# Presentation: 925019

##  Freight in Transportation Planning 

- Jill Hochman, Director
- Office of Intermodal and Statewide Programs
- Federal Highway Administration

## US DOT Strategic Goals

- Safety
- Mobility
- Economic Growth and Trade
- Human and Natural Environment
- National Security

**Notes:**
I’d like to start with the U.S. DOT’s Strategic Goals

safety – promote public health and safety by working toward the elimination of transportation related deaths, injuries and property damage. 

Mobility – we want to ensure that America’s transportation system is accessible integrated, efficient, and offers flexibility of choices.

Economic growth and Trade – We want to advance advance America’s economic growth and trade domestically and internationally through efficient and flexible transportation. We can achieve this by streamlining various bureaucracies and getting rid of inefficiencies.

Human and Natural Environment  - we want to protect and enhance communities and the natural environment effected by transportation.

National Security – We want to advance the nation’s vital security interest and ensure that the transportation system is available for defense mobility and our borders are safe from illegal intrusions.

 Transportation planning is a process which really addresses each of these goals.

When dealing with the planning process we need to recognize the role freight  plays in each of these goals.

## Importance of Freight Transportation

- Enhancing the operation efficiency of the nation’s transportation system
- TEA-21
- Globalization

**Notes:**
This means we need to understand the importance of freight. 

In 1977 Ken Olson of Digital Corporation said “no one ever needs a personal computer at home”  Need less to say he was no longer around at Digital Corporation after a few years.  If we don’t think about freight, our transportation system may lose out and we’ll find we not only can’t achieve our basic goals, but of transportation system will be anything but a system.

TEA21 States that freight transportation should be considered in the planning process.

We also have globalization which is a shift in business and commerce from traditional boundaries from States and national borders.  It is very rare to find a product made exclusively in USA or Japan.  The automobiles that Detroit builds are intermingled with parts from countries such as Canada and Mexico or else where in the world.  Because of advances in technology such as telecommunication and containerization, world trade has grown and this trade relies on transportation. 

## Total Domestic Freight Tons and Value

**Notes:**
Here is an example of the importance of our transportation system to freight.  

Although it proves the point of the saying in industry “if you bought it, a truck brought it”  It also shows that more than 10 billion tons of freight worth somewhere upwards of $9 trillion uses our transportation system in the US.

## Freight Forecast Growth Rates-Trend 

**US Domestic:**
- 1998-2020: **2.9% **(Cumulative:** 87%**)
- 1998-2010: **3.4%**
- 2010-2020: **2.4%**
**US International:**
- 1998-2020: **3.4% **(Cumulative: **107%**)
- 1998-2010: **4.0%**
- 2010-2020: **2.9%**
**International Sectors:**
- US/Canada 1998-2020: **3.1%**
- US/Mexico 1998-2020: **3.5%**
- US/ROW 1998-2020:  **3.4%**

**Notes:**
And for the future these figures speak for themselves. 

Domestic slightly less than doubling and international more than doubling.  
These growth trends are inevitable and thus the demand on our transportation system will be taxed to its limits.  There will be great demands of our nations transportation system, and we need to be prepared for this.

## Importance of Incorporating Freight into the Planning Process

- Legislative Mandate
- “Grass roots”
- Multi-Jurisdictional Coalitions

**Notes:**
Do we want a legislative mandate to incorporate freight into planning?  I’m not sure we want this but it seems necessary.  In fact, there are some who argue that we already have this in TEA-21 with the focus on freight as one of the seven planning factors.

The “grass roots” coalitions seems to have some success in bringing freight in to the forefront of the transportation planning process such as the I-95 and I-35 coalitions.  There are regional organizations such as the Appalachian Regional Development Commission backed by Congress with funding, where their main focus is economic development and transportation is the backbone of their focus.

But let’s think about the planning process. 

##  the Planning Process

- Issues and Needs
- Strategies/Analysis
- Plan Development
- Programming of Projects (STIP/TIP)

**Notes:**
Here is the planning process in a nut shell.

We first identify the issues and needs; We are conditioned to think that when it comes to needs, passenger needs is always first.  This is okay, however, when we look at a bigger picture freight issues must be addressed.  

And then we formulate strategies and analyses.  We can creatively draw up a strategy that encompass passenger and freight issues, the two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, in some cases folks are able to hide the freight projects in passenger projects.

This is followed by plan development and finally programming projects, which is leading up to the TIP and STIP.

The challenge is where can we fit freight issues in to this process, we have to find ways of incorporating freight as part of the planning process. 

## Major Challenges

**Planning Process**
**Land Use**
**Funding**
**Safety**

**Notes:**
The planning process can be cumbersome and freight may not be a top priority on the minds of elected officials and transportation professionals. 

There are several major changes that will task all of us as we incorporate freight into the planning process. 

First the process itself, the implications for land use, funding and safety.

Let’s think a little about each of these.

## Planning Process

- The Benefits of Freight Projects often accrue to other areas
- Freight projects are often given low priorities leading to delays in implementation (if at all).

**Notes:**
There are several challenges to make the process work. People tend to cringe with the mention of the word freight project for various reasons:  There are “NIMBYs” “Not in My Back Yard” and fear the a freight project can somehow will have a negative impact on their way of life and property values. In contrast, the freight community tends to think in terms of “What is in it for me.”

Freight also generally moves regionally than locally.  For instance,  if we were to make an improvement  to a connector road in Charleston SC area there is little impact locally; however, if we look at it from national perspective, the flow from Charleston looks something like roots coming out of a tree trunk so there is a national impact and often accrue to other areas like Chicago.

As a result of these differences freight may often be at the bottom of the planners concerns.  Planners are often locally centered.

## Land Use

- Increased traffic will raise environmental and community impact concerns.
- Acquiring land for expansion of freight and rail facilities and rights-of-way can be difficult.
- Increases in rail freight volumes have generated concerns about blocked grade crossings, train horns, and related problems.

**Notes:**
The notion of increased traffic will raise environmental and community impact is not new.  It will impacts the environment and the community.   And many believe “negatively”

There are also competing land use issues.  This applies to commercial and high end residential areas such as the New Jersey waterfront, where most officials prefer to develop the available land for upscale  residential housing than a truck/rail/part yard.  

And, grade crossing issues are primarily in the rural areas and here is a safety issue that can take a on a life of its own, that may not even be on the radar screen in an MPO.

## Funding

- When should public funds be used in direct or indirect support of private sector freight projects?
- When should both private and public funds be used on a particular project?
- The Federal eligibility requirements can exclude different freight transportation improvements

**Notes:**
Also, funding for projects must be prioritized.  Since freight is at the bottom, these projected do not get funded. This is where co-mingling of private and public moneys can be used effectively, but this takes work and creativity on behalf of the officials to make it work.  Plus, there is no line item in current legislation to fund freight.

This leads to several interesting questions I don’t have answers to...

However, if we can understand and identify benefits, we can then stretch both public and private funds for mutual benefits.  

And, we may want to re-think eligibility for Federal funds.  Currently CMAQ and the Corridors and Borders are the only Federal Highway programs flexible enough  to fund freight projects.

## Safety

- Public concern on heavy duty truck traffic
- Highway-Grade Crossing Safety is a major concern

**Notes:**
There are differences between what causes safety problems for cars verses trucks and other freight mode.  For example, most fatalities on the highways occur at night.  But, if you look at fatalities in the crashes in which trucks are involved, most of these occur during the day.  This makes a difference in deciding needs and in planning.

Conflicts can exist between passenger and truck traffic; trucks by virtue of their nature are intimating  and have safety issues related to operating these heavy machine.

And of course highway grade crossings are a major concern as well.  This is more of an education issue.

## Seeds of Discussion

- Recommendations
- Freight Planning Process
- Public Private Public Partnerships

**Notes:**
Increasingly, interests outside the immediate sphere of private sector are imposing their concerns related to freight transportation improvement decisions made by the private sector (communities, land use issues etc.).  Public sector involvement in planning both private and public freight transportation facilities is growing as the importance of the connections among modes increases, the funds from the public sector increase, and as improvements require regulatory involvement.  

Given this situation there are options to discuss.  For example: 
Should  specific recommendations for enhancing the TEA-21 freight factor within the public transportation planning process be developed? 
Should  a separate freight planning process to consider of geographic needs and requirements be required?Is there a way to provide for public/private partnerships in planning freight transportation improvements?What are the freight and trade transport data requirements? What kind of international (bi-national) partnerships are needed to accomplish effective freight transportation planning including the US Department of State and Customs?What regional, State, international, and local freight planning tools are desired, with priorities and strategies for development?What kind of approaches and recommendations are there for more effective and timely program development of freight oriented projects, including any necessary institutional changes? Can or should MPO Membership be adjusted to reflect freight needs as well as passenger needs?

## Our Future  

- What is probably going to happen?
- What is possible in the future?
- What is preferred?

**Notes:**
I’d like to use some thoughts by Glenn Hiemstra, on thoughts for the future.  Glenn Hiemstra is a “Futurist” and his thoughts are quite interesting and thought provoking.  He said that “We are in a midst of a digital and biological evolution.” To make the case he pointed out the various stages in the revolution:
1971 Intel sold its first silicon based micro chip, 1976 DNA and break through in Genetic engineering 
1977 Bill Gates develops a basic language for a computer,  At the same time Steve Jobs and Steve Waznick are on parallel path developing  an Apple commuter
1981 IBM markets first Personal Computer
1990 the wide spread usage of the Internet (after Al Gore invented it) 
As for the next  10 years you all know what happened.  But do you know what is to come about in the next 10-20 years 

......Three questions come to mind as we move forward:
What is probably going to happen in the future?
What is possible in the future?
What is preferred in the future?

Our future  - particularly as it relates to transportation planning and freight as is up to us.   
And -- future is not what it used to be.