Opinion: Support Transit, Free Our Roads
Most of the highway funds in every state go to maintain the highway system or rebuild parts of it. As many people have said, “We cannot pave our way out of this problem.” In other words, we cannot build new highways to contain the problem.
The problem is major highway congestion.
This industry has lobbied with reasonable success to protect the federal Highway Trust Fund from the advocates of public transit, bicyclists, hikers and other programs, many of which have attractive social appeals. This approach will continue to lead to politicians chipping away at the trust fund to service these and perhaps other social agendas. It has happened in other countries.
First, let us make common cause with the transit people. Let us tell them that one of the major components of congestion is commuting to and from work. Let us tell them we are willing to work with them to find a funding source outside the highway fund. Let us tell them we will help find a constant funding stream for them so we can establish adequate funding to maintain transit service that is frequent, cheap and timely. Then public transit can be a reliable source of transportation for commuters.
Second, and this is the critical congestion problem for our industry, the crowding of highways by commuters going to and from work. Increasingly, areas with staggered shifts and around-the-clock operations put commuters on the highways all day and into the night. We must concentrate the concerns of the organizations that have this common interest. The transit groups, the National Association of Manufacturers, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Automobile Association all have common concern in reducing congestion. This constituency would have a powerful and persuasive political voice.
I suggest the ATA Foundation should research possible transit funding sources outside the fuel taxes that go into the Highway Trust Fund.
I suggest American Trucking Associations should try to form a coalition of organizations that have common interests in reducing highway congestion.
I suggest ATA mount a public relations campaign to inform the American public as to why all those trucks are on the highway. They are why our economy does well. They are why there are so many jobs. They are one of the major cylinders (not locomotives) driving this economy forward.
Let us debate among ourselves as to methods, but we cannot postpone the compelling need to address commuter-caused congestion.
Our industry needs to stand together in our efforts to form this coalition.
