{"id":3127,"date":"2021-10-12T05:24:11","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T05:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/?p=3127"},"modified":"2021-10-12T12:54:06","modified_gmt":"2021-10-12T12:54:06","slug":"with-a-year-left-u-s-transportation-secretary-sets-new-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/?p=3127","title":{"rendered":"With a Year Left, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sets New Goals"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-flex-container hundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"background-color: #ffffff;background-position: center center;background-repeat: no-repeat;border-width: 0px 0px 0px 0px;border-color:#e7e4e2;border-style:solid;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start\" style=\"width:104% !important;max-width:104% !important;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\" style=\"background-position:left top;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:cover;-moz-background-size:cover;-o-background-size:cover;background-size:cover;background-color:#ffffff;padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 36px;\" data-fusion-font=\"true\">With a Year Left, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sets New Goals<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width:100%;max-width:20PX;\"><\/div><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-0{width:100% !important;margin-top : 10px;margin-bottom : 10px;}.fusion-builder-column-0 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 1.92%;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 1.92%;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-0{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-0 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-0{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-0 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}<\/style><\/div><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-1 a:not(.awb-custom-text-color):not(.fusion-button):not(.fusion-builder-module-control):not(.fusion-social-network-icon):not(.fb-icon-element):not(.fusion-countdown-link):not(.fusion-rollover-link):not(.fusion-rollover-gallery):not(.fusion-button-bar):not(.add_to_cart_button):not(.show_details_button):not(.product_type_external):not(.fusion-view-cart):not(.fusion-quick-view):not(.fusion-rollover-title-link):not(.fusion-breadcrumb-link) , .fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-1 a:not(.awb-custom-text-color):not(.fusion-button):not(.fusion-builder-module-control):not(.fusion-social-network-icon):not(.fb-icon-element):not(.fusion-countdown-link):not(.fusion-rollover-link):not(.fusion-rollover-gallery):not(.fusion-button-bar):not(.add_to_cart_button):not(.show_details_button):not(.product_type_external):not(.fusion-view-cart):not(.fusion-quick-view):not(.fusion-rollover-title-link):not(.fusion-breadcrumb-link):before, .fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-1 a:not(.awb-custom-text-color):not(.fusion-button):not(.fusion-builder-module-control):not(.fusion-social-network-icon):not(.fb-icon-element):not(.fusion-countdown-link):not(.fusion-rollover-link):not(.fusion-rollover-gallery):not(.fusion-button-bar):not(.add_to_cart_button):not(.show_details_button):not(.product_type_external):not(.fusion-view-cart):not(.fusion-quick-view):not(.fusion-rollover-title-link):not(.fusion-breadcrumb-link):after {color: #76c043;}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-1 a:not(.awb-custom-text-hover-color):not(.fusion-button):not(.fusion-builder-module-control):not(.fusion-social-network-icon):not(.fb-icon-element):not(.fusion-countdown-link):not(.fusion-rollover-link):not(.fusion-rollover-gallery):not(.fusion-button-bar):not(.add_to_cart_button):not(.show_details_button):not(.product_type_external):not(.fusion-view-cart):not(.fusion-quick-view):not(.fusion-rollover-title-link):not(.fusion-breadcrumb-link):hover, .fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-1 a:not(.awb-custom-text-hover-color):not(.fusion-button):not(.fusion-builder-module-control):not(.fusion-social-network-icon):not(.fb-icon-element):not(.fusion-countdown-link):not(.fusion-rollover-link):not(.fusion-rollover-gallery):not(.fusion-button-bar):not(.add_to_cart_button):not(.show_details_button):not(.product_type_external):not(.fusion-view-cart):not(.fusion-quick-view):not(.fusion-rollover-title-link):not(.fusion-breadcrumb-link):hover:before, .fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-1 a:not(.awb-custom-text-hover-color):not(.fusion-button):not(.fusion-builder-module-control):not(.fusion-social-network-icon):not(.fb-icon-element):not(.fusion-countdown-link):not(.fusion-rollover-link):not(.fusion-rollover-gallery):not(.fusion-button-bar):not(.add_to_cart_button):not(.show_details_button):not(.product_type_external):not(.fusion-view-cart):not(.fusion-quick-view):not(.fusion-rollover-title-link):not(.fusion-breadcrumb-link):hover:after {color: #76c043;}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-1 .pagination a.inactive:hover, .fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-1 .fusion-filters .fusion-filter.fusion-active a {border-color: #76c043;}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-1 .pagination .current {border-color: #76c043; 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background-color: #76c043;border-color: #76c043;}#main .fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-1 .post .blog-shortcode-post-title a:hover {color: #76c043;}.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-1{ padding-top : 1%;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 1%;padding-left : 0px;}<\/style><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-2 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"background-color: #efefef;background-position: center center;background-repeat: no-repeat;border-width: 0px 0px 0px 0px;border-color:#e7e4e2;border-style:solid;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start\" style=\"max-width:1248px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\" style=\"background-position:left top;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:cover;-moz-background-size:cover;-o-background-size:cover;background-size:cover;padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;\"><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-1{width:100% !important;margin-top : 10px;margin-bottom : 10px;}.fusion-builder-column-1 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 1.92%;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 1.92%;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-1{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-1 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-1{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-1 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}<\/style><\/div><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-2{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 5px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 5px;padding-left : 0px;}<\/style><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-3 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);background-position: center center;background-repeat: no-repeat;border-width: 0px 0px 0px 0px;border-color:#e7e4e2;border-style:solid;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start\" style=\"max-width:1248px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-2 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\" style=\"background-position:left top;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:cover;-moz-background-size:cover;-o-background-size:cover;background-size:cover;padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\"><p>Posted: January 26, 2016<\/p>\n<p>Source:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.governing.com\/topics\/transportation-infrastructure\/gov-anthony-foxx-infrastructure-funding.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Governing<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><div ><span class=\" fusion-imageframe imageframe-none imageframe-1 hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"770\" height=\"513\" title=\"anthony-foxx1\" src=\"https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/anthony-foxx1.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"http:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/anthony-foxx1.jpg\" class=\"lazyload img-responsive wp-image-3129\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27770%27%20height%3D%27513%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20770%20513%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27770%27%20height%3D%27513%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/anthony-foxx1-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/anthony-foxx1-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/anthony-foxx1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/anthony-foxx1.jpg 770w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><\/span><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-3\"><\/p>\n<p>U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, a former mayor of Charlotte, N.C., has plenty left to do in the Obama administration\u2019s final year. His agency is pushing cities to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety, hosting a \u201cSmart City\u201d competition to showcase how technology can improve transportation,<strong> <\/strong> and doling out money from a new five-year, $305 billion federal transportation package.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>But in recent weeks, Foxx added two more items that resonate with him personally to his packed agenda. First, he wants to tear down \u2014 or at least improve \u2014 transportation infrastructure that isolates communities. Second, he wants to find a way for cities to get federal transportation money directly, rather than have it flow almost exclusively through states.<\/p>\n<p>If successful, Foxx would reverse decades of policy. Doing that by next January seems implausible, but he can at least plant the seeds for long-term change.<\/p>\n<p>Every community, he <a class=\"swipebox\" href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/151957419?width=1080\" data-rel=\"lightbox-video-0\">told mayors and transportation experts<\/a> at the annual Transportation Research Board conference earlier this month, has examples of infrastructure that divided communities when they were built.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe built highways and railways and airports that literally carved up communities, leaving bulldozed homes, broken dreams and in fact sapping many families of the one asset they had: their home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Foxx experienced the problem firsthand growing up in his grandparents\u2019 house in Charlotte. He saw a fence two blocks away from his backyard for Interstate 85, and when he walked out of their house and turned right, he saw Interstate 77.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHad I been born 10 years before, where those fences were would have been through streets with houses and people. My neighborhood had one way in and one way out, and that was a choice,\u201d said Foxx.<\/p>\n<p>While he moved on from that neighborhood, that sort of infrastructure dividing line trapped many people like him. Having neighborhoods so isolated, said the secretary, not only discourages good housing, grocery stores, pharmacies and other services from coming into those areas, it also makes it harder for residents to get to their jobs. Foxx pointed to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.freep.com\/story\/news\/local\/michigan\/oakland\/2015\/01\/31\/detroit-commuting-troy-rochester-hills-smart-ddot-ubs-banker-woodward-buses-transit\/22660785\/\">story of James Robertson<\/a>, a Detroit resident who walked 21 miles a day to get to work and back because the area\u2019s public transportation is so poor. Foxx last year directed more than $25 million in federal funding to help the Motor City improve its transit.<\/p>\n<p>Several U.S. cities \u2014 with the help of the U.S. Department of Transportation \u2014 have already either torn down above-ground stretches of highways or are studying that possibility. The idea has gained appeal as local governments and transportation planners <a href=\"http:\/\/www.governing.com\/topics\/transportation-infrastructure\/gov-complete-streets-roads-bikes-pedestrians.html\">promote \u201ccomplete streets\u201d<\/a> that accommodate a variety of uses and are particularly friendly for cyclists and pedestrians \u2014 not just cars.<strong> <\/strong>One of the most widely cited examples is San Francisco\u2019s decision to tear down its Embarcadero Freeway that was damaged in the 1989 earthquake. The removal of the highway reconnected the city to its waterfront and spurred development.<\/p>\n<p>But getting rid of existing highways is rarely easy. Building a tunnel can cost hundreds of millions of dollars, while converting existing freeways into slower-moving boulevards can increase traffic and congestion.<\/p>\n<p>Foxx\u2019s final-year concerns aren\u2019t just about infrastructure that isolates communities.<\/p>\n<p>When talking to the U.S. Conference of Mayors earlier this month, he added another task based on his personal experience: dedicating more federal transportation money for cities instead of states.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was a mayor too,\u201d he said, referring to his tenure as the head of North Carolina\u2019s biggest city. \u201cI saw a lot of money come into our state \u2026 and I watched it go around like a pinball. By the time it got back to me, it was a very small fraction of what it had been.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Foxx called for an overhaul of the way the federal government doles out transportation money. He said the current system, which distributes money primarily through states, \u201cprevents local governments from being able to effectively address some of the most important issues facing their communities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also argued that money should be distributed based on current demand for services, not by predetermined formulas. The federal government spends 80 percent of its money on roads and highways, yet demand is shifting \u2014 especially among younger Americans \u2014 to car-sharing, transit, bicycling and walking.<\/p>\n<p>Cities have long complained about how they get federal funding yet have made little headway. The five-year transportation funding package that Congress passed last year made small changes to give metropolitan areas more say in how the money is spent, but 93 percent of federal transportation money will still flow through the states. Foxx said his department would work over the next year to come up with an alternative way of deciding how that money should be distributed and spent.<\/p>\n<p>But transportation advocates doubt change will come soon.<\/p>\n<p>Jim Tymon, the director of policy and management at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, said any changes aren\u2019t likely to occur until the current five-year transportation package expires. He also downplayed the tension between state transportation departments and local governments. \u201cThere are unmet transportation needs at all levels of governments,\u201d said Tymon. \u201cState DOTs would say the same thing; they would love more federal transportation money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Money, however, is hard to come by in the transportation world. Congress didn\u2019t include much new money in its recent funding package, and with the federal gas tax stuck at the same per-gallon rate since 1993, the revenue it generates for roads and other transportation needs has <a href=\"http:\/\/www.governing.com\/topics\/transportation-infrastructure\/gov-gas-tax-revenue-states-inflation.html\">lost its buying power<\/a> over the years.<\/p>\n<div class=\"box\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.governing.com\/topics\/transportation-infrastructure\/gov-anthony-foxx-infrastructure-funding.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read the original article.<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-2{width:100% !important;margin-top : 10px;margin-bottom : 10px;}.fusion-builder-column-2 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 1.92%;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 1.92%;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-2{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-2 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-2{width:100% !important;order : 0;}.fusion-builder-column-2 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}<\/style><\/div><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-3{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}<\/style><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With a Year Left, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sets New Goals Posted: January 26, 2016 Source:\u00a0Governing U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, a former mayor of Charlotte, N.C., has plenty left to do in the Obama administration\u2019s final year. His agency is pushing cities to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety, hosting a \u201cSmart City\u201d competition to showcase how technology can improve transportation, and doling out money from a new five-year, $305 billion federal transportation package. But in recent weeks, Foxx added two more items that resonate with him personally to his packed agenda. First, he wants to tear down \u2014 or at least [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-in-the-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3127"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3130,"href":"https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3127\/revisions\/3130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roccbuffalo.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}