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For immediate release Press Contact: Tom Garritano, 312-386-8609 CMAP executive director calls for large metropolitan regions to have more control over federal road and transit investments Randy Blankenhorn testifies at the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission's field hearing in Chicago CHICAGO, April 18, 2007 -- Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) executive director Randy Blankenhorn called today for the U.S. government to give regional planning agencies the authority and resources to address the needs of major metropolitan areas. He pointed out the threat to the nation's economy posed by over-burdened roads and transit in the 12 largest metropolitan regions, which make up one-third of the U.S. gross domestic product. Blankenhorn's comments were delivered in testimony at a field hearing of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission at the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago. The U.S. Congress created the commission in 2005 to examine the condition and future needs of the nation's surface transportation system. The commission is also considering short- and long-term alternatives to replace or supplement the fuel tax as the principal revenue source to support the Highway Trust Fund over the next 30 years. "The transportation system is our greatest competitive advantage in northeastern Illinois," Blankenhorn said. "The vitality of major metropolitan areas like ours will dictate, to a great extent, the entire nation's economic prosperity. If northeastern Illinois suffers negative consequences of failing to invest in roads, transit, and related infrastructure, those effects will be felt nationwide through diminished competitiveness and lost revenues." As the commission considers the costs of investing in transportation, Blankenhorn urged them also to consider the costs of congestion, which he termed "dramatic." If transportation infrastructure continues to decline in major cities, he said, the economic effects will be felt by the entire nation. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the estimated expense of congestion in metropolitan Chicago as $11 billion annually. That amount includes direct costs of delay, productivity losses, environmental impacts, crashes and injuries, and freight handling. Blankenhorn called for the federal government to play a stronger role in coordinating national efforts to address the impact of freight traffic. One-third of the nation's rail and truck cargo moves to, from, or through the Chicago region, according to the U.S. DOT. The federal CREATE program, he said, takes an innovative approach to freight, with significant benefits related to rail passengers, motorists, and safety. "CREATE should be an important part of a broader, national freight strategy," Blankenhorn said. "Nationally, the U.S. should enable barrier-free tolling -- similar to our transponder-based open road tollways in Illinois -- with variable pricing and user fees to give truckers and other drivers an incentive to use highways in non-peak periods, reducing rush hour congestion." He said the need for freight improvements are especially acute in the Chicago region. Other potential solutions include creating suburban freight centers in corridors that can most efficiently support new development and minimize freight trips on the busiest roads. Blankenhorn also said land should be preserved now for future freight needs, including rail and truck terminals. Addressing freight traffic can be a significant way of reducing congestion for other travelers. "Transportation is our engine of economic growth, yet metropolitan Chicago experiences the third worst traffic delays in the nation," Blankenhorn said. "Congestion is projected to worsen as the region adds nearly 2 million people and 1.2 million jobs over the next 25 years. The existing system simply cannot accommodate that growth, so we must not ignore the need for additional capacity." A copy of Blankenhorn's written testimony is at http://tinyurl.com/3b7wpu, and click here for photos from the hearing. He spoke as part of a panel that included John Webber, assistant to the secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation; Cheri Heramb, acting commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation; Frank Kruesi, president of the Chicago Transit Authority; and Maggie Walsh, president of the Woman's Transportation Seminar Greater Chicago Chapter.
--END-- To
integrate planning for transportation and land use, CMAP was created in 2006 by
merging the staffs of the Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS) and the
Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC). The agency serves the counties
of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will. Visit CMAP on the web
at
http://www.chicagoareaplanning.org. |