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Thursday, 8 May, 2008 10:00 PM
U.S. Transportation Secretary
Mary Peters Calls for Highway Improvements
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
Mary
Peters addresses the Detroit Economic Club on Monday.
DETROIT --
Mary Peters, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation,
addressed the Detroit Economic Club on Monday and said our nation's
transportation network is old, outdated and facing challenges. She
offered solutions on how local, state and national leaders can use
new technology and approaches to update our highways and roads.
Americans are spending more time than ever being stuck in traffic
bottlenecks and now is the time to make some important changes for
the future.
Mary Peters
was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S.
Senate as the 15th Secretary of Transportation on September 30,
2006. Prior to that, she worked in Phoenix as the national director
of transportation police and consulting at HDR, Inc., a major engineering
firm. Peters led the Federal Highway Administration from 2001 to
2005. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Phoenix
and attended Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government
Program for State and Local Government Executives.
"Imagine
with me a time in the future when transportation doesn't present
some of the challenges it does today," said Peters at the meeting
of the Detroit Economic Club. "Imagine with me that we could
live in a time when traffic actually flows along the Lodge and the
mixing bowl during rush hour. How about living in a time when transportation
projects are built that actually address the needs of automakers
in Detroit and steel manufacturers in Jackson."
President
Eisenhower proposed the national highway system in 1956. Peters
said the goal was clear: "build the interstate and connect
the country and we did.
"Since
that task was accomplished more than a quarter of a century ago,
our federal surface transportation program has lost its sense of
direction. It's become a breeding ground for earmarks and is burden
by the proliferation of special interest programs, goals and requirements."
Peters said
there are 108 different programs administered by five different
agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. She said
traffic congestion has increased by 300 percent over the last 25
years. Billions of dollars have been thrown to the wrong areas such
as bridges and roads that carry a small amount of traffic. Peters
said the current system is inefficient at fixing today's problems
such as reducing traffic and long commute times.
"Detroit
feels the impact, I think, more than most," the secretary said.
"As poor performing highways make driving less enjoyable and
less reliable as a form of transportation and there's no greater
symptom of the failure of our current policies than the fact that
public confidence in our transportation policies has collapsed."
She said
that Americans are concerned that if gas taxes are raised, their
commutes will not get any better. Peters agreed and said that fuel
taxes are ineffective and are widely unpopular. But she said it
is the way our nation funds surface transportation projects.
"There's
an even further disconnect between the gas tax increases and the
aggressive new CAFE standards, the fuel economy standards, that
we announced last month. I want to thank the automakers for their
support and willingness to help make this very ambitious but very
achieveable plan succeed."
Peters said
we have achieved numerous national goals. First, America has cut
its fuel consumption by saving 55 billion gallons of fuel. The U.S.
has also reduced tailpipe emissions and saved over $100 billion
in fuel costs. She said our country has reduced traffic fatalities.
In Michigan, the number of traffic related deaths is down by 25
percent over the last 10 years and severe injuries have been cut
in half.
The secretary
said Congress made the mistake of calling for higher fuel economy
and higher fuel taxes at the same time. She said the U.S. government
needs to get its act together and focus on what's important.
Peters outlined
her plan for the future of transportation projects in America:
- Eliminate earmarks
and seticides and refocus on areas that are in the national interest
- Safety must be America's
most important goal
- Focus on improving
two-lane highways
- Improve performance
of interstate highway system and major corridors
Every year, more than
42,000 people are killed on America's roads. A quarter of all miles
traveled in the United States takes place on the interstate system.
Peters said: "they are aging -- they're over 50 years old and
are in badly need of repair."
"We can as much
as we did with welfare reform in the 1990's, say that it is time
for transportation reform that encourages innovation rather than
stifling renovation. The federal government’s role in transportation
should not simply be to pass out the cash. It must instead encourage
new investment, stimulate new innovation, and produce real results
– results that make a difference to you in your personal life
and in your professional life."
The secretary said Michigan
can tap into $400 billion of private sector funding for transportation
projects. The only thing standing in the way of these funds are
approval from Lansing.
Vice Chairman of North
Central Deloitte, LLP, Thomas Dekar was the presiding officer of
this meeting of the Detroit Economic Club held at Burton Manor in
Livonia.
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
An
estimated 250 people attended the meeting of the Detroit Economic
Club on Monday.
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
D.E.C.
President and Ceo Beth Chappell welcomes everyone.
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