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Transportation Policy: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally and Walking the Talk

Frederick P. Salvucci '61, SM '62: October 20, 2009; Running Time: 1:04:11

About the Lecture

About the Lecture

Why do so many sustainable transportation programs turn out, like the Alice in the Wonderland parable to lead us down unexpected paths? Fred Salvucci observes that true sustainable transport requires making more than short-term fixes. A sustainable transportation program is built upon the pyramid of three “E”s: equity, environmental benefit, and economics. Maximizing on just one of these objectives imbalances the others, and leads to unintended and undesirable results.

As a case in point, Salvucci notes that improvements in sustainable transportation can be made by either “fixing the automobile”, or by “fixing the system.” The “fixes” have included the mandate for improvement in CAFÉ standards, nationwide interest in adopting a California car standard, and the Cash for Clunkers program. These are all short-term responses as car ownership, and vehicle miles traveled continue to grow.

Salvucci views public transport as a longer-term solution, and says that the government, universities, and other large employers have an important role in terms of turning the coin and incentivizing preferred modes of transport. He suggests that government policy and tax policies need to be aligned. He notes that transit resources need to be spread out widely and not benefit just a single region or provider. The early building of the National Highway System, a federal program that touched every state, received widespread support.

Building a consensus for public transit and sustainable transportation policy is possible, just as it is “possible to sail against the wind”. The state of Massachusetts and Boston, in particular, have shown this political leadership as Boston has managed to grow economically despite forgoing new above-ground freeways. A new initiative now exists in Boston, over the next five to 10 years, as all of the major bridges across the Charles River- with the exception of one- must undergo safety repairs. There will be an estimated 20% reduction in vehicle capacity, and together these bridges carry more traffic than the Central Artery. Salvucci urged planners at MIT to think of the Charles River Crossing project as a “pattern break”- an opportunity to demonstrate more sustainable transport modes in the face of the vehicle reduction. Boston and the MIT community have a new opportunity to undo the deeply embedded use of automobiles, provided we really believe, and wish to follow, the objectives of sustainable transportation.

Lecture Details

Location: 32-124

“Every automobile that is bought is going to continue to live for 15-20 years because the good news is they're more robust and they last longer. The bad news is they're more robust and they last longer. So the minute a car comes off the assembly line it's going to be polluting, somewhere on planet Earth, for the next 15-20 years.”

Fred Salvucci

About the Speaker

Frederick P. Salvucci '61, SM '62

Senior Lecturer, Center for Transportation and Logistics, MIT

Frederick Salvucci served as transportation advisor to Boston Mayor Kevin White between 1970 and 1974, and then as Secretary of Transportation of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under Governor Michael Dukakis between 1975 and 1978, and again from 1983 to 1990. In those roles he shaped much of the transportation planning and policy in urban Boston and Massachusetts over the past 20 years.

More recently, he participated in a restructuring of commuter and rapid transit services in Buenos Aires, Argentina; helped review the transportation planning process in U.S. metropolitan areas; and worked on the development of a new transit system for San Juan, Puerto Rico. At MIT, he concentrates on transportation planning and government policy.

Salvucci received a B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering from MIT. He spent a year at the University of Naples as a Fulbright Scholar from 1964 to 1965, studying the use of transportation investment to stimulate economic development in high poverty regions of Southern Italy.

Frederick P. Salvucci '61, SM '62

Salvucci at MIT

About the Host

About the Host

Transportation@MIT

Transportation@MIT is a coordinated effort to address one of civilization’s most pressing challenges: the environmental impact of the world’s ever-increasing demand for transportation.

Building on MIT’s rich tradition of engineering research and interdisciplinary collaboration, the initiative knits together the wide-ranging, robust research already under way at the Institute and creates new opportunities for education and innovation.