People living in dispersed rural areas face some of the greatest transportation challenges, according to a new study. However, living in more concentrated rural villages helps alleviate those challenges. Ensuring people can get around without relying on a car—even in rural pockets—is key to meeting their needs more affordably.
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DOTs face new challenges as rural areas evolve
The transportation needs of urban and rural places are not as binary or opposed as they’re made out to be, and the distinctions will continue to blur over time. Agencies can work to understand the full context of each place and its interconnections to meet the unique needs of every community.
Focusing on EV charging along corridors exacerbates equity issues
Federal initiatives to fund electric vehicle infrastructure, like the NEVI program, encourage EV chargers along highway corridors, and also promote equitable distribution of the infrastructure. According to a new study, however, these two goals may be at odds. Evidence suggests the corridor-based approach is not leading to particularly equitable outcomes.
Innovative partnership spurs Complete Streets in rural Louisiana
There are a number of challenges to implementing complete streets projects in rural communities. From gaining support for projects in car-dominated communities to the increased costs of projects caused by infrastructure needs, such as building sidewalks where none exist and installing modern traffic control devices. Despite these challenges, Louisiana is seeing a surge of rural complete streets projects thanks to a partnership between the Louisiana State University AgCenter and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
Rural America needs transit
In rural places, where population density is often as low as it gets, fixed-route public transit generally has few advocates. But there is unmet demand for transit in rural America, suggests new research presented in the Journal of Rural Studies. In rural areas where populations are growing and densifying, transit can help reduce segregation and ease the economic plight of the most vulnerable.
Rural roads are among America’s most deadly
About 75% of all roads in the United States, around 3 million miles, are in rural areas and are vital for transporting goods and connecting communities. The likelihood that a car crash will result in death is higher in rural America, even with less than one fifth of the population living in these areas. 85,002 people were killed on rural roads between 2016 and 2020, and according to a new study published by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the risk of dying in a car crash was 62% higher on a rural road compared to an urban road for trips of the same length.
In the midst of nationwide transit service cuts, more than one million rural households do not have a car
Many transit agencies have been forced to drastically scale back services due to rapidly declining revenues, and rural providers are no exception. Many were already operating on incredibly tight budgets, serving large geographic areas with a small staff of part-time drivers. While it is easy to see how pandemic-related service cuts will impact people in urban areas who rely on transit, the impacts will likely be just as devastating for many rural communities, especially the pockets of rural America with disproportionately low car ownership.
Road fatalities are disproportionate across both racial/ethnic and rural/urban lines
Recent research examines equity in road fatalities and finds significant disparities across racial/ethnic, income, and geographic lines. The researchers geocoded and analyzed crashes both in terms of where the crash occurred and the home zip code of the driver, a departure from previous roadway safety research that has focused exclusively on the crash locations. The findings of the research have significant equity implications.
Montana and North Dakota show need for transit service in rural areas
Transit services provide critical connectivity within and between communities of all sizes—urban and rural. Two transit agencies in rural Montana and North Dakota offer best practice examples of how to provide public transit in rural areas and prove there is demand for service in these locales.
Aligning Strategies to Maximize Impact: Case Studies on Transportation and Economic Development (National Association of Development Organizations, 2012)
Ten case studies from 11 states document how the fields of transportation and economic development can complement each other and create an environment for increased collaboration and aligning of resources.