DOT 112-06
Contact: Brian Turmail
Tel.: (202) 366-4570
Friday, December 8, 2006
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Calls on Nation’s Most Congested Cities to
Join the Fight Against Congestion
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters today urged state and city
transportation officials to respond to a request for proposals to partner with
the Department of Transportation to fight traffic congestion in the Nation’s
major metropolitan areas.
“Our quality of life and continued economic prosperity demand that we find
creative solutions to the growing burden of congestion,” said Secretary Peters.
“We want to work with forward-thinking state and local leaders to find new ways
to get people and goods moving again.”
Through the “Urban Partnership Agreement,” the Department would provide
qualified states and metropolitan areas, known as “Urban Partners,” with a
combination of grants, loans, credit support, regulatory relief and technical
assistance to operationally test advanced technologies, such as ramp metering
and real-time travel information systems, designed to reduce traffic congestion.
In return, the Department’s Urban Partners would be expected to research,
develop and showcase strategies believed to be effective on a combined basis in
actually reducing traffic congestion in the near term. Those strategies include
implementation of variable rush hour pricing, otherwise known as “congestion
pricing”; expanded transit services for commuters; employer commitments to
expand telecommuting and/or flexible scheduling options for employees; and an
expanded focus on reducing the impact of incidents, like crashing, on causing
traffic tie ups.
In addition, Urban Partners would be encouraged to explore opportunities to
partner with the private sector to implement these solutions quickly and
cost-effectively.
Secretary Peters urged transportation officials to apply to enter into a new
“Urban Partnership Agreement” with the Department. The program, outlined in a
Federal Register notice issued today, is part of the U.S. Department of
Transportation’s National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on America’s
Transportation Network. It requests that all applications be received by April
30, 2007. Secretary Peters expects the results to be announced by Aug. 8, 2007.
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Briefing Room
