Secretary Peters calls on major cities to fight congestion.

On December 8, 2006, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters urged State and city transportation officials to respond to a request for proposals to partner with USDOT to fight traffic congestion in the Nation's major metropolitan areas.

"Our quality of life and continued economic

Through the Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA), USDOT will provide qualified States and metropolitan areas, known as urban partners, with a combination of grants, loans, credit support, regulatory relief, and technical assistance to test advanced technologies, such as ramp metering and real-time travel information systems, designed to reduce traffic congestion. In return, the urban partners agree to research, develop, and showcase strategies to reduce traffic congestion in the near term. Those strategies include implementing variable rush-hour pricing (also known as congestion pricing), expanding transit services for commuters, securing employer commitments to expand telecommuting and flexible scheduling, and pursuing efforts to reduce the impact of incidents on traffic tieups. USDOT officials will encourage urban partners to explore opportunities to partner with the private sector to implement these solutions quickly and cost effectively.

The UPA, outlined in a Federal Register notice, is part of USDOT's National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on America's Transportation Network. Secretary Peters expects to announce the winning urban partners in August 2007.