Finally, Election Day in America

Finally, Election Day in America

With all eyes focused on today’s high-stakes contest for the United States Presidency and Senate, the tolling community is waiting to see what the results portend for the next four years of national transportation policy.

Will the next administration roll out an infrastructure bill that begins to address the nation’s long-standing deficit in surface transportation maintenance and upkeep? There certainly has been plenty of talk about it.

Will a single party gain enough control of the levers of power (House, Senate, and White House) to be able to enact its agenda, whatever that agenda might be? Or can tolling agencies and the customers they serve look forward to another two to four years of partisan gridlock? Ah, the delicate balance of power.

Will state and local governments continue their leadership in transportation funding and investment?

IBTTA is a diverse professional community, worldwide, and as we’ve realized during the pandemic, a professional family—that we’ll have members setting their hopes at various points along the political spectrum. That’s exactly as it should be. Out of that diversity, we can all agree that surface transportation is the glue that holds our local and national economies together, keeps the driving public safe, and deserves the attention of elected leaders of all stripes at all levels of government.

Often, elections become an opportunity for citizens to mount grassroot initiatives on different aspects of transportation and land use policy. This November is a quiet time for statewide transportation related ballot initiatives. Two items of note are a call for Baldwin County voters in Alabama to decide on a single-purpose toll authority to fund the 24-mile extension of an existing highway, and a sales tax continuation for the Arkansas highway system.

If you haven’t voted yet, please do ASAP. Check your county rules and get out there to exercise your right as a U.S. Citizen.