For Immediate Release
OCTOBER 29, 2007

Contact: Charles Hodges (chodges@capstrat.com)
(919) 882-1969 work
(919) 609-6772 cell

Statement of Beau Mills, NC Go! Chair on Special Commission to Study Transportation Needs in North Carolina

Today’s announcement by State leaders of a special commission to study transportation in our state comes as welcome news to NC Go!  Since the legislature adjourned earlier this year without addressing the growing transportation needs of the state, NC Go! has repeatedly urged the Governor and legislative leaders to move swiftly to address the growing needs in our state by appointing a special committee and convening a special session of the General Assembly.

Put simply, the time to act is now.  Demand continues to increase rapidly and roadway congestion is a problem throughout the state.  Most urban areas lack not only road capacity but need greater investment in bus, light rail or other transit options.  Many rural areas lack adequate highways which impedes their economic development.  Furthermore, transportation-related construction costs – for items like steel, concrete and asphalt – have jumped more than 75 percent in the past five years while funding has remained flat.  Action is required because the problems are not going away.

The diverse and respected members of the 21st Century Transportation Committee will have an opportunity to bring their visionary and innovative thinking together to identify how we manage and fund transportation in our state in the new century.  Our population will grow by 50 percent by 2030, adding an additional 4 million people to our transportation system and their vehicles to our roads.  Our economy requires an efficient and effective transportation system for a state that has transforming itself into a competitor in the global economy.  New thinking will be required in considering how to raise the resources needed for a multimodal system that includes highways, bridges, rail, public transit and air – both for freight and people.

Much is at stake for this group, our legislature and our state as a whole.  Our quality of life and safety is impacted greatly by our transportation system.  Commutes are getting longer each day because of fast growing congestion. We lack available options for people in urban regions to avoid traffic.  Increased options mean more road capacity AND transit solutions.  No 21st century cities will succeed without robust public transportation systems.

North Carolina’s economic climate is also at stake. For years we have been viewed as a top state for doing business – with a strong transportation system.  If our state’s highways, bridges, rails and ports cannot handle the demands of increased growth we will stop being a destination for new businesses and industries.  Times have changed since we last adjusted our transportation program in 1989, and the time has come to find new ways to meet our needs.

The members of the Committee are all extraordinary people from a variety of backgrounds and expertise.  NC Go! is hopeful that this study commission will work together to quickly come up with some innovative solutions.  But unlike other recent transportation study commissions, this one must deliver results - the commission members, the General Assembly and leaders from across the state should fully engage in this issue and commit to following through with action.  The public will have little patience for the job to be left incomplete, this time.