U.S. Transportation Secretary Slater Announces Report On Transportation Highlights in G-7 Countries

Contact BTS 2-99 Carole Zok 202-366-5694

Friday, December 3, 1999 -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater today announced the release of a statistical summary report on transportation in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Japan, the Group of Seven (G-7) countries.

"President Clinton and Vice President Gore are committed to expanding prosperity and improving the quality of life and work here at home and around the globe," Secretary Slater said. "This report is about investment in transportation and will help form the basis for transportation decisions in the 21st century – the connection between transportation investment, economic prosperity, job creation and quality of life is both immediate and direct."

The report by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, G-7 Countries: Transportation Highlights, covers the extent and use of the seven countries’ transportation networks and selected statistics on trade and transportation, safety, and energy and environment.

"Over 45 percent of the value of all U.S. merchandise trade involves our partner countries, making it particularly important for public and private decision makers to have baseline statistics that characterize the transportation systems and services in these countries ," said Dr. Ashish Sen, director of BTS. "Our new report on transportation in the G-7 countries provides this information."

The G-7 was created in 1975 to promote balanced economic growth and stability of exchange rates. In 1998, the G-8 was formed when Russia became a full participating member. However, the G-7 still exists alongside the G-8. Russia was not included in this report due to its recent introduction to the group and the lack of readily available data.

To order free copies of the G-7 Countries: Transportation Highlights, call (202) 366-DATA (3282), fax (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. Technical information about the report is available from Lisa Randall, (202) 366-6660.