TRB's Critical Issues in Transportation

Every few years, TRB produces a new edition of its Critical Issues in Transportation. This document identifies issues that are critical now and likely to remain so in the next 10 to 20 years. For each critical issue, high-level questions are posed—questions about matters that will need to be addressed with the help of research and thoughtful policy making. Although articulated and framed largely from the perspective of the U.S., many of the issues and related questions are applicable to other high-income countries, and even more broadly. The purpose of the exercise is to inform the strategic planning and programming of research and the development of responsive policy options.

In this latest edition for 2024, the issues are identified and grouped from the standpoint of key goals that are important to people in building and sustaining a thriving society. The five societal goals used for this framing, each affected by transportation, are to: 1) mitigate and become more resilient to climate change, 2) promote equity, 3) increase safety, 4) advance public health, and 5) build and sustain a strong and competitive economy. At the moment, transportation’s contribution to these goals is often positive but sometimes negative. Accordingly, some issues identified in this document are considered critical to ensuring that transportation makes a more positive contribution to the societal goal, while others are considered critical to reducing transportation’s negative impacts.

This presentation will describe what TRB and its Executive Committee have determined are among the most critical issues facing the transportation industry. It will provide the background and rationale for these determinations and summarize the knowledge and research still needed to best address the issues and promote a thriving society.