BIA releases Strategic Economic Plan for NH

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The Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire has released its Strategic Economic Plan for the state.

Included in the nine strategic goals is the following goal for infrastructure:

Safe, reliable multi-modal transportation; high bandwidth, high-speed communication; and improved water supply, waste water and storm water systems able to meet the needs of businesses and residents throughout New Hampshire.

We are glad to see that having options for getting around is seen as important to the future economic health of New Hampshire.  Unfortunately, none of the tactics listed in the full report include ways of increasing those options, even though we have seen a sharp drop in vehicle miles traveled since 2005:

while public transportation ridership increased by 34% from 1995 through 2012 (according to APTA), and bicycle commuting has increased by 61.6% since 2000 (from The League of American Bicyclists).

Let’s make sure we’re investing in infrastructure that will make New Hampshire attractive to tomorrow’s businesses and skilled workers.