Transportation Issues Overview

For funding the vital transportation systems that are key to America’s economic growth, mobility and quality of life, State Legislatures are the only people who are responsible. NSCL (National Conference of State Legislature) provides information, research, legislative data, technical assistance and referral assistance on numerous transportation topics to state legislatures. Synchronized human service transportation, hazardous materials transportation, traffic congestion, and traffic safety, aviation, and transportation finance and rail issues come under transportation.

Coordinated Human Service Transportation:

A lot of federal, state and local agencies give or support particular transportation services for transportation disadvantaged populations.  Government, non-profit and for-profit programs provide service to rural and urban communities, indigent populations, veterans, and populace with disabilities, seniors and Medicaid recipients.  But, the huge number, assortment and dispersion of particular transportation programs across a lot of agencies can make unproductive and ineffective service and problems for example duplication of service, underutilization of resources, inconsistent service, gaps in service, inconsistent safety standards and customer inconvenience.  To battle these problems, government agencies, human service organizations and transportation planners have advocated enhanced program synchronization.  NCSL is working with the Federal Transit Administration and the U.S. Department of Labor to track state synchronization efforts.  This page gives the latest information about state legislation, NCSL reports and links to extra resources.

Traffic Congestion:

Anyone who has ever been in a car knows that traffic jam is a problem apparently all over the place.  Traffic congestion delays travelers in the United States an estimated 3.7 billion hours every year, resulting in 2.3 billion gallons in exhausted fuel and $65 billion in superfluous annual costs.  What can state legislator do? NCSL’s transportation program trail state efforts to mitigate traffic jam with enhanced transportation operations and management.  By a cooperative agreement with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), NCSL partakes in the National Transportation Operations Coalition (NTOC) and National Associations Working Group on Transportation Operations and Management (NAWG).  To find out more about traffic congestion mitigation methods, view NCSL’s publications or information from further organizations who partake in the NTOC and NAWG.

Hazardous Materials Transportation:

is a public protection concern for the states. NCSL is working with the seven-state coalition for Uniform Hazmat Transportation methods to help states in put into practice uniform methods for dangerous materials transportation allows and registration using the most excellent practices of existing state programs. NCSL is able to help out states in finding a suitable hazmat transportation protection program. NCSL functions with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on hazmat protection as well.

Traffic Safety:

It is a vital public health issue for a lot of people, comprising state legislators. Every year, more than 40,000 people are slaughtered in motor vehicle crashes and thousands more are wounded Traffic crashes are a foremost cause of death for all age groups in the United States and cost society an estimated $230.6 billion every year. State legislatures argue more than 1,000 traffic safety bills every year relating to inhabitant protection, distracted driving, drunk driving, pedestrian and bicycle safety — between others. NCSL tracks these key traffic safety bills in a lot of Legislative Tracking Databases. Further areas of focus for transportation comprise aviation, transportation finance and rail issues. The Transportation Program also staffs and provides research and analysis as asked for to the NSCL.

NCSL Standing Committee on Transportation:

This board, with representation from all the states, meets three times a year. It has authority over the states’ interests in transportation and builds up policy positions on federal issues that relate to the states.