Yet, transportation in rural areas is vital for access to basic needs, such as food and housing, and to public services, such as public education, health, and police and fire protection services. Transportation also contributes significantly to rural economic development by providing residents a link to jobs, offering rural businesses access to customers, and enhancing the movement of commercial products. Locally based transportation planning gives communities the opportunity to make transportation investment decisions that enhance economic and community development goals. Some states have voluntarily adopted statewide planning frameworks that allow rural and small metropolitan regions to plan, prioritize and gather public input on transportation improvement plans. The results have been positive for local elected officials, state transportation officials and rural citizens who now have greater influence on transportation decision-making.
Transportation is critical to a wide array of development issues.
Experts now agree on the need for flexible use of funding so that public transit, pedestrian, bicycle, Amtrak, shared rides, road safety, land use, traffic demand management and historic preservation projects may be funded depending on the needs determined by the local community residents and elected officials. In addition, it is necessary to encourage transportation decisions that reduce air pollution and otherwise help the environment to protect rural residents health and well-being. Transportation needs in rural America are diverse because transportation systems must serve diverse groups of people. However, less than 10 percent of federal spending for public transportation goes to rural communities. Air Quality Issues Poor air quality is not strictly an urban phenomenon.