A Guide to Transportation Opportunities in Your Community reviews how federal surface transportation law can be used to support local and statewide efforts to build more livable communities and expand travel options.

Transportation is defined as "the act of transporting someone or something from one location to another." In America, this simple act has created a complex system of money, machines, and physical structures that affects virtually every activity in our daily lives. This extends from safely crossing the street to being on time for work, from grocery shopping to moving freight, from the air we breathe to the taxes we pay. Transportation is second only to housing as the largest expenditure that affects every American pocketbook every day.

From the Margins to the Mainstream: A Guide to Transportation Opportunities in Your Community is designed to demystify some of the complexities of the transportation laws, programs, and processes. The Guide can help take advantage of opportunities to make communities healthy, safe, and livable. A primary strategy to accomplish this is to create greater transportation choice and access for people and freight.

Producing good outcomes is the ultimate test of how well the system works. How do you get transportation plans to articulate a vision of where your community is headed and the strategies to get there? How do capital programs include projects that fulfill the vision of the plan? What can be done to make public decision-making transparent so that the public easily understands the decisions and anticipated outcomes? How can we hold public officials accountable for such outcomes?

This Guide provides ideas on how the federal surface transportation law (SAFETEA-LU) can help answer these questions. It is based on a belief that, while individuals can make known their wishes and preferences, organized coalitions focused on a common purpose can have a greater impact on future transportation choices. To transform opportunities into accomplishments, it is helpful to have a basic understanding of the planning process, funding allocation methods, and how ideas become projects that get built using the tools in the federal law.
 

External Links:

More Information: www.transact.org/