Economies that rely heavily on motor freight and passenger vehicles can be threatened by environmental, energy, and logistical concerns such as bottlenecks, aging infrastructure, and vulnerability to disruptions. RAND research on highway transportation recommends best practices to improve capacity, modernize infrastructure while recognizing resource limitations, and establish sustainable priorities for funding long-term improvements that address energy and environmental concerns.
COMMENTARY
Good data can inform decision makers about what really works—how best to relieve congestion and improve supply-chain connectivity to make freight transportation—and hence the U.S. economy—more competitive, write Mortimer Downey, Joseph Schofer, and Johanna Zmud.
PERIODICAL
Stories discuss world demographic trends, Afghan peace prospects, U.S. health care spending, California prisoner reentry, Latin American inequalities, global health, veterans' mental health, highway investments, teacher bonuses, and charter schools.
COMMENTARY
Our transportation future will be multi-layered and complex—bounded by transportation infrastructure that is under-funded on the one hand and ever-expanding congestion and capacity constraints on the other, writes Johanna Zmud.
REPORT
To inform debate on a new transportation bill being considered, an analysis of literature on the effects of highway infrastructure spending on the economy offers principles for reforming federal policy and programs, as well as ideas for future research.
COMMENTARY
A proposed 15-cents-a-gallon gas tax is worth a second look. Among various painful options put forward in the Deficit Reduction Commission's draft report, this tax hike may be well justified, writes Martin Wachs.
COMMENTARY
The principle of paying for roads and transit by charging those who use the system has served our nation well, but in its current form it will soon outlive its usefulness, writes Martin Wachs.
REPORT
How can planners anticipate new choices by road users? RAND Europe examines induced traffic effects.
MULTIMEDIA
In this March 8, 2010, Congressional Briefing, Martin Wachs and Paul Sorensen discuss alternative funding streams for highway and public transportation improvements that Congress can consider as it focuses on the pending reauthorization of the federal transportation bill.
NEWS RELEASE
The long-term efficiency and effectiveness of the U.S. freight transportation system is threatened by bottlenecks, inefficient use of some parts of the infrastructure components, vulnerability to disruptions, and crucial environmental and energy concerns.
NEWS RELEASE
Policymakers need to address equity concerns early when implementing congestion pricing to improve traffic flow, as each situation is unique and must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
NEWS RELEASE
Western Riverside County's Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan -- a sweeping effort to protect endangered and threatened species while accelerating the approval of transportation improvements -- has made significant progress, but needs modifying to reach its goals in Southern California's changing economy.
REPORT
Drivers 65 and older are just one-third as likely as drivers 15 to 24 to cause auto accidents, and not much more likely than drivers 25 to 64 to cause accidents.
NEWS RELEASE
May 9, 2007 news release: RAND Supply Chain Policy Center to Research Critical Issues in Freight Transportation.
NEWS RELEASE
May 3, 2007 news release: RAND Says Further Study Warranted on Save the World Air Technology.
COMMENTARY
Published commentary by RAND staff: Paying for Our Transportation Needs, in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
COMMENTARY
Published commentary by RAND staff: Tighten Up Mass-Transit Security, in Newsday.
COMMENTARY
Published commentary by RAND staff.
REPORT
Description of a computer program to evaluate the capability of transportation networks to deliver supplies, as road segments or arcs of the network are successively destroyed and repaired. The program, written in FORTRAN IV, can be adapted for any o...
PEOPLE
Senior Principal Researcher; Professor, Pardee RAND Graduate School
Ph.D. and M.S. in urban and regional planning, Northwestern University; B.S. in civil engineering, City University of New York
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