We’re excited to introduce Roadmaps and Roadblocks, a video series produced by TFN’s Mobility and Access Collaborative in partnership with Transportation for America.
This series of interviews explores how the federal surface transportation program that supports highways, transit, passenger rail and active transportation got to be the way it is and how we can improve it.
Hosts Beth Osborne, recently appointed President and CEO of Smart Growth America, and Martha Roskowski of The Funders Network recruited some of the most insightful thinkers in the transportation space to discuss the challenges, opportunities and solutions shaping the future of our transportation systems.
This series is for anyone who thinks we deserve a better, safer transportation system that gets people where they need to go. It explores some of what is working, what isn’t and how we change it. It serves as background for the upcoming reauthorization of the federal transportation bill, but the conversations range well beyond.
Episodes
On the first episode of Roadmaps and Roadblocks, Beth Osborne and Martha Roskowski are joined by Adie Tomer, Senior Fellow at Brookings Metro. Sharing new research from Brookings, Adie makes the case why federal dollars should go directly to cities and how formula funding works (or doesn’t). He talks about the need for a broad new vision for transportation and reminds us that the interstate system was completed decades ago but we haven’t moved on.
Resources Mentioned in this Episode
- Adie’s biography
- Brookings Research | Highway Shakedown: How Local Road Users are Subsidizing State Highway Investments
- Brookings Research | Connecting the DOTs: A survey of state transportation planning, investment, and accountability practices
- Brookings Research | The Regional Transportation Block Grant: Principles for a new federal surface transportation program
- Gas Taxes by State, 2025 | Tax Foundation
- Follow Brookings Metro on LinkedIn
On the second episode of Roadmaps and Roadblocks, Beth Osborne and Martha Roskowski are joined by Dr. Susan Handy, professor at UC Davis and director of the National Center for Sustainable Transportation.
Dr. Handy explains why a century of building and expanding highways in the U.S. hasn’t solved the problem of congestion — and why it never will. She shares how shifting our focus from moving cars to measuring access — whether people can reach destinations safely and conveniently — could transform how we invest transportation dollars.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
- Shifting Gears: Toward a New Way of Thinking about Transporation by Dr. Susan Handy
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Follow UC Davis Transit Research Center on LinkedIn
Follow The Funders Network on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Follow Transportation for America on YouTube and Facebook.
Follow Smart Growth America on LinkedIn.
On the third episode of Roadmaps and Roadblocks, Beth Osborne and Martha Roskowski are joined by Rebecca Higgins, Vice President of Policy at Eno Center for Transportation.
Rebecca discusses the reauthorization process, what conversations should be happening now for future reauthorizations and why we need to look back at how effective past programs have been to lead the way for the future.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
- Eno Center for Transportation, https://enotrans.org/
On the fourth episode of Roadmaps and Roadblocks, Beth Osborne and Martha Roskowski are joined by Jeff Tumlin, former head of San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
Jeff talks about accelerating project delivery, how the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) actually harms the environment, and why he loves the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) audit process
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
- Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress—and How to Bring It Back by Marc J. Dunkelman
- Geary Rapid Project San Francisco, CA
About Our Hosts
Beth Osborne is the President and CEO of Smart Growth America. Before stepping into this role, she led Transportation for America, SGA’s transportation arm. She was previously at the U.S. Department of Transportation, where she served as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy beginning in 2009.
Martha Roskowski coordinates the Mobility and Access Collaborative at the Funders Network. Through her consultancy Further Strategies, she advises foundations and non-profits on strategies to accelerate change, including understanding landscape and opportunities, and developing winning campaigns. She is good at weaving together ideas and energy from many viewpoints to coalesce energy around common goals. She recently worked as the Philanthropic Outreach Consultant in the Office of the Secretary at the US Department of Transportation. In previous jobs, she put protected bike lanes on the ground and into the US design toolbox with the Green Lane Project at PeopleForBikes. She helped win funding for the federal Safe Routes to School program. She was deemed the “godmother of Complete Streets” for helping launch that movement. She has worked for the City of Boulder and led advocacy group Bicycle Colorado. She volunteers with Vision Zero Cities Network, Better Boulder and the Community Cycles Advocacy Committee. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.
About TFN’s Mobility and Access Collaborative
TFN’s Mobility & Access Collaborative is an action-oriented effort that recognizes the urgency for ambitious and quickly implemented solutions to limit the devastating impacts of climate change. The collaborative brings together place-based, regional and national funders to share stories, examine best practices and explore critical issues.
About Transportation for America
Transportation for America is a national non-profit working to create a transportation system that safely, affordably, and accessibly connects everyone to jobs, services, and opportunities through diverse travel options. T4America is a program of Smart Growth America.