The Citizens League Transportation Study Committee held its first meeting February 23. It was well-attended, as 31 committee members were present.
The committee charge states that the committee will “review available research and synthesize data to establish a ‘true cost’ framework for transportation options in Minnesota.”
In order to properly identify problems, the committee work must first identify the underlying issues that influence the transportation system. To begin this process, John Adams, professor and chair of the Geography Department at the University of Minnesota, presented to the committee. Professor Adams was a key researcher in the Transportation and Regional Growth Study that has produced an excellent body of work for the committee to consider. Much of the presentation and resulting discussion centered on land use and the spatial and temporal inequities in how we currently pay for transportation infrastructure.
The next meeting of the committee will take place March 10. Gerard McCullough, associate professor in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota, will discuss “The Full Cost of Transportation in the Twin Cities Region,” a work that he co-authored in the Transportation and Regional Growth Study.
The Transportation Study Committee kicks off its work on February 23 with a transportation and regional growth discussion led by Professor John Adams from the University of Minnesota. Adams has been instrumental in the Transportation and Regional Growth Study, a cooperative project between the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies, the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Council, and the Minnesota Local Road Research Board.
If you are interested in the work of the committee, sign up to receive periodic weblog digests (at right) that will inform you of the latest developments. For links to some of the resources available to the committee, click on the "Resources" box at left.