US Transportation Sec. to Focus on Equity, Sustainability

As tempting as it’s to focus the efforts of the nation’s chief transportation group on superior transportation concepts like high-speed trains or electrical automobiles, the nation’s roads and bridges doubtless want probably the most consideration. 

“I need to emphasize that numerous what we’ve received to do is coping with a upkeep backlog,” mentioned Pete Buttigieg, secretary of the U.S. Division of Transportation. “‘Repair it first’ I feel goes to be a vital mantra for us. It doesn’t all the time have the identical sizzle as including one thing new. However the reality is, we’ve received to be doing each.” 

Buttigieg was interviewed Tuesday by Laura Bliss, a reporter with Bloomberg CityLab on the CityLab annual convention. His function as the brand new transportation secretary has been broadly heralded by urbanists and others in transportation for his dedication to innovation and dedication to bringing extra assets and a focus to the entire different types of transportation past simply vehicles.

Throughout a latest panel dialogue organized by CoMotion LIVE, Paul Salama, co-founder and COO of road-pricing startup ClearRoad, instructed the thought of merging transit programs throughout areas the place a variety of suppliers now exist, in an effort to cut back prices and easy the person expertise. 

“And that’s the type of stuff that may solely occur with nice management, and at a excessive stage,” mentioned Salama, including Buttigieg ought to carry a “complete imaginative and prescient” to transportation throughout the nation. 

Regardless that Buttigieg acknowledged a must deal with a rising backlog of upkeep for current transportation infrastructure, he additionally affirmed a must plan for a extra modern and sustainable future, touting the advantages of EVs and passenger rail initiatives, as he spoke of “including assets that would make a distinction.”

The transportation secretary pointed to the dearth of devoted funding for passenger rail, in stark distinction to funding for roads. 

“There isn’t such a factor, as of in the present day, for railways, which is, I feel, one of many causes People are being requested to accept much less with regards to passenger rail,” Buttigieg remarked.

It’s largely assumed the brand new administration will view transportation by means of a extra refined sustainability lens — understanding this sector accounts for practically 40 % of greenhouse gases emissions within the U.S. — however that it’s going to additionally give a extra cautious look to how fairness turns into part of the planning course of.

When Buttigieg spoke of the advantages of zero-emission buses, he remarked on their capacity to assist environmental justice targets, “since so usually, our greatest and busiest highways undergo Black and brown communities which can be identified to have larger charges of bronchial asthma.” 

“My level is that every one of this stuff are built-in,” he added.  

“We’re undoubtedly listening to the communities which have been probably the most intentional in regards to the fairness and local weather implications of their selections. And that’s taking place in so many alternative methods,” mentioned Buttigieg.