Majority Supports User Finance, Expects Seamless, Reliable Mobility
A solid majority of Americans prefer tolls and user fees to higher taxes as a way to fund the infrastructure investments the country needs, according to the latest online survey conducted by Russell Research on behalf of IBTTA member HNTB Corporation.
The survey found that 55% support user-funded transportation—and an even higher proportion of highway users (also known as voters) have high expectations for the roads they use:
- 73% say a robust, high-quality transportation system is vital to their prosperity and quality of life,
- 66% consider consistent highway infrastructure investment extremely or very important, and
- 78% consider it a policy imperative to come up with a national transportation policy to improve system reliability, accessibility, mobility and safety.
It’s a message IBTTA hears everywhere, from the corridors of political decision-making in Connecticut and Florida, to the conversations our member agencies have every day with local officials and front-line customers: the service is worth the investment, and the investment is urgently needed right now.
Getting the Priorities Right
At 69%, more than two-thirds of survey respondents identified highways as a top priority for infrastructure investment, followed by bridges at 44%, public transport at 38% and airports at 17%.
But the data also reinforced what we’ve been hearing from panelists and participants at IBTTA conferences: Users intent on getting from Point A to Point B are looking for seamless mobility, and they don’t much care where they find it. An overwhelming 84% of respondents from the survey attached high importance to efficient connectivity across transportation modes.
Large majorities—62% of all respondents and 67% of millennials said environmentally friendly options like electric and hybrid vehicles, biking, and walking were extremely or very important.
“This data suggests the time is now for bipartisan solutions that effectively address and pay for critical transportation improvements,” said HNTB Senior Vice President and Transportation Market Sector Leader John Barton. “The ability of our transportation network to move people and goods efficiently and effectively directly impacts our security, economic vitality and global competitiveness.”