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.