Transportation Leaders Join to Build Consensus
On a Vision for America’s Future Mobility

Eight national organizations joined in an effort to create a new national “vision” for transportation to maintain America’s place in the world economy and way of life.

On May 21-23, some 150 representatives of both public and private sector transportation and industry organizations were invited to convene at a national conference to lay a common framework on which this new transportation vision was based.

The following organizations joined together in this initiative:

  • American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
  • AAA
  • American Council of Engineering Companies
  • American Public Transportation Association
  • American Road and Transportation Builders Association
  • American Trucking Associations
  • Associated General Contractors
  • Association of American Railroads

To lay the groundwork for the deliberations, nine working groups convened to produce recommendations on specific subject areas.  A summary of those recommendations are the starting point for the industry-wide conference that was held May 21-23, in Cambridge, Maryland.

Topic areas that were considered during the conference included:  

  • The Big Picture: Freight. International competitiveness, and the role of shippers, railroads, trucking, distribution centers, ports and airports in meeting national needs.
  • Highways, Travel, and Tourism. What the national highway system of the future will require to meet national needs; including a specific focus on long-distance travel, travel and tourism, and rural needs.
  • Freight and Passenger Rail. How improved rail service can help meet future needs for moving people and freight.
  • Transit and Intercity Bus. A vision of how these systems can better meet needs for the future.
  • Metropolitan Mobility. How to improve system capacity, performance, reliability, and better manage demand in urban areas.
  • Sustainable Transportation. This group addressed a series of issues that are inseparable from meeting the Nation’s future transportation needs.
  • Advanced Technology and Innovation. How ITS technologies, advanced materials, and innovation can better meet transportation needs.
  • Highway Safety. Behavioral as well as vehicle and roadway safety.
  • Funding. Estimates of what will be required to meet future highway, transit and rail system needs; Revenue options near-term and long-term; and the roles of the federal government, state and local governments and the private sector in funding what is needed.

This report was produced as a result of the conference - A New Vision for the 21st Century

Panel Participants

Panel Reports

Sponsoring Partners

Vision Statements – Draft

Agenda