Skip the political rhetoric and apply a tech truism to transportation for a clearer view of the challenge.

The group was surprised, for example, to learn that four Safety Service patrollers from the Virginia Department of Transportation had been struck in October in separate crashes while attending to highway incidents. Each had been following appropriate procedures and were fortunate to escape with minor injuries. But a Safety Service standout was ordered so all patrollers and related employees could review and discuss changes that might be needed.

The civic group was willing to consider that these incidents might mean that transportation, first, is about the safety of travelers, commuters, pedestrians and workers on the system; that it might be about operations, not just at a time there are construction delays or accidents, but all the time; that it might best focus on an integrated transportation network and the way travelers, commuters, bicyclists and pedestrians use it; and that it might be about seeing those users as customers and transportation agencies and departments as responsive service providers.

This view required group members to consider how public and private responses to the transportation challenges might fit into the wider context and quality of the lives they lead, not their politics. What if transportation were approached as an integral part of everything we do, not as a separate issue?

As informed citizens, each knew that Virginia and its localities never will have enough money to make every transportation investment needed. So the question moved to how they might ensure that the investments we do make can meet a large percentage of our transportation needs. Could highway, transit, rail and other funds be dispensed according to operational results and system improvements, such as reductions in congestion, improvements in air quality, increases mobility and connectivity?

A September report (“Biennial Report on the Condition and Performance of Surface Infrastructure in the Commonwealth of Virginia”) to the General Assembly by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) suggests that a focus on operations and maintenance could provide the guidance needed. The report made some interesting observations.

• The overall condition of Interstate and primary pavements deteriorated in the last year.

• Bridge conditions (all have been inspected in recent months) remained constant, with about 8.4 percent classified as structurally deficient (restricted to light traffic, closed to traffic or requires rehabilitation).

• Crashes continue at a level exceeding 900 deaths and 72,000 injuries a year.

• Government now contracts with the private sector to spend 81 percent of all public transportation dollars, including dollars for maintenance.

• VDOT is consolidating its maintenance facilities from 348 to 244 statewide.

• VDOT’s workforce has shrunk from 10,200 five years ago to 8,600 now, but its strategic plan is to maintain strong engineering, technical, technology and research capabilities.

But the report made clear that VDOT is measuring not only on time and on budget for individual projects, but also system performance -- traffic deaths and injuries, percentage of travel that is congestion-free, the percentage of incidents cleared within 60 and 90 minutes, etc. VDOT also has moved to an asset management system that will allocate maintenance funds not by historic shares, but by quantified needs and operational performance. Underway is an expanded and permanent VDOT commitment to operations, including expanded traveler and commuter information services, all the time.

A second report presented to the Commonwealth Transportation Board, this one from the first phase of an ongoing study of freight needs in Virginia, offered an opportunity for the Northern Virginia citizens group to consider transportation from a different vantage point. Looking at freight movement as a multimodal system means weighing facts, appreciating trends, considering the efficiencies and effectiveness of investments, not being satisfied with politics.

Virginia, by geography and design, turns out to be a major truck, rail, port, air cargo, warehouse and distribution center. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, for example, has been in the forefront of emphasizing the importance of Virginia’s great gateways, the Port of Hampton Roads and Dulles Airport. The port already is second or third among Atlantic container ports and is expanding rapidly. Dulles specializes in the high-value, time-sensitive goods that make the new economy tick (more than $4 billion in shipment value annually). And while Virginia’s population is expected to grow by 30 percent by 2030, freight output in the same period will almost double.

The challenges, according to the continuing study, include how to deal with quadrupling of container tonnage, tripling of air tonnage, doubling of truck tonnage, doubling of rail traffic and doubling of port tonnage in Virginia at the same time we are dealing with urban congestion, environmental concerns and competitiveness issues. Everything from the condition of roads, rail, runnels and bridges to intermodal connectivity to safety and emergency response are important issues. Even how to recruit and retain drivers and operators will be on the table.

The preliminary list of freight solutions to be investigated further sounds familiar to most travelers and commuters. Add highway capacity, especially to Interstates 95, 81 and 64. Shift more freight to rail. Increase transit use. Improve land use planning. Coordinate regional solutions.

So even as we think about transportation as travelers and commuters, we also need to think as consumers. A freight system that performs at a high level can keep up with growing demand and also lower costs of the goods we enjoy.

We can think as economic development specialists, because freight system performance enhances Virginia’s competitiveness and attractiveness as an international business location. That means good jobs and the best minds. And we can think as transportation planners. The large investments needed demand a multi-modal, total systems approach and the innovative financing and partnership opportunities that go with them.

It won’t be the superficial politics of transportation that matter, it will be the network.