Transportation is a fascinating interaction of sociology, economics, and technology. It is so interwoven with the social and economic structure of all societies, and most conspicuously American society, that its connections and impacts are inextricable from the understanding of the society itself. We do not really understand it in any quantitative sense and are not capable of assessing its real value in our society. What we expect from transportation today has changed sharply from the past. Today there is a whole list of “musts” and “must nots” that define the context in which transportation functions. Transportation seems implicated in everything and is the universal lever for accomplishing public goals. We expect more of transportation today than ever; therefore we need more from our data sources and presumably from planning and policy. This lecture reflects on 35 years of practice and the lessons provided. It concludes that we need new mechanisms for evaluating and justifying transportation investments and policies. We need tools to transmit the basis for investment decisions to the public.
Transportation Planning, Policy, and Data: Inextricable Linkages
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
1999-01-01
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
Linkages Between Transportation Planning and the Environment
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