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State Traffic Safety Legislation Database
 The National Conference of State Legislatures works in cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to bring you up to date, real time information about traffic safety bills that have been introduced in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. More
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InfraAmericas USP3 Infrastructure Forum 2013
 The US P3 Infrastructure Forum, organized by InfraAmericas, is the premier annual gathering about public-private partnerships (PPPs or P3s). PPPs are agreements that allow more private sector involvement than is traditional in infrastructure financing and delivery. More
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Driving the Future
 Self-driving cars and smart phones that help you catch a bus are not as far-fetched as you might think. read more in this article from the March issue of State Legislatures magazine. More
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Transport Report Newsletter
 Newsletter from NCSL’s Transportation Committee and Programs. In the April 2013 issue: federal news including the continuing resolution for FY 2013; a new StateCast on Virginia's transportation funding overhaul; transit statistics; upcoming events and deadlines; new transportation reports; and more. More
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Traffic Safety Trends: State Legislative Action
 State legislatures were once again active in 2012 enacting legislation to improve traffic safety for motorists, motorcyclists, pedestrians and others. Issues examined in this report include occupant protection, distracted driving, driver licensing, impaired driving, aggressive driving, speed limits, motorcycle helmets, automated enforcement, school bus safety, and pedestrian and bicycle safety. More
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Life on the Fast Track
 Lawmakers, developers, residents and business owners are eager to capitalize on transit investments to bolster economic development and lessen traffic congestion; learn what how states are getting involved. More
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Hot Topics: Transportation
NCSL tracks a wide range of issues and at any one time some topics are of particular interest to legislators and legislative staff. On this page you will find recent NCSL resources about issues of key concern in the area of transportation.
NCSL Publications
NCSL Online Legislation Tracking Databases
NCSL Transportation Program
NCSL Contacts
NCSL-Denver
NCSL-D.C.
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Overview
State legislatures are largely responsible for the vital transportation systems that are key to America's economic growth, mobility and quality of life. Transportation issues addressed by NCSL include:
NCSL Transportation Program
The NCSL Transportation Program offers information, research, legislative data, technical assistance and referral assistance on numerous transportation topics to state legislatures. The program also undertakes research and educational projects on a grant or contract basis. Please contact Jim Reed for more information.
NCSL Standing Committee on Energy, Transportation and Agriculture
The Transportation Program also staffs and supplies research and analysis as requested to the NCSL Standing Committee on Energy, Transportation and Agriculture. This committee, with representation from all the states, has jurisdiction over the states' interests in transportation and develops policy positions on state-federal transportation issues that are used in lobbying Congress and the federal administration. The committee also provides a forum for legislators and staff to share ideas and expertise on an array of transportation issues. Please contact Jaime Rall or Ben Husch for more information.
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Transit
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View all documents related to this topic by clicking on the document library tab at the top of this page
Transit includes buses, trams, light rail, ferries and many other types of shared public transportation. Across the United States, in large cities and smaller towns, new transit systems are being built to aid mobility, reduce congestion and spark economic activity. In 2012 alone, more than 30 metropolitan areas were building new transit lines, and many more projects are slated to begin in the next few years. These system expansions, changing travel patterns and higher gas prices are leading to more transit use. Since 1995, transit ridership has increased from just below 8 billion trips to 10.4 billion in 2011. State legislatures are taking a larger role in helping plan, fund and develop transit systems, as well as shaping complementary land-uses to encourage access to transit.
Key NCSL resources include:
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On the Move: State Strategies for 21st Century Transportation Solutions (2012 report) examines a wide array of innovative surface transportation reform laws, policies and programs that policymakers are considering or pursuing to take the nation’s transportation system well into the 21st century.
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Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in the States (2012 report) summarizes state laws, funding and programs that help build transit-supportive communities, including how states have encouraged affordable housing, employment, economic development and last-mile transit solutions in conjunction with TOD.
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Transit-Oriented Development (2012 LegisBrief) summarizes recent state legislative efforts to build communities that complement and support transit use.
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Recent State Livability Initiatives in Minnesota: An Analysis (2011 report) compares recent efforts in Minnesota to encourage transit use and walkable communities with other states.
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Aging in Place: A State Survey of Livability Policies and Practices (2011 report) examines promising state land use, transportation and housing policies that may enable aging in place for older Americans, including analysis of transit-oriented development and human service transportation coordination.
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The Transportation Funding Legislation Database (regularly updated) details transportation funding and finance legislation and executive orders introduced since 2007, in 17 different searchable categories.
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The State Transportation Coordination Database (regularly updated) tracks bills, executive orders and statutes related to the coordination, study and funding of special transportation programs.
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The Transportation Coordination Quarterly Newsletter (2010 to 2012) highlights current policy actions and news concerning human service transportation coordination. To subscribe, contact Jaime Rall.
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The NCSL Transport Report Newsletter (monthly) covers state and federal transportation news, trends and analysis.
You can search all transportation documents on the site here.
Updated January 2013 |
Transportation Access and Mobility
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View all documents related to this topic by clicking on the document library tab at the top of this page
Getting around is a cinch for most of us who own a personal vehicle or can easily access public transportation systems. But many Americans lack these options for variety of reasons, including age, limited physical ability, constrained income, or—for one reason or another—not having a valid driver’s license. Especially in rural, sparsely populated areas, the choices for those who don’t drive a car are even more limited.
A number of state policies aim to improve transportation mobility for these individuals, which include targeted populations such as older adults, people with disabilities, recipients of state benefits including TANF and Medicaid, or veterans. Transportation choices help vulnerable populations live or stay in a desired community, and also to access jobs, schools, health care, shopping centers and other resources that would improve quality of life. In turn, personal independence and mobility can contribute to a state’s overall economic vitality.
In many settings, paratransit services fill a gap in providing transportation choices.
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“Paratransit” means the range of services that fall somewhere between owning a private vehicle and using traditional fixed-route transit. “Fixed-route transit” refers to the public transportation systems—such as buses, light rail and streetcars—with scheduled times and locations for departure and arrival.
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Paratransit can include taxis, small buses and vans—often wheelchair-accessible—and is frequently used to respond to specialized needs of individuals who can call ahead to request door-to-door service. These types of transportation services fall into a category known as “demand-response” transit, because it is responding to the requests (or demands) of travelers.
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Paratransit is offered by various providers, including large transit agencies, businesses, specialized for-profit and nonprofit transportation entities, and human service organizations.
State legislatures play an important role in protecting the needs of the transportation-disadvantaged to ensure true affordability, accessibility and safety of these transportation options. State legislatures can also work to deal with issues caused by the overwhelming number and variety of paratransit providers, such as inefficient use of public funds, duplicated services in some places and gaps in others. The resources below explain and explore a number of state policy options and strategies to improve transportation choices for the most vulnerable.
Transportation Access and Mobility Resources
Human Services Transportation Coordination
Many federal, state, local and private entities provide or support special transportation services for people who have challenges accessing transportation options due to income, disability or age. The dispersion of numerous specialized programs across agencies, however, can lead to ineffective and inefficient services. Many stakeholders have advocated for improved coordination across agencies and programs as a strategy to combat these problems and make specialized transportation easier to use. Visit this page to access all of NCSL’s resources on transportation coordination.
Updated March 2013
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Issues & Resources
Find the NCSLstaff member who handles the issue in which you are interested.
NCSLprovides access to current state and federal legislation and a comprehensive list of state documents, including state statutes, constitutions, legislative audits and research reports.
Members
As legislators and legislative staff, you are part of the nation's largest, most influential and only bipartisan organization of state legislators and staff.Learn about the resources NCSL has for you.
NCSL offers an array of services for legislative staff. Find out what's available.
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