The Route to Reform Blueprint

The Route to Reform: Blueprint for a 21st Century Federal Transportation Program serves as T4 America’s proposal for the policies and financing structures necessary to achieve real transformational change in America’s transportation system. If our platform lays out the vision and goals for America’s transportation system, then the Transportation for America Route to Reform Blueprint contains the detailed directions for getting there.

UPDATED: Use the “blueprint” tag to read our continuing series on “Breaking Down the Blueprint,” examining and unpacking one of the six objectives each week.

Blueprint downloadables

Executive Summary only (2.4 mb pdf)
Full Blueprint (4 mb pdf)

Chart: National Transportation Objective & Targets (pdf)
Chart: Proposed Federal Transportation Structure (pdf)
Chart: Alternative Transportation Revenue Options (pdf)
Press release about Blueprint briefing
Images of charts available below

T4 America Campaign Director James Corless holds up a copy of The Route to Reform at the release on Capitol Hill May 11.

More money for transportation — but only if accompanied by reforms

With Congress talking about a transportation bill in the range of $400-500 billion, it’s more important than ever that new goals, objectives and performance measures be put in place to ensure that money is spent responsibly and with clear accountability to the taxpayers.

The backbone of the Blueprint is found in six National Transportation Objectives and ten measurable Performance Targets. Click the thumbnail to enlarge. Download chart as a PDF here.

Increased revenues for transportation are needed to pay for necessary upgrades to the federal program, but we can only support more money if it’s accompanied by a bold new vision for a 21st Century transportation system.

As the existing program has lost focus and energy, we find ourselves with an aging, yet incomplete transportation system that is not prepared to serve the changing America of the 21st century. Our coalition is prepared to lend considerable support for a much larger investment in transportation, but we believe that only a reinvigorated, redirected federal program will win buy-in from our coalition and American taxpayers in general.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for America

Our nation’s transportation program has not been significantly upgraded since the 1950’s when President Eisenhower created our federal highway system.

Economic competitiveness in the 21st century relies upon innovative solutions that give Americans options and connect our cities, regions, and rural areas. The upcoming rewrite of our federal transportation law represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to develop a new national transportation vision and leave behind a new legacy for our children and grandchildren. The Route to Reform will help policy makers ensure that legacy is one they can be proud of.

Four critical reforms recommended

Transportation for America recommends Congress include four critical reforms in the upcoming transportation authorization bill:

Articulate a National Vision, Objectives, and Performance Targets for the national transportation program and hold state and local transportation agencies accountable for demonstrable progress toward goals including safety, efficiency, environment, health and equity.
Restructure and consolidate federal programs for greater modal integration, with a focus on completing the second half of the national transportation system, providing more transportation options for all Americans and creating seamless transportation systems that meet the unique needs and connect metropolitan regions, small towns, and rural areas. (See image below for the proposed structure)
Empower states, regions, and cities with direct transportation funding and greater flexibility to select projects, using carrots and sticks to incentivize wise transportation investments and in return require demonstrated performance on meeting national objectives.
Reform how we pay for the transportation system and create a Unified Transportation Trust Fund that would achieve balanced allocations of federal funds in a portfolio of rail, freight, highway, public transportation, and non-motorized transportation investments.

For more details on the specifics of The Route To Reform, download the executive summary or the full version above. And follow us on the T4 America blog, where we’ll be examining and decoding some of these major points over the coming weeks. UPDATED: Use the “blueprint” tag to read our continuing series on “Breaking Down the Blueprint”

Click image to enlarge the Proposed Federal Transportation Structure. Download as a PDF

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The United States of Transit Cutbacks

Driving is down and transit ridership is at record highs. Yet transit agencies across the country are considering layoffs, service cuts and fare hikes. Find out more and learn what you can do to help at t4america.org/transitcuts