A few years ago, I attended a public forum in Boston on the future of transportation in Massachusetts. The forum drew politicians, representatives of labor and other interest groups, and substantial attention from the local press.

After two days of meetings, what impressed me most about the session—which included hours of thoughtful discussion and healthy debate—was the utter lack of attention to freight. Only one person, a representative of the local port authority, attempted to make the point that any infrastructure development had to take into consideration the role of freight logistics in the region's commerce. As pervasive and crucial as it may be, the freight transportation network often seems invisible to the public except when things go wrong.

A recent effort to draw attention to the entire transportation system comes from the Federal Transportation Advisory Group, which has forwarded to President Bush a document it calls "Vision 2050: An Integrated Transportation System." (Some details on the report are included in a story on Page 23 of this issue.) The report argues that although the United States has arguably the best transportation infrastructure in the world, it will remain hard pressed to meet ever-soaring demands for better, more efficient, cleaner, and safer movement of both people and goods. In a letter to the president, advisory group chairman Robert E. Spitzer, a Boeing executive, says, "We request your leadership in establishing a new vision for transportation in the 21st century. The nation's economic strength and our quality of life depend on it."

The group's vision is a noble one. It calls for development of an integrated system that "can economically move anyone or anything, anywhere, anytime, on time"; that is free of fatalities and injuries; and that is not dependent on foreign energy and helps preserve our environment. It recommends a series of actions, beginning with presidential leadership.

President Bush is not likely to accept that challenge in any genuine way. He has laid out an ambitious agenda, and transportation is not on it. Presidential energy only stretches so far.

The leadership will have to come from those involved in transportation. In a recent speech to the Traffic Club of New York, Ed Emmett, president of the National Industrial Transportation League, said much the same thing. He told the assembled transportation executives, "If there is to be a new vision—and the reforms necessary to implement that vision—do not look to the president to lead it. Look around the tables of this room." The energy needed to move Vision 2050 forward must come from the thousands of professionals who live and breathe transportation every day.