Question 1
Today’s urban transportation planning process is being impacted by the President’s Stimulus Plan. High speed rail is one such option to congestion along the highways of urban areas. These projects have two sides to them. There are those who support high speed rail and those who do not support high speed rail. You have been chosen to not support the Stimulus Plan for use of high speed rail to ease congestion. Your task is to help decision makers make up their minds. So, you are now on the opposing side. Discuss how this Stimulus Plan for high speed rail will not work. You can use any reference. But, you must also present your opinion based on facts and data, not just because you don’t like it. You will have to provide evidence to back up what you believe is a bad idea. (25 points)
Question 2
Most (97 percent) roads and streets in the United States are under the jurisdiction of State and local governments. The Federal jurisdiction is mainly limited to National Parks, National Forests, and other government-owned land. Discuss what issues and problems might be common between the Federal jurisdiction and the State and Local governments, and what issues and problems might be unique to the Federal government compared to the State and local governments. List the common and unique attributes and provide a brief explanation to support your choice. Use references in APA format and also offer your own opinion on what you think of these issues and problems. (25 points)
Question 3
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect on January 1, 1994. This sweeping agreement is designed to open the borders separating Canada, Mexico, and the United States to the free exchange of goods and services. There are many pros and cons of NAFTA that have emerged since 1994. The future of NAFTA is in the wind these days. It may fail or succeed for the next ten years. You job is to help Congress and other decision makers to decide what course of action they should take regarding NAFTA’s future. You are to take the side that NAFTA is a bad business investment; you are to represent the “con” side of the argument. So, discuss why you would defeat or destroy NAFTA or morph it from its current state to some other new state. (25 points)
Question 4
In early 1990s with a second wave of low-cost carriers (LCCs), which led to the second period of strong traffic growth from early 1993 through early 2000, Southwest Airlines arguably provided the blueprint for U.S. Between 2006 and 2009 a fuel crisis happened and a recession for business and the transportation industry. What is the impact today on LCC’s in order to be competitive in this economy coming on the heels of this recession? (25 points)
