USDOT Looks ‘Beyond Traffic’

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a new series of forums in cities across the United States to discuss transportation challenges and solutions.

These “Beyond Traffic” forums are an “invitation to the American public” to participate in the future of transportation in the country. Read USDOT’s full announcement on the forum series below.

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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today released the schedule for its 11 Beyond Traffic Megaregion forums featuring U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx and senior leaders from the Department hosting discussions on the Beyond Traffic draft framework. These events will facilitate conversation and solicit feedback to inform the final Beyond Traffic report on key transportation trends and policy proposals to be published in 2016. Beyond Traffic was launched in early 2015 to spark a national dialogue about the shape, size, and condition of our nation’s transportation system and how it will need to meet the needs and goals of our nation for decades to come.

“Everyone is a transportation expert of their own neighborhoods; we know our own cars, roads, bridges, transit lines, and rail lines better than anyone else,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “So we are going to the 11 regions in this country that will experience the most explosive growth to hear directly from people in those areas about their transportation challenges, and to listen to their ideas to solve them.”

The bulk of the dramatic population growth anticipated in Beyond Traffic —70 million more people living in the U.S. by 2045— will occur in 11 rapidly expanding metropolitan areas, or “megaregions,” where transportation infrastructure already struggles to keep up with current demand. Holding the forums in these areas will allow citizens, elected officials, Metropolitan Planning Organization directors, transportation industry partners, business owners, and community leaders to bring their region-specific experience to discussions on the challenges identified in the report and potential solutions to those challenges.  

Beyond Traffic Megaregion Dates and Locations

• Friday, September 18, Sacramento, CA
• Monday, September 21, Phoenix, AZ
• Monday, September 28, Long Beach, CA
• Wednesday, September 30, Austin, TX
• Friday, October 2, Orlando, FL
• Tuesday, October 6, Seattle, WA
• Wednesday, October 14, Boston, MA
• Friday, October 16, New Orleans, LA
• Wednesday, October 21, Indianapolis, IN
• Friday, October 23, Charleston, SC
• Tuesday, October 27, Denver, CO

The Beyond Traffic report examines the trends and choices facing America’s transportation infrastructure over the next three decades, including a rapidly growing population, increasing freight volume, demographic shifts in rural and urban areas, and a transportation system facing more frequent extreme weather events. The report predicts increased gridlock nationwide unless changes are made in the near-term.

For More Information:

To learn more about Beyond Traffic or to read the full framework, click here.