Poole, R

<h2>Reason Foundation Experts</h2>

    <h3>Robert Poole <a href="http://reason.org/experts/show/robert-poole.xml">
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    <a href="http://reason.org/images/66fd1efbe47d77e5971838bdc01bc04f.jpg"><img src="http://reason.org/images/ad81e8b8-8029-57cc-b407-48be303ca678.th.jpg" class="staff-pic" /></a><p><strong>Robert Poole</strong><br/>

Searle Freedom Trust Transportation Fellow and Director of Transportation Policy</p>

</div>

<p>Searle Freedom Trust Transportation Fellow and Director of Transportation Policy
Reason Foundation
<a href="mailto:bob.poole@reason.org">bob.poole@reason.org</a>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Robert Poole is director of

transportation policy and Searle Freedom Trust Transportation Fellow at

Reason Foundation. Poole, an MIT-trained engineer, has advised the

Ronald Reagan, the George H.W. Bush, the Clinton, and the George W. Bush

administrations.</p>

<p>

<strong>Surface Transportation</strong>

In the field of surface transportation, Poole has advised the Federal

Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, the White

House Office of Policy Development, National Economic Council,

Government Accountability Office, and state DOTs in numerous states.

Poole's 1988 policy paper proposing privately financed toll lanes to

relieve congestion directly inspired California's landmark private

tollway law (AB 680), which authorized four pilot toll projects

including the successful 91 Express Lanes in Orange County. More than 20

other states and the federal government have since enacted similar

public-private partnership legislation. In 1993, Poole oversaw a study

that coined the term HOT (high-occupancy toll) Lanes, a term which has

become widely accepted since.

California Gov. Pete Wilson appointed Poole to the

California's Commission on Transportation Investment and he also served

on the Caltrans Privatization Advisory Steering Committee, where he

helped oversee the implementation of AB 680.

From 2003 to 2005, he was a member of the

Transportation Research Board's special committee on the long-term

viability of the fuel tax for highway finance. In 2008<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: " />

he served as a member of the Texas Study Committee on Private

Participation in Toll Roads, appointed by Gov. Rick Perry. In 2009, he

was a member of an Expert Review Panel for Washington State DOT,

advising on a $1.5 billion toll mega-project. In 2010, he was a member

of the transportation transition team for Florida's Governor-elect Rick

Scott. He is a member of two TRB standing committees: Congestion Pricing

and Managed Lanes.</p>

<p>

<strong>Aviation</strong>

Poole is a member of the Government Accountability Office's National

Aviation Studies Advisory Panel and he has testified before the House

and Senate's aviation subcommittees on numerous occasions. Following the

terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Poole consulted the White House

Domestic Policy Council and the leadership of the House Transportation

& Infrastructure Committee.

He has also advised the Federal Aviation Administration, Office of

the Secretary of Transportation, White House Office of Policy

Development, National Performance Review, National Economic Council, and

the National Civil Aviation Review Commission on aviation issues. Poole

is a member of the Critical Infrastructure Council of the Los Angeles

Economic Development Corporation and of the Air Traffic Control

Association.

Poole was among the first to propose the commercialization of the

U.S. air traffic control system, and his work in this field has helped

shape proposals for a U.S. air traffic control corporation. A version of

his corporation concept was implemented in Canada in 1996 and was more

recently endorsed by several former top FAA administrators.

Poole's studies also launched a national debate on airport

privatization in the United States. He advised both the FAA and local

officials during the 1989-90 controversy over the proposed privatization

of Albany (NY) Airport. His policy research on this issue helped

inspire Congress' 1996 enactment of the Airport Privatization Pilot

Program and the privatization of Indianapolis' airport management under

Mayor Steve Goldsmith.</p>

<p>

<strong>General Background</strong>

Robert Poole co-founded the Reason Foundation with Manny Klausner and

Tibor Machan in 1978, and served as its president and CEO from then

until the end of 2000. He was a member of the Bush-Cheney transition

team in 2000. Over the years, he has advised the Reagan, George H.W.

Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush administrations on privatization and

transportation policy.

Poole is credited as the first person to use the term "privatization"

to refer to the contracting-out of public services and is the author of

the first-ever book on privatization, <em>Cutting Back City Hall</em>, published by Universe Books in 1980. He is also editor of the books <em>Instead of Regulation: Alternatives to Federal Regulatory Agencies</em> (Lexington Books, 1981), <em>Defending a Free Society</em> (Lexington Books, 1984), and <em>Unnatural Monopolies</em> (Lexington Books, 1985). He also co-edited the book <em>Free Minds & Free Markets: 25 Years of Reason</em> (Pacific Research Institute, 1993).

Poole has written hundreds of articles, papers, and policy studies on

privatization and transportation issues. His popular writings have

appeared in national newspapers, including <em>The New York Times</em>, <em>The Wall Street Journal</em>, <em>USA Today</em>, <em>Forbes</em>, and numerous other publications. He has also been a guest on network television programs such as <em>Good Morning America</em>, NBC's <em>Nightly News</em>, ABC's <em>World News Tonight</em>, and the <em>CBS Evening News</em>. Poole writes a monthly column on transportation issues for <em>Public Works Financing</em>.

Poole earned his B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering at

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and did graduate work in

operations research at New York University.</p>