Mobility First

Traffic congestion is a growing problem and unless policy makers and transportation officials make some dramatic changes, it will rise to unacceptable levels by 2030. In , Sam Staley and Adrian Moore explain the inefficient systems and politics that cause this escalating epidemic, presenting commonsense, high-tech solutions that will ease congestion and its troubling consequences. The book considers transportation policy through the intersection of four crucial and timely elements: global, economic, and cultural competitiveness; urban development trends; demographics; and transportation engineering and design. It sets goals for congestion reduction, outlines performance standards that increase transparency, calls for the redesign of the regional transportation network, and describes sufficient investment in technology.

Speaking from our experiences in Texas, Sam Staley and Adrian Moore get it right in Mobility First. As our nation’s population continues to grow and our infrastructure continues to age, we need to come up with new solutions to meeting transportation needs. The recommendations in Mobility First will no doubt cause an uproar in some quarters, but the position they take is one that will move the dialogue forward and help America remain competitive in our increasingly global economy., In spite of a considerable volume of research by urban economists over the last 40+ years, there is still a huge gap between the policies and projects that are routinely put forward by policy makers and the ones that solid research supports. . . . Serious researchers have little good to say about the conventional approaches; most suggest the policies outlined in Mobility First. The arguments are clearly stated and well documented. The rest is up to those who are serious about better transportation policy. They should read this book., This work by Staley and Moore is an invaluable contribution to the looming public choice question in the debate over the proper use of roads and railways and how alternative pricing and financial arrangements can allocate resources for mobility that allows for the greatest individual freedom., Sam Staley and Adrian Moore, both of the Reason Foundation, have come out with an excellent and highly readable book on urban transportation policy. Mobility First belongs on any list of outstanding planning books of 2008 in my opinion. In fact, I would place it very near the top if not at the very top of the list., Mobility First is an interesting and, yes, reasoned take on the congestion problems plaguing roads in the United States and elsewhere, and it does not stint in suggesting ways to improve how we fund, plan, and build roads. Millions of commuters stuck in agonizing traffic delays or enduring painfully long commutes would surely agree forthwith on any strategy that worked.

Sam Staley is the director of urban and land use policy at the Reason Foundation. He is also senior fellow at both the Indiana Policy Review Foundation and the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions. His books include The Road More Traveled: Why the Congestion Crisis Matters More Than You Think, and What We Can Do About It (Rowman & Littlefield 2006) and Smarter Growth: Market-Based Strategies for Land Use Planning in the 21st Century. Adrian Moore is vice president of research at Reason. He is the coauthor of Curb Rights: A Foundation for Free Enterprise in Urban Transit.