Suchergebnisse

The leading current proposal for surface transportation reform, congestion pricing, is consistent with the tradition of user pay rather than redistributive equity in transportation policy. Strong versions have recently been adopted for Inner London and Stockholm but not so far in the United States, though one recently came close in New York City. The special U.S. obstacles include ample opportunities for minority veto and the equity concept do no harm (no one should be victimized by new initiatives). High occupancy toll lanes, though, which include congestion pricing elements, enjoy growing acceptance in the United States. While their benefits are modest, so are their costs and, above all politically, they do no harm.

Three broad concepts of equity & some of their most significant reflections in current Ur transportation policies & programs are identified: (1) fee for service, (2) equality in service distribution, & (3) service distribution according to need. The allocation of public mass transit expenditures as they relate to equity concerns is examined. Several approaches that have been utilized in identifying transportation 'needs' of the mobility-disadvantaged are reviewed. The state of current controversy about the most cost-effective ways to meet such 'needs' is described. Several research & policy issues clarification needs are suggested: (A) an experimentation & monitoring program to ascertain the consequences for various segments of the mobility disadvantaged of having a variety of subsidized transportation services available at various fare levels, (B) 'maps' of the range of public attitudes relating to equity issues in Ur transportation, (C) determination of the political bases of decision making, & (D) examination of the funds social service agencies are spending on client transportation. G. Simpson.

An examination of the history of airline regulation & of recent efforts to reduce the scope of regulation in this field is presented in an attempt to reveal several themes: (1) competition suppression has been the primary thrust of economic regulation in transportation, (2) some regulations impose heavy costs upon both shippers & passengers while providing few benefits, (3) regulated industries, their labor unions, & regulatory officials have been primary opponents of regulatory relaxation, (4) three Presidents, several Congressional committees, & leading consumer advocates have supported the regulatory economists, despite the latters' supposed lack of a political audience, & (5) air transportation regulation is currently the main target of deregulatory effort. While in the past the trend was toward regulation expansion & additional competition constraints, more recently air transportation regulation has relaxed. At the same time, trucking & railroad regulatory reform remains stagnant. Several factors account for this development: (A) the Congressional & media attention to air fares as consumer prices, (B) the slowdown in air travel growth which affected airline load factors, (C) increasing airline costs leading to frequent request for fare increases, & (D) 'the development of a highly cogent critique of existing regulation, together with an alternative prescription (free competition) by the regulatory economists during the 1960s & 1970s.' G. Simpson.