The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) have issued statements in response to the nomination of former Mayor Pete Buttigieg as Secretary of Transportation by President-elect Joe Biden.
"President-elect Biden has selected an outstanding nominee as Mayor Buttigieg brings a wealth of knowledge to DOT and will be a strong leader for the Department," APTA said in a statement. "As Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, he worked closely with the South Bend Public Transportation Corporation during his two terms and understands the power of public transportation in meeting the social and economic needs of communities. His tenure as mayor saw an emphasis on a complete streets approach and green transportation initiatives and, as a 2020 Presidential candidate, Buttigieg outlined an infrastructure plan centered on a ‘Vision Zero’ policy and the need to address the immense public transit state-of-good-repair backlog facing the nation."
“Pete Buttigieg is an excellent choice to be the next secretary of transportation," ITS America President & CEO Shailen Bhatt said in a statement. "As mayor of South Bend, he created safe, smart, and resilient communities through strategic investment in transportation. And as a presidential candidate, he put forth an infrastructure plan that was about more than roads and bridges—it called for connecting people with jobs and resources as well as boosting transit and passenger rail. He supports rebuilding communities and making them accessible and equitable for all. He also spoke about the importance of reducing traffic fatalities, perhaps the biggest challenge facing the transportation sector—we lose more than 37,000 people every year on our roadways."
On the transition website for the incoming Biden-Harris administration, the biography for Mayor Buttigieg mentions his work launching a “Smart Streets” initiative in South Bend that "brought new life to what was once called a dying city—revitalizing the city, redesigning the streets, and spurring major economic investment."
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SOURCE: APTA / ITS America
IMAGE: Gage Skidmore via Flickr
