Corinne Kisner, Executive Director, and Janette Sadik-Khan, Chair, of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), today issued the following statement on the nomination of Mayor Pete Buttigieg as U.S. Secretary of Transportation:
On behalf of 80 city transportation departments and transit agencies across the U.S., NACTO congratulates Mayor Pete Buttigieg on his nomination as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.
Buttigieg will bring a breath of fresh air to U.S. transportation policy, which has remained largely unchanged since the 1950’s. From a commitment to setting a national goal of zero fatalities on roadways, to evaluating new transportation projects based on how they would improve access to jobs and services, and not solely on outdated traffic flow metrics, Buttigieg has demonstrated support for a sorely-needed fresh approach to mobility. Few Cabinet appointments directly impact the lives of Americans as much as that of transportation secretary, and few will be more influential in addressing the numerous crises before our cities and the nation: the coronavirus pandemic, worsening climate change, systemic racism, and economic recovery.
The need for a fresh approach could not be more dire. City governments are laying off and furloughing staff. Transit agencies are planning for catastrophic, historic cuts in service that will cripple economic recovery for decades. People die on American streets at a rate twice to three times as high as peer countries. Transportation is the biggest source of U.S. carbon emissions. And our roads and highways divide communities, instead of bringing them closer together.
The task ahead of Buttigieg is long and hard, and requires a wholesale rethinking of many aspects of how the U.S. sets transportation policy. And yet, there is a lot Buttigieg and the Biden-Harris administration can do, even in its first 100 days, by working with cities and their surrounding areas. Through executive action and in partnership with Congress, USDOT has the opportunity to chart a new course for American mobility that puts people first. NACTO looks forward to working with President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Secretary Buttigieg to build back better, together.
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About the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)
NACTO is an association of 86 major North American cities and transit agencies formed to exchange transportation ideas, insights, and practices and cooperatively approach national transportation issues. The organization’s mission is to build cities as places for people, with safe, sustainable, accessible, and equitable transportation choices that support a strong economy and vibrant quality of life. To learn more, visit nacto.org or follow us on Twitter at @NACTO.
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