Gerald R. Ford

“ As we look to the future, our transportation systems must meet the changing needs and demands of our society. We need to continue the decentralization of authority and increase the flexibility needed by State and local governments to meet their transportation problems. The Federal government must establish economic and regulatory policies which will promote increased efficiency and healthy competition, foster new technologies and energy conservation, and provide lower cost service to the consumer and shipper. ”

“ The Nation's transportation network is one of our greatest physical assets. We have more than 25,000 miles of inland waterways, 200,000 miles of railroads, four million miles of streets and highways, and 12,500 airports. ”