TOWARDS A MORE EFFECTIVE STATE ROLE IN TRANSPORTATION

The premises for this paper are that the U.S. is experiencing rapid urbanization, that this urban-suburban society is defining a new service role for transportation, and that for state DOT's to be effective in this context they must adopt different policies than those embraced by traditional state highway administration--new policies consistent with new demographic localities. Organizational forms should tend toward the hierarchical, executive type, thus providing for effective management with reliance on the ballot box for control. Where there is a clear organizational imbalance caused by state operations of a too-extensive highway system as is true in Pennsylvania, this should be corrected by returning roads of other than statewide significance to local control, along with proper funding. The state transportation organization must employ and provide equal opportunity for advancement for all relevant disciplines. In the new departments of transportation, planning is the one area where full cooperation among modes and between urban and rural concerns is mandated. State involvement in the urban mass transit area, generally outside its purview in the past, can be premised on the critical need for additional funds in such areas and the desirability of state coordination for comprehensive planning. The policy-shaping aspect of planning offers long-term encouragement for eventual rationality in state transportation involvement.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Meeting, Transportation Research Forum, Brown Palace Hotel, Denver, Colorado, 8-10 November 1972.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Forum

  Brown Palace Hotel
  Denver, CO  United States 
• Authors:
  • Larson, T D
• Publication Date: 1972

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Volume: 13
  • Issue Number: 1

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Governments; Planning; Policy; State departments of transportation
• Old TRIS Terms: Government planning; Government policies
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00047941
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Proceeding
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 13 1974 12:00AM