Funding The Transportation System of The Future

Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Ph.D., Director, Mineta Transportation Institute National Transportation Finance Center
William Millar, President, American Public Transportation Association
John Horsley, Executive Director, Association of American State Highway and Transportation Officials
Alan Lowenthal, California State Senator
Norman Mineta, U.S. Secretary of Transportation (Ret.); Former U.S.Congressman - Moderator

Within the next two decades, the Census Bureau estimates that the U.S. population will increase by as many as 50 million people, including at least a 25-percent increase in California’s population alone. This population growth, combined with a growing backlog of overdue maintenance work on roads and transit systems, creates a need for significantly expanded transportation revenues. However, the current political climate is generally unfavorable to tax increases. Given these political realities, what new or expanded revenue sources could be generated for transportation? In particular, what options will be politically feasible in the short and medium term? Our panel of transportation experts, representing viewpoints from the national and state level, will discuss possible revenue options and their likely reception from the public and legislators.

This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco on June 25, 2010