U.S. Transportation Secretary Slater Announces Report on Transportation in U.S., Canada, Mexico

Contact BTS 4-99 Carole Zok 202-366-5694

Monday, December 20, 1999 -- U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater today announced the release of a statistical report on travel and trade between the United States, Canada and Mexico.

" President Clinton and Vice President Gore are committed to expanding prosperity and improving the quality of life and work here and around the globe," said Secretary Slater. "Decision-makers in the United States, Canada and Mexico need to have basic information about the transportation systems and services to support investment, and this report provides it."

The report, North American Transportation Highlights, was jointly developed with counterpart agencies in Canada and Mexico and produced by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). It provides key summary statistics on the physical characteristics, use and performance of transportation for the United States, Canada and Mexico. Canada and Mexico account for more than 30 percent of the value of all U.S. merchandise trade.

"I applaud the cooperation between our countries for this report," said Dr. Ashish Sen, Director of BTS. "Developing it would have been impossible without help from the governments of Canada and Mexico."

The United States, Mexico and Canada developed this report under the framework of the North American Transportation Statistics Interchange. The Census Bureau is BTS' U.S. government partner agency in this initiative. Partner agencies in Mexico were the Ministry of Communications andTransportation (SCT), the Mexican Institute of Transport (IMT) and the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatics (INEGI). Partner agencies in Canada included Transport Canada and Statistics Canada.

The report is divided into four sections: 1) the extent and use of the transportation networks in the three countries; 2) North American trade and travel; 3) transportation safety and 4) transportation and energy use. Production of a more in-depth print publication and online Internet database is planned for release in 2000. Over 90 different data tables will be included, supported by figures, maps, and extensive technical documentation.

To order free copies of North American Transportation Highlights, call (202) 366-DATA (3282), fax a request to (202) 366-3640, or write to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation, Room 3430, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590. Lisa Randall, (202) 366-6660, is the technical expert on the report.