The article discusses five factors that affect the chances of technically sound plans being accepted, adopted, and implemented. These factors include recognizing the political nature of planning recommendations, identifying costs and benefits to different groups, improving organization and financing for regional transportation planning, considering transportation in relation to other development plans, and exploring alternatives for organizing and financing transportation development agencies. Suggestions are made to increase the success rate of implementing comprehensive planning recommendations, such as being sensitive to the political nature of recommendations, developing objective measures of costs and benefits, involving local governments in transportation decisions, strengthening comprehensive planning efforts, balancing attention between highways and public transportation, and establishing effective transportation development agencies.