Untangling Transportation

"I want to raise a debate," said William T. Coleman Jr. last week. The Secretary of Transportation may do just that. He sent Congress a 53-page Statement of National Transportation Policy to cut through the tangle of discriminatory laws and federal red tape that now help some U.S. carriers, but at the expense of others. Not concrete enough to be a true plan, the statement nevertheless lays out the broad principles that the Secretary believes will lead to "a more safe, efficient, diverse and competitive transportation system."

The chief recommendation is a fairer division of federal subsidies. Railroads, which now get little help, need more to modernize their tracks and equipment, Coleman says. However, he continues, some other forms of transportation need less. Barge companies, for instance, should start paying taxes for using federally maintained waterways, and truckers can afford to pay higher rates for the right to roll over the nation's subsidized highways.

Coleman also advocates reform of federal regulations, especially those for railroads and airlines. With less government interference, he says, those carriers could become financially healthier, set competitive fares more easily and reorganize themselves into profitable companies through mergers.

Car Curbs. Coleman recognizes that the private automobile "will continue to be the most universally accepted form of transportation in America." But it needs to be made safer, cleaner and less wasteful of energy. So the Transportation Secretary urges improved cars and local policies to encourage motorists to stay off the roads during rush hours. Better traffic management, car pooling and parking lots near mass transit lines can accomplish a lot.

While more mass transit is a must, the statement says, new rail transit lines are "appropriate" in only "a few highly populated metropolitan areas." Elsewhere, top priority should go to improving existing bus and subway service, even if the money has to come from funds earmarked for roads.

Many of Coleman's ideas are both obvious and familiar, and a few have been included in legislation already proposed by the Ford Administration. Whether Congress will approve them is moot, but Coleman's statement at least takes an important step toward establishing new priorities for a national transportation policy.

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