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TRANSPORTATION - BTS - Bureau of Transportation Statistics

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A Message fromSecretary SlaterAs stewards <strong>of</strong> America’s transportation system, the U.S. Department <strong>of</strong> <strong>Transportation</strong> remainsvigilant in the face <strong>of</strong> change and visionary in preparing for the future. We know that to beeffective, our transportation system must be international in reach–linking us to new marketsand destinations around the world; intermodal in form–gaining from the combined strengths <strong>of</strong>the individual modes; intelligent in character–harnessing the tremendous power <strong>of</strong> technologicaladvancement to expand our capabilities; and inclusive in service–moving all forward andleaving no one behind. Perhaps, above all, it must be innovative–creating a system that willgrow safer and more efficient over time.We also know transportation is about more than concrete, asphalt, and steel. It is about peopleand their daily lives. It is about their dreams and aspirations, their connection to the economyand to each other. <strong>Transportation</strong> is the tie that binds.As we take stock <strong>of</strong> the challenges we face, the Department has embraced a decisionmakingprocess that ensures the public’s interests are served and that the public and all other stakeholdersare involved in the process. How is this process different from others before it? Thekey is a tenacious focus on outcomes–beyond inputs, activities, and outputs–and a commitmentto measure our performance against the goals we set. We hold ourselves accountable, but ourplans aren’t prescriptive; they are inherently flexible. This means that we need high-quality,objective data to guide our programs and judge our success. In fact, Congress created the<strong>Bureau</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Transportation</strong> <strong>Statistics</strong> as an operating administration within the U.S. Department <strong>of</strong><strong>Transportation</strong> precisely for this purpose–to ensure the availability and reliability <strong>of</strong> relevantdata for decisionmaking in transportation.We are moving from strength to strength, taking our planning process to a new level with theassistance <strong>of</strong> both this document, The Changing Face <strong>of</strong> <strong>Transportation</strong>, and its companiondocument, <strong>Transportation</strong> Decision Making: Policy Architecture for the 21 st Century. As acompanion document, the Policy Architecture report will help translate the trends we see and thegoals we set into choices that will guide decisionmaking for the next 25 years. Thus, we buildon the foundation laid down by those who have gone before us, those who carved the path inNational <strong>Transportation</strong> Trends and Choices 25 years ago.I invite you to continue improving our nation’s transportation system so that it will not only servethe needs <strong>of</strong> today’s Americans, but tomorrow’s Americans as well. Each <strong>of</strong> us has an importantrole in helping to shape and pave the way for the future in this, the new century and thenew millennium. Together we will continue to provide the best transportation system in theworld.Rodney E. SlaterSecretary o f <strong>Transportation</strong>

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