It’s time for a major change in North Carolina’s transportation policies.  

The last major shift took place in 1989, when legislators took an existing revenue source away from the General Fund to create an earmarked fund for building roads, and set up a formula – the equity formula – to divide up resources among different parts of the state.  The formula had two big impacts: by emphasizing loop roads (beltlines) and four-lane divided highways, it promoted low-density sprawl; and it favored rural counties, who dominated the legislature. 

Now, two decades later, our circumstances and needs have changed.  For the first time, since the 2000 census, a majority of voters live in urban and suburban districts – not rural counties.  We understand more now about the damage car emissions do to human health; and in early 2008 it became clear that much of the state will violate Clean Air Act standards if our suburbs continue to sprawl outwards. 

Further, national climate change legislation is likely to pass within the next three to four years.  When it does, the costs of using carbon-intensive fuels like oil and gas will rise, and states with sprawling patterns of development will be at a competitive disadvantage in trying to attract new businesses and high paying jobs. 

Construction costs have increased rapidly over the last few years, while traditional state and national funding sources for transportation spending have begun to erode.  As for choosing which projects get built, the public has little tolerance for back room political deals. The transportation policy and process that has served North Carolina for the last two decades is breaking down, and something new will need to take its place.

In the fall of 2007, Gov. Easley, Senate President pro-tem Basnight, and House Speaker Hackney jointly established the 21st Century Transportation Committee; its charge is to review North Carolina’s transportation and transportation finance policies, and report back to the NC General Assembly with interim recommendations for the 2008 short session, and final recommendations for the 2009 long session.

In late 2007, the NC Department of Transportation began to roll out various internal reforms and processes in an effort to speed construction of projects and reduce embarrassing mistakes.  Many of the needed reforms were spelled out in a report by the McKinsey consulting company (pdf); NC DOT unveiled a new webpage to help track internal reforms.

In March 2008, the North Carolinians for Transportation Reform and Modernization (NC TRAM) – a broad coalition of progressive and environmental organizations – released a list of five principles that should guide a new vision for transportation in North Carolina.  The NC Conservation Network is a founding participant in NC TRAM. 

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On March 24, 2008 Bill Wilson, AARP, and David Farren, Southern Environmental Law Center, presented the NC TRAM principles to the 21st Century Transportation Committee.  Click here to download a pdf of the presentation.

On May 13, 2008 the 21st Century Transportation Committee issued its interim recommendations.  They included inconsistent proposals – for both a $1 billion to $1.7 billion road bond and a new shared state and local financing system for public transportation projects.  The public transportation proposal was introduced in the 2008 session of the NC General Assembly as H2363, Congestion Relief/ Intermodal Transport Fund.  Unfortunately, this bill did not pass during the 2008 session. 

Links

"At the Crossroads: Recommendations for the Future of Transportation in North Carolina" (pdf), NC Justice Center, Feb. 28, 2008.

"A Better Way to Go: Meeting America’s 21st Century Transportation Challenges with Modern Public Transit", NC Public Interest Research Group, March 27, 2008.

NC Department of Transportation

Southern Environmental Law Center

NC Justice Center, Budget & Tax Center

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