[inaudible conversations] ask unanimous consent the chairs authorized to declare a re safe one this recess. And also the members if youre not on the subcommittee and then you can ask questions without objection so ordered. Welcome our witnesses in particular to todays hearing as we are looking at the need to reauthorize not the cities and localities the focus has been on revenue especially since it is the most difficult thing we have had to do. And people are using other methods to bring us into the 21t century on transportation. So we are looking at some of those questions and the nuances of federal polling policy on congestion pricing and Technology Solutions to address congestion. So while congress. But to negatively attack never before but not to mention the quality of the air that we breathe and the failure to deal with climate change. This was not even discussed at the time of the last reauthorization to indicate just how far time has moved and to catch up. The urban mobility report and you might want to look at what it says for your constituents but mine say 1840 per year in congestion cost and we here at the National Council are the and then on 1840 per year per constituents and those are my constituents. Nothing short of a test and in our case in this region as a result of 248 million hours of congestion delays in 2017 across the dc metropolitan area i invite you to look at what this means for the mobility report for your own area. Harvard school found 83 percent of the largest urban areas contribute more than 2200 more death annually and then the entire area of the big city and the suburbs. While we debate how to resolve congestion we have left the states and localities looking on their own and for more sources of revenue. Today with that greater towing flexibility to raise more revenue. But we also hear congress should erect barriers to tolling and what will come out is deliberate the decision is representative of a broader disagreement and then it has become main stream across the urban areas. We had a variable pricing and to go into a congestion area you can see new york city the closest to my own here in the state of virginia we have very told bruce of filenes during rush hour. I never thought i would see what has resulted that people are paying with tolls as high 47. 50 for a single 10mile trip. The excessive tolls raise equity questions of course in particular the impact of lower income drivers and likely to put traffic on the nearby roads and neighborhoods because people dont want to pay 20 to get anywhere. We cannot gloss over that impact as we look at the strategies. I am particularly interested in technology and how it can help resolve congestion. Autonomous vehicles, can they reduce congestion or do they increase cracks if anybody can hop into a car and go anyplace. We should be asking questions so finally i think it is critical it with those systems that we need and to reduce congestion i cannot imagine the National Capital region. Dense urban areas rely and then to become more and more popular propose some of the panel suggest toll revenues should only go to maintain the toll road. However i remind you that then we reduce on travel is a highly effective tool to reduce congestion. Thank you to the witnesses and i want to ask the chairman of the full committee. I should ask the Ranking Member. [laughter] my good friend mister davis for his comments. Thank you madam chair especially getting those policies to go forward i always yield to the chairman first. That helps. [laughter] that means they put them to sleep. [laughter] clearly that was not me that alluded to that but the chairman. But this is a Great Committee and really enjoy serving with chairwoman norton and the thats why youre here today and then to recognize the subcommittee will do a lot of work to reauthorize the surface transportation policies. We have held a number of hearings on very important policy topics. Want to thank the chair for allowing us to participate these types of gatherings. Today according to some that americans traveled an eight. 8 billion hours for that congestion purchased three. 5 billion gallons of fuel with a total cost of 166 billion in 2017. Doctor lomax is with us today who wrote the report and i look forward to finding his findings and followup questions. So to negatively impact the markets and that undermines the economy and the america global competitiveness. Congestion is not just an urban issue although in my district in South Central illinois the idea of congestion is much different than the idea out here in washington dc another larger urban area. But perhaps most importantly congestion of matter where you are and football practice i was coaching the double games and getting to a basketball game and watching my daughter cheer in high school. These are things that are very personal to us. The hearing will specifically focus the states and local communities are utilizing some of the tools in the toolbox of tolling and congestion pricing strategies and new technologies to address congestion. Witnesses will provide realworld examples of these are being deployed as well as give us perspective if they are working well. The other tools to address then we need a thoughtful approach to have that flexibility to do a make sense with their unique circumstances because no single solution will work here in washington dc and at the same time work in the 13th Congressional District of illinois. I look forward to our discussion of this issue and how the federal government can be a good partner to states and local communities as they seek to address congestion with that thank you to our witnesses and the chairwoman for being here today i yield back. Now mister davis it is your turn. The full committee. Thank you madam chair. You both made points that Congress Needs to Pay Attention to. The cost of congestion is four times the federal investment for surface transportation and transit. Four times as much money and wasting add an annual basis year after year after year. But around here we are paralyzed we cannot figure out how we are ever going to pay for this. Lets see we havent adjusted the gas and diesel taxes 1983. I have proposed something that is so demented dismissed it is just embarrassing we cannot do it. Limit the annual increase to one and a half cents gas per year. And then people around the country show they are willing to pay to get out of congestion. The congress has not got the message the white house hasnt got the message they love to talk about a big infrastructure bill of two i think she cut transportation and investment. The states cannot do it on their own. They are trying. A lot of all red states with registration fees it isnt a partisan issue out there in america it is here in washington dc. We are at the point of total paralysis i will not repeat the statistics but the amount of fuel wasted sitting around his 4 billion gallons per year wasted fuel adding to the problems. It is time to act so well hear some things today that we say congestion pricing that is an alternative and we saw congestion that person doesnt set their schedule to go to work most likely and they dont have a lot of options unless you build sufficient options you cannot just write them off the road and then 47 for 10 miles cracks that is chauffeured limousine. Who can afford that cracks in my own state we have freeways some of the legislature from portland decided maybe we should toll part of them to deal with some problems. But of course is not like the hotline you have an option you use it or not use it. What about people who have to go from the east side of portland to the west to go to work work sorry. That takes two hours because it will cost a bunch of money you cant afford. We need a comprehensive approach that is more federal investment and then to apply technology in 21st Century Technology. You said at traffic lights. Nobody is coming. They have smart traffic lights in real time. Imagine that 21st Century Technology we are still working with 19th century with the metered traffic lights that stand on the corner what they think traffic flows will be in the future that has nothing to do with reality. I am losing patience the Senate Passed the bill that has some decent policies a little more spending that the leaders of the senate they say we cant pay for that. Who will pay for it if not we waste more money every year , day in and day out and year in and year out and americans get more frustrated. I hope todays hearing provide some ideas to help mitigate these problems but the bottom line is we have to pony up the money or we will not solve any problems. Thank you. I share the chairmans frustration we just cant do what we did. In order to get new money, who are we fooling cracks i appreciate the chairman raises the issue of the gas tax. How come in red states they are not afraid to raise the gas tax but they send people to congress who are cracks its like were stupid with revenue and what needs to be done in our system. And gilbert the third who is the city and travis is director of Public Affairs for the and with that transportation to three of america and the chief executive officer on behalf of the American Trucking association. Timothy lomax from texas a M Transportation Institute and mark scribners senior fellow at aei and thank you for all of you for being here today i look forward to your testimony. Before we hear from the panel i would like to recognize ms. Wilson to introduce mary gilbert a constituent from her district. Thank you so much. We can introduce my personal mayor from Miami Gardens that i hope will and the super bowl to cheer on the Transportation Planning organization. When i learned of the subcommittee was having a caring on congestion with adult long history of Public Service beginning with the broader legislature and regarded legislatively and politically to become the mayor of the city of miami garden and as mayor has launched several initiatives to increase access to Public Transportation and improve mobility. One such initiative is the express of free service that many residents depend on. His accomplishments as mayor and leadership on transportation issues compel. Multibilliondollar Infrastructure Program to reduce congestion and spur Economic Growth welcome to congress. Thank you for testifying today and for your leadership on transportation issues that greatly concerned floridians and others throughout this nation. Thank you madam chair i yield back. Think through congresswoman wilson. We now recognize congresswoman davis to introduce mister hawkins. Thank you madam chair and Ranking Member i would like to. That is a freight Holding Company and employee 24000 drivers and dockworkers members of the International Brotherhood of teamsters the trucks travel more than 900 million miles annually and more than 1700 drivers have more than 1 million consecutive accident free miles thats it we are celebrating we have a long history that has been important in the metropolitan area of Business Community and the Civic Community and we are proud to be represented to hear your testimony today and i appreciate you taking the time to be here its a pleasure to have you and i yelled back. Thank you congresswoman. Without objection the witnesses statements will be entered into the record and the written testimony will be made available for the record the subcommittee request to limit oral testimony at five minutes. You may proceed. Thank you. Would be remiss 18 years ago from when attacked i stand and not of the men and women in military what they do for us to ensure that we can be in this room to have this discussion is important. Good morning Ranking Member and members of the distinguish subcommittee thank you for the opportunity to testify and also my congresswoman for our district i stand as her mayor and resident with all her service and the example she has set now the chair of the miamidade Transportation Planning Organization Also the proud mayor of the miami dolphins. I know. [laughter] i am longsuffering. I am here to tell you they are pathways. It isnt something that isnt the rail specifically in miamidade now going to Miami Gardens every day. Getting his law degree it was the responsible of him getting to be mayor of his town and i stand before you because someone invested in meaningful and efficient Public Transportation advocating we paint their score and create Dynamic Transportation and to promote conservation. Now we are starting to address this in Miamidade County like transportation is the instrument of Economic Development and job creation vertical Miamidade County traffic isnt just from the growth economically that to our development as a community. We have no way to build our way out of congestion to those alternatives of express lanes through the miamidade smart plan the Rapid Transit for the future in the 95 express had been in operation for ten years and has reduced overall Traffic Congestion to increase traffic flow with the miamidade region has the fourth largest population with the 12th ranked area for congestion through the use of the service that has been high the successful with 40 percent in the first two years implemented we plan to expand the Network Congress support the Value Pricing Pilot Program it with the leadership following us to pilot the test project forward to convert the hov lane and with the rankings on between ten and 12 by population which is actually remarkable not to say congestion is not a problem that that improves the commute times for all lanes including those that are significant that count has a longterm remedy for leading that congestion through the Rapid Transit network the smart plan is the top priority to involve improvements of the Rapid Transit corridors. Right now the south corridor is in the Development Funding stage miamidade needed 100 million we are asking the f ta to commit locally now with local funding for the next 40 years to implement the projects but is not enough and we need your help. Federal support like smart in a process to offer certainteed to help move projects forward is a must in for example expansion of the metro whale was a Elementary School but no mail has been developed all those kids right now deserve better we have to do better and faster we need a federal funding process acknowledges the need of a community to access opportunities within a reasonable timeframe so all the partners can do their parts. There needs to be free predefined funding structures to provide more as a solution to congestion. We can create a future and then create a future and do some great things. And to be expansive and grow mobile thank you for your support and leadership. Thank you very much. Now the director of Public Affairs. Chairman and Ranking Member and members of the subcommittee the assistant director the department of transportation thank you for the opportunity to appear today and i want to thank chairman defazio for his leadership on transportation issues and all he has done over three decades on this committee to make the transportation stronger so to be here talking because operating currently that could change in the coming years as the clamor for the public has led the legislators to direct to implement to show that the Portland Metro region due to rapid population and in the two years the congestion increased 13 percent that was on top of a similar increase the previous two years and the highway function looks like a parking lot it is now rush afternoon and evening and thats at least seven hours every day of congestion residents and businesses increasingly are complaining about how congestion in portland poses a growing threat to our economy making it more costly to get goods to market. In response come in 2017 the largest transportation investment package was passed in the history known as keyboard again moving it funded new lanes on the highways to relieve the bottleneck but they recognize we cannot build our way out of congestion they also invested Intelligent Transportation systems to make traffic flow more efficiently and significant investment for Transportation Options this allows the major Transit Agency to launch the biggest Service Expansion never but the legislation recognizes with all these investments it would not be enough for what the public demands even with this package i cannot find the high priority projects including improvements thats why the legislature turns to tolls to raise revenues for improvements they directed the commission and governing body made up of the northsouth core doors and face the worst congestion day engage stakeholders to have a Engagement Process and created a Stakeholder Advisory Committee for local government officials and advocates for low income communities and to charge the recommendation and to address potential impacts after Detailed Analysis they fell by the wayside but the Committee Work two options that can reduce congestion to implement to the core of the region the American Trucking Research Institute shows the worst bottleneck in the nation to be implemented with the project between eye five and four oh five to pay for this and other improvements at door on the abernathy bridge it is two lanes in each direction but neither the legislature and then tolling can find some or all of that. In addition to the benefits looking at the areas we need to mitigate and find ways to avoid traffic on mobile streets and ensure tolling doesnt cause other issues to low income families who cannot afford tolls and that there is good Transit Service as another option. We will report on these recommendations for involvement to answer many of these questions ongoing Public Engagement is critical because we know to be successful we have to address the publics concerns. As a member of the American Association state officials
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