Surface Transportation:
Moving into the 21st Century
RCED-99-176: Published: May 1, 1999. Publicly Released: May 1, 1999.
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GAO provided information on the surface transportation challenges facing the nation in the 21st century. To understand these challenges and assess the potential direction surface transportation policy could take to address them, GAO sponsored a conference that brought together transportation experts to discuss the future of surface transportation in the United States.
GAO noted that: (1) according to the conference participants, the nation's surface transportation system faces significant demographic, lifestyle, and economic challenges and demands; (2) in the future, busy passengers and businesses will increasingly press for improved transportation services that give them cost-effective means to move themselves and their goods rapidly and reliably through the transportation system; (3) for busy Americans, the car will remain the dominant mode of travel and will continue to be viewed not as a problem but as the solution to their transportation needs; (4) participants characterized Americans' views of cars as faster, safer, more comfortable and flexible, cheaper, and better able to link scattered departure and destination points than other forms of transportation; (5) for the nation's businesses, moving freight quickly through the transportation system will be vital to their survival in a global market that poses unrelenting productivity demands; (6) in addition, commuters, leisure travellers, just-in-time freight shippers, and older travellers all will have different trip patterns and travel needs, thereby placing more complex demands on the transportation system; (7) conference participants urged federal, state, and local policymakers and agencies that are responsible for surface transportation to adopt a new paradigm--one that focuses on the people who use the transportation system, including their needs and expectations; (8) unlike the 20th century mission of constructing the transportation system that exists today, future transportation policies must shift transportation agencies' focus to managing the system for greater efficiency and delivering better services for the users; (9) such focus will require transportation policymakers and agencies to rethink their strategies for achieving transportation goals and to collaborate more extensively with the private sector to meet travellers' complex transportation needs; and (10) these challenges are especially important because transportation and the ability to move goods and people will be vital to the nation's economic survival in a global market.
Feb 18, 2021
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General Aviation:
Stakeholders Expressed Mixed Views of FAA Policies on Private Pilot Expense SharingGAO-21-285: Published: Feb 18, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 18, 2021.
Jan 28, 2021
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Unmanned Aircraft Systems:
FAA Could Strengthen Its Implementation of a Drone Traffic Management System by Improving Communication and Measuring PerformanceGAO-21-165: Published: Jan 28, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 28, 2021.
Jan 7, 2021
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Aircraft Noise:
Better Information Sharing Could Improve Responses to Washington, D.C. Area Helicopter Noise ConcernsGAO-21-200: Published: Jan 7, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 7, 2021.
Dec 18, 2020
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Automated Technologies:
DOT Should Take Steps to Ensure Its Workforce Has Skills Needed to Oversee SafetyGAO-21-197: Published: Dec 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 18, 2020.
Dec 17, 2020
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Emergency Responder Safety:
States and DOT Are Implementing Actions to Reduce Roadside CrashesGAO-21-166: Published: Dec 17, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 17, 2020.
Nov 24, 2020
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Reagan National Airport:
Information on Effects of Federal Statute Limiting Long-Distance FlightsGAO-21-176: Published: Nov 24, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 24, 2020.
Nov 19, 2020
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Federal-Aid Highways:
States and Local Governments Reported Benefits to Federal Highway Fund Swapping, but Impacts Cannot be Definitively DeterminedGAO-21-88: Published: Oct 20, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2020.
Nov 16, 2020
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Aviation Certification:
FAA Needs to Strengthen Its Design Review Process for Small AirplanesGAO-21-85: Published: Nov 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 16, 2020.
Nov 9, 2020
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Aviation Safety:
FAA's Office of Aviation Safety Should Take Additional Actions to Ensure Its Workforce Has Needed SkillsGAO-21-94: Published: Nov 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 9, 2020.
Oct 29, 2020
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Puerto Rico:
Perspectives on the Potential to Expand Air Cargo OperationsGAO-21-21: Published: Oct 29, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 29, 2020.
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