Guest blog by Noah Berger -

After 15 years at the Federal Transit Administration, mostly as Director of Planning and Program Development in Region 1, I am moving on to pursue other opportunities and begin the next chapter of my career. I've reflected over the last few months on what's most meaningful to me as a transportation professional, and as a human being about what transportation means to people. 

Statewide Coalition Issues Detailed Report on Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities to Modernize Massachusetts’ Aging Transportation System

Massachusetts must modernize its transportation network for the 21st century. We must transition to clean, reliable, affordable and convenient travel choices in every city and town. We have to make this vision a reality - for our economy at the state level, to provide greater opportunity for every person and neighborhood, for our climate, and for our health. And this is where you come in!

CHRIS DEMPSEY NAMED TRANSPORTATION FOR MASSACHUSETTS DIRECTOR:  Dynamic, accomplished transportation champion to lead diverse coalition committed to improving transportation access, reliability, and affordability statewide.

Since election day, there has been a lot of talk about the prospect of greater federal investment in infrastructure, including transportation.

There has not, however, been a lot of clarity about what that investment might look like, how big it might be, what types of transportation infrastructure might be targeted, or even where the money might come from to pay for it. 

Massachusetts made progress in the work to modernize the state’s transportation network in 2016, along with some setbacks and skirmishes. Perhaps the year can best be summed up this way: we still have a lot of work to do, and we know we can do better in Massachusetts! 

In the six year history of our coalition, we have consistently advocated for transportation investment and equity, for high quality service, and for better transportation as a crucial lever to fight against climate change, the most serious threat to our planet, our economy and our communities. Now, in the wake of the Presidential election on November 8 and the uncertainty around the path forward in many federal policy areas - including transportation - our coalition and our allies must focus on an energetic, well-informed, and persuasive program that sets out the case for sustainable mobility to serve everybody.

Mobile technology continues to disrupt and revolutionize transportation, with far-reaching implications for how we get around by car, transit, bike and other modes. And the emergence of autonomous vehicles is a dominant trend in personal transportation, as the motor vehicle industry begins to reinvent itself. 

Massachusetts must modernize our transportation network to suit changing needs, and we must better maintain and expand our key infrastructure, and we must leverage innovation for better service and value. Without proper investments, grounded in an assertive vision to promote clean and efficient travel, we will pay a big price in lost opportunity, time and higher costs down the road.

This is a challenge that we must address comprehensively, with good information and sound values, informed by expertise and by the everyday perspectives of the public. But good information on Massachusetts - and a sense of perspective - are missing from the latest Reason Foundation report on highway spending. This report deserves a response, because past versions of the Reason report have become fodder for our statewide transportation debate.

The U.S. Census Bureau on September 15^th released the latest data on commuting in America from the 2015 American Community Survey (ACS). A quick read shows that Massachusetts continues to experience a slow slide in car commuting, and an increase in the importance of transit and active transportation – driven in part by economic and population growth in the region’s core and, relatedly, by shifting patterns of commuting among younger residents.

Also posted on Frontier Group