June 1 , 2006
JAMA Welcomes the Government's
"Mid-Term Vision on Road Improvements"
Fujio Cho, Chairman
In the ongoing debate on the appropriate use of taxpayer revenue originally earmarked for the nation’s road infrastructure, JAMA has consistently taken the position that the first phase of this debate should examine the actual need for road network improvements in Japan.
JAMA therefore heartily welcomes the Japanese government’s recently announced release of its “Mid-Term Vision on Road Improvements,” the result of a detailed study on road infrastructure requirements in Japan, and is confident that the information contained in this document will serve as a foundation for necessary discussions on future road improvements.
Auto-related associations in Japan recently conducted, as a joint effort, a survey on road infrastructure improvements targeting 60,000 citizens. Responses to this survey were broad-ranging, and included numerous comments concerning the present status of Japan’s road network. “Intolerable congestion,” “excessively narrow roads” and “insufficient demarcation between sidewalks and roads” are some examples of the feedback from the survey.
JAMA believes that decisive action must be taken to address this situation, as summarized by the frank opinions of survey respondents. We therefore look forward to a vigorous pursuit of discussions examining the necessity of road infrastructure improvements nationwide.
