| The future of the transportation system in Massachusetts is a growing concern to commuters, businesses and residents throughout the state. There is heavy congestion and increased commuting times on our roads, while the mass transit system continues to be unreliable and inadequate.
When we project the growth of the region over the next few years and beyond, the need to improve our future transportation system is clear. However, there are two looming challenges that are new threats to our transportation infrastructure: the impacts of climate change and the disruption from new technology, such as autonomous vehicles. Massachusetts needs to be proactive in adapting an effective response to these upcoming major changes.
Fortunately, we will soon learn the findings from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Commission on the Future of Transportation. This group is an impressive collection of experts from the transportation, technology, clean energy and land-use planning fields. They will develop a range of technology and transportation scenarios anticipated in Massachusetts between 2020 and 2040, and then make recommendations on policy changes. This focus on long-term visioning is encouraging and that should be a productive complement to our current transportation planning efforts.
Once the commission releases its report, we all must start taking action on the changes we know are necessary. The business community, transportation and environmental stakeholders, and the general public need to engage with elected officials and identify both short and intermediate steps that can begin in 2019. This is also an opportunity to think big and agree on our common goals for the next decade. Then we can work to harness technological innovation changes to meet these principles.
An efficient, equitable and modern transportation network is essential for Massachusetts to maximize economic vitality, address climate concerns and prioritize social equity. It can also encourage smart growth, improve public health, deliver a cleaner environment and maintain a high quality of life. However, we must also recognize that we cannot build a future transportation system that supports these goals without some behavioral changes in the residents of the commonwealth. Decisions on travel modes, zoning, additional capacity improvements, expansion projects and pricing mechanisms all have the ability to change people’s behavior and can be done in a way that gives incentives to operate an efficient transportation system.
Building an enhanced urban rail network would go a long way towards addressing many of today’s challenges, but the first step towards realizing these benefits is designing a funding plan to build it. Today, Massachusetts cannot wait to generate funding necessary for new projects and capacity improvements that will serve this region for the next generation. Prior transportation investments have paid significant dividends for our current economy and justify a robust investment plan to meet our current and future needs. If policymakers can address some of the tough political decisions on funding, we can produce a future that allows the region to meet its full potential and is financed it in a sustainable way.
New Technology Will Require Funding Changes
A new comprehensive transportation finance plan for the future is needed, simply because of the advancements in electric vehicles. The gas tax is a major source of funding for the Massachusetts transportation system. In the future, the rise of electric vehicles will mean lower tax revenue that supports and maintains our infrastructure. To supplement or replace the gas tax, there are a number of possible transportation finance strategies such as “vehicle miles traveled” (VMT) pricing, all-electronic tolling on additional highways (as federal law allows), smarter tolling, emissions and congestion pricing. These would not only generate the resources we need, but these tactics would catalyze the promise of a modern, comfortable, convenient transit system that meets our environmental needs for generations to come.
Some believe we should wait and see if technology will solve all of the big transportation problems. This would be the wrong approach, as we learned from the recent changes to our transportation system as a result of Uber and Lyft. These two organizations have delivered significant benefits to both riders and drivers, but there are many public policy questions still yet to be resolved. The carbon emissions from additional vehicles on our roads could threaten our climate change goals and these cars are increasing roadway congestion.
Without proper management and oversight from the public sector we cannot achieve our mobility needs. We likely need to redesign streets for drop-off zones, improve the relationship to the taxi industry and create a smarter fee structure that properly incentivizes the shared use of this service. The public sector was not prepared for Uber and Lyft, so let’s try to be ready for the arrival of autonomous vehicles.
It is exciting to think about the future, where autonomous vehicles travel freely through a carbon-free commonwealth, but there is much to do now to prepare for that vision. We will still need a robust transit system. It won’t be possible without smart planning today, compromises and tough choices on how we raise money for transportation and the incentives we create. We can’t continue to wait to take action on building a transportation system that delivers optimal benefits and prosperity for Massachusetts.
Rick Dimino is president and CEO of A Better City.
