DOT Unveils 30-Year Plan at Google

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx unveiled his agency's 30-year plan at Google headquarters, saying that the government has to be "nimble and flexible" regulating new technology.

"We've got to look at our own regulatory framework ... to make sure we're being as nimble and flexible and adaptive as we can be. ... That's what the future is demanding," Foxx said, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Foxx's plan, Beyond Traffic 2045, states that 70 million more people will be added to country and live in "megaregions" which will likely make areas with reasonable traffic such as Omaha, Neb. get traffic similar to Los Angeles. Air quality and congestion could be improved with trucks replaced with unmanned drone deliveries, and Foxx predicted more automated vehicles on the road.

Foxx also took a drive in Google's self-driving car prototype which is still undergoing regulatory approval.

The DOT holding its press conference in Silicon Valley is also its way of showing that it's OK with technology and may be more open to working with innovative companies than previous administrations. With increasing automation, Silicon Valley is likely to be a big part of that picture.

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