 | Smart Investments in Transportation for Minnesota: Goals and Targets to Spur Growth and Expand Prospertiy
10/27/2011 10:00 AM State and local governments in Minnesota need to adopt innovative policies and approaches to ensure a transportation system that is efficient, accessible, cost-effective and reliable, according to a Growth & Justice report on .
“Fiscal constraints and environmental concerns are forcing creative thinking about smart approaches to transportation. We can’t just do more of the same,” said Matt Kane, director of policy and research for Growth & Justice, speaking to state legislators, Met Council members, business people, transportation advocates and others at a Thursday morning forum where the report was released. Drawing upon research into critical transportation challenges and evidence of positive impacts, Growth & Justice presents four goals for what Minnesota should accomplish with its investments in transportation:
- improve travel time and efficiency for freight,
- better connect low-income Minnesotans to jobs and other important destinations,
- improve travel and travel choices for Minnesotans, and
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.
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The new report notes that transportation affects the economic outlook for Minnesota and both the economic well-being and quality of life for the state’s workers and residents.
Businesses use Minnesota’s transportation system to connect to workers, suppliers and customers and to link to the larger economies of the nation and the world. And the people of Minnesota benefit from easier access to jobs and other important destinations – something especially important for low-income Minnesotans, who face significant transportation challenges.
A range of actions is required to improve transportation in Minnesota. To minimize transportation infrastructure costs, the state and its communities must preserve and maximize the use of what already exists. Construction is needed to maintain critical infrastructure and for high-benefit transportation improvements, especially those yielding positive impacts on the broader transportation system at relatively low costs. But importantly Minnesota’s public sector must pursue smart strategies to use existing roadways more efficiently, boost transit use, spur more travel on bike and foot, change land-use patterns, and otherwise lower the demand for limited space on crowded roadways.
The Smart Investments report presents measures for each of the four transportation goals and identifies crucial target areas – from land use and transit-oriented development to roadway pricing strategies to the infrastructure needed to transfer freight from one transportation mode to another on its journey to market.
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Growth & Justice is a non-profit organization that explores and recommends cost-effective, public-sector investments that will lead to economic growth for Minnesota and expanded economic prosperity for the state’s people and places.
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