House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN), along with National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) President Janette Sadik-Khan and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Chief Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. were in Washington D.C. to decry the lack of investment in critical infrastructure maintenance, while calling for a renewed focus on rebuilding and modernizing the U.S. transportation system.

"Congress has an opportunity next year to take us to the next level in transportation policy," said Sadik-Khan. "We are looking at a Federal program that could be doing a lot more to strengthen cities and save people money on gas by supporting sustainable urban and metropolitan transportation systems."

Specifically, NACTO’s platform centers on three principles that they’d like to see be addressed during the upcoming reauthorization of the Federal transportation bill: to fully fund repairs for American roads, bridges and mass transit; to lead the country in combating energy dependence and climate change; and to cut red tape and bureaucracy to deliver projects more quickly.

“With transit ridership increasing in San Francisco and across the nation, strengthening public transportation must be a national priority,” added Ford “The Federal government needs to put transit on an equal playing field with road and highway improvements.”

Formed in 1996, NACTO is comprised of transportation officials from major U.S. cities that exchange information about transportation policy and communicate lessons learned at the local and national level. To download the full NACTO platform, click here.