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3 U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense. The U.S. DOT should develop substantive interactions with other federal agencies and White House offices, and its plan should describe these efforts. 5. The U.S. DOT strategic research plan should be informed by and coordinated with numerous private sector stakeholders, including those entities involved in vehicle and facility development and services for automobiles, trucks, airlines, pipelines, the maritime sector, and rail. Future research agendas should be built around the major issues the U.S. DOT faces now and is likely to face in the future. The agendas should be driven by a deep and systematic strategic planning process. CRITICAL RD&T ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES Both the U.S. economy and the world economy depend on an efficient, safe, and reliable transportation system to move people and goods. Transportation systems serve both rural and populated areas and link regions and the world, creating the potential for long-term economic growth and prosperity and contributing globally to the quality of life. In the United States, the population is increasing at the same time that it is becoming older and more diverse; these demographic changes mean that the transportation system must be able to respond to changing demand and conditions over the coming decades. A strong transportation RD&T program is needed to support sustained economic growth and help meet the needs of a growing and changing population as well as achieve the U.S. DOTâs stated goals of safety, state of good repair, economic competitiveness, livable communities, and environmental sustainability. Changes in technology are occurring rapidly as technological innovations move quickly from the prototype stage to being an integral part of society. These changes will undoubtedly affect the transportation systems of the future. These effects will include vehicle and infrastructure interaction along with real-time information for transit, air, and rail systems. In addition, technology is likely to transform the transportation system as computers begin to exert an increasing amount of control over vehicles and infrastructure. The department needs a forward-looking RD&T strategic plan to understand future directions and prepare for both expected and unexpected challenges. This environment of change, coupled with the pervasive role of transportation in society and the complexity of the interrelationships between government, industry, and the public, creates a challenging environment for developing a strategic research plan. For example, the rise in communications technologies has the potential to shape future transportation demand in ways that cannot yet be fully anticipated. With cell phones, video conferencing, online shopping, and the many other innovations that have become commonplace over the past decade, communications technology has the potential to substitute for many transportation choices while increasing the demand for others. Online shopping may be reducing individual trips to stores, but it is increasing freight on highways and community streets. Similarly, video phone calls may result in fewer in-person business meetings but lead to more personal trips as individuals choose to stay closely connected with far-flung friends and family. The U.S. DOTâs strategic plan needs to anticipate and plan to investigate the changes that evolving information and communications technologies will have on future patterns of travel demand to help states, local governments and agencies, and private carriers provide a high-functioning transportation system able to meet this demand.
