Tony Kane FHWA buckets trenditalk

The Road Gang lunch talkgroup in Wash DC had Anthony R. Kane USDOT’s exec-sec, its leading career officer venture some longterm predictions about US transp:

• “There will be new outer beltways and new freeways in intercity corridors. Notwithstanding the mounting concerns about smart growth and the like, the automobile will continue to dominate the transport scene. Continued growth of population and economic activity without major changes in land use will force continued dispersion of activity and the construction of new roads to serve that activity.”

• “The interstate highway system will be privatized. Private firms will operate all the services, manage the facilities, collect the tolls, and provide information to motorists...”

• “New revenue sources will be used to pay for highways. Road user charges will be based on the actual amount of road usage, using distance measurements collected automatically using global positioning systems and on-board vehicle monitors...

• “Public transit use will increase... because of a new generation of small single-person personal cars (which) will tie in to rail and express linehaul buses which will offer better hub and spoke and huh-to-hub services

• “Transport proponents and environmentalists will unite on the subject of automobile use. Automobiles will be environmentally friendly with nonharmful (fuel systems), automated smart vehicle control technologies that minimize damaging crashes and better manage integration with public transit....” (“Transp in the New Millennium” Eno’s TQ Summer 2000 54/3 p5-9)