Economy Transportation Regulation and Public Policy
The safety policy: Safety is a large area with important policymaking responsibilities for both the Federal government and states. Much of the regulatory decision-making is at the Federal level. For example, FMCA sets safety rules used for tracking. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration puts in place vehicle design standards. The regulations put in place by the senate led to the meeting of the safety measures in the locomotives (Transport Research Centre, 2008). The measures regulated braking systems, weight to be transported, materials carried and their design, and signal systems. Transportation of hazardous materials was in focus where all round measures were looked into to protect those living in the locality of the transportation sector. FAA sets the standards for aircrafts that influence the carriage of cargo by air. Currently, the local government has been involved to ensure that the set standards are always followed.
The land policy: the national and the local government set the policies and measures over land use. Policies on land use planning and development have a huge significance in terms of freight systems. There are guidelines that are set to ensure noise barriers, truck idling, street geometrics, and signalization are part of the land freight impacts (Slotten, 2000).
The environmental policy: environmental conservation is a vital issue. There are set standards that ensure freight does not degrade the environment. Though this has been a challenge, especially due to the pollution caused by the locomotives facilitating the freight, the State is working hard to ensure the pollution is minimized. For example, EPA sets standards that regulate the engine emissions (NCFR, 2011). This is very important for growth and development in the society.
Reference
NCFR (2011). Impacts of Public Policy on the Freight Transportation System. Retrieved from http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/ncfrp/ncfrp_rpt_006.pdf
Transport Research Centre, International Transport Forum., & Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2008). Towards zero: Ambitious road safety targets and the safe system approach. Paris: OECD.