Untitled - HFI Historical Archive - Helicopter Association International

THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION POLICY:
A MAP TO GET FROM NOW TO THE FUTURE
By Honorable Samuel Knox Skinner
The nation's greatest ll'allSportalion
project, President Eisenhower's inler·
state highway system. i!> nearing COIllpletion.
Americ111ls are proud of their
freedom and ability to trowel from one
end of our land \0 the other. TIle next
challenge is how [0 preserve and enhlLllce
our mobility.
We cnnnol lnkcour tnlllsporialion system
for granted. We l11usl maintain and
selectively expand our roads ,md transit
systems and cnhllllce our air traffic
capacity. Walking Ihrough a busy airport
or sitting in rush hour Inlffic
provides rcal mClIning to Ihe words
"capacity problems" in tnmsl>ortalion.
1'!owever,lIs Jimmy Duntll1c said, "YOll
ain't seen nothing yet." By the year
2000, U.S. airlines will be carrying 70
percent more passengers than today and
over 200 million cars :md trucks will be
crowding our highways.
Staggering Statistics
These st:lggcring statistics signal the
critic;11 need for a national transportation
policy that addresses today's
problems. and deals with our coumry's
transportation needs into thc year 2020
and beyond. Such a systcm is essential
to the country's economic vitality and
its nutional defense.
Few business executives would think
of operating their company without a
strlltegic plan. Yet. transportation accounts
for as much as a fifth of our
Ilation's gross Ilational product and as a
nation wedo not have:l firill assessment
Mr. Skinner is lite Secretary of
Transporlatioll oflhe Unired Slates.
6 ROTOR
of where we are headed or the obstacles
we aTe likely to encounter.
Assessment High Priority
One of my highest priorities is to
develop such an assessment by the
beginning of 1990. A group of experts
from both goveTllrncm and the private
sector. called the N:ltion:d Transportation
Pol icy Team. is developing a
slr.ltegic policy to help make transpor­
\;Ition more efficient. less expensive.
and. above nil. safe fOT the American
consumer.
nlis te,ull consists of several major
working groups that will zero in on
specific 'Ireas of transportation. They
lire;
Urb'lIl/Suburban Transportation
Systems and Services
Rural America Transportalioll
Systems and Services
[ntercity Passenger: Domestic
Transportation Systems and Services
Intercity Freight: Domestic
Transportation Systcm and Services
[ntemat ional TranslxlrIat ion S ystems
and Services
Innovation and Human F;lctors in
Trunsport:ltion
111ese groups wi II hold publ ic hearings
und work with transportation industry
associations to llssess current demand
:md project future transportation needs.
TIle policy will consider how mass
t T:msil. h ighwa ys. ai rports. sell ports. and
r:lilroads can complement each other
and provide tOlal transponation service
to Americlltls. The team will seek
answers to questions such as: How can
we solve the problems of 'Iirpon congestion
and nil' traffic contro[ capncity?
What is the future for high-speed passenger
trains in heavily populated
transportation corridors of the country?
1·low can we rcpair:md extend our highway
and bridge systems and who will
pay the bi lis? em privilte entrepreneurs
be "primary players" in llUlSS transit services?
How can public tmnsportntion
relieve some of the pressure on the highw:ly
and aviation systems? Will
trnnsponation into space be a mission
contrtlilcd by the fedel'ill govcrnme11l or
by the private sector'! Will U.S.
maritime resources be :ldcqllflte forcivil
and military needs?
Environment, Trade j Economy
Must be Considerea
For this 10 be a renlistic transportation
strategy forthe next century. it must :llso
consider factors such ,IS: ellvironmental
impact. international tT:lde. economic
opportunity. energy resources. and national
security requirements while
painting the transportation picture of the
21st century.
After this assessment. we must then
find the mellllS to get the job done. Wc
may have more requirements th'lIl
resources. bUI this should stimulate
creOJtive solutions. lIot illduce stagnation.
Both the highway :lnd the :lirport
programs will be reauthorized in 1991.
This pl'(x;c.s will provide an 0pl>or·
\LInity to work with Congress in lackling
some of our tough tr.lnsportation
problems and present ing a vision lor the
future.
There are many variables remaining.
but one item is certain--this effort will
require cooperation from every level of
government. rrom every aspect of the
private sector and from every creative
trans l >Oftation user.
In the coming weeks you or your organization
Illay have constructive ideas
regarding the future of transportation. [f
so please send them to me. OUTworking
groups will seek to incorporate thcm
into the National Transl>OT\illion Policy.
Input from all aspects of the transportalion
industry is illl l >onanl.
[ like Wayne Grctzky's delinition of
slnltegy. Ice hockey's greatest player
says he skates to where thc puck is going
to be. Our t:l5k is to anticipate transport:llion
needs and stay ahe:ld of the curve.
-,
Il:=.
Fall 1989