Join us in asking USDOT to prioritize people, not cars

As required by the new federal transportation legislation the U.S. Department of Transportation, for the first time ever, has proposed new rules for how states and metro areas will measure traffic congestion. These new requirements will help us all understand what federal transportation dollars actually accomplish—a great goal. The data gathered from the measure in place will impact future transportation decisions such as where, when and how to add capacity to move more people. Idaho Smart Growth believes USDOT is planning to use outdated metrics in the proposed rule that would prioritize single occupant vehicle speed over other options to move people more efficiently and effectively such as transit walking and biking. You can’t manage what you don’t measure, this rule offers no way to manage any mode other than single occupant vehicles.

You can read our letter here.