkit for legislators
The National Conference of State Legislatures has released a report designed to help promote a sound public policy approach when considering Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) related to transportation projects. The website notes: “With the growing interest in PPPs, …
New Report on Climate Change and Transportation
Actions across three fronts – technological developments, policy changes (including substantially higher fuel efficiency standards), and consumer behavior – could reduce transportation emissions by up to 65 percent from current levels by 2050, according to …
Equitable VMT reduction is possible, WSDOT report finds
An effective statewide VMT reduction program would not necessarily harm the poor and other vulnerable groups, a new report from the Washington State Department of Transportation finds. The report counters objections that such programs would …