ABSTRACT
Transport regulation can never be viewed in isolation. Attitudes and policies are influenced by a wide variety of factors many of which appear somewhat distant to transport itself. This is to be expected if one considers the role transport can play in such things as: helping to improve the geographical cohesion of a country; stimulating economic activities; and lubricating the wheels of commerce. Equally, but less often considered, the transport sector is a major component of most developed economies and, therefore, in its own right may exert influences over such macroeconomic matters as levels of inflation and the balance of payments. All this needs bearing in mind when reviewing recent events in the USA.
