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On Monday, Los Angeles County transportation, business and community leaders participated in the fourth annual Mobility 21 Transportation Summit held in Long Beach, Calif.

Sponsored by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the summit included discussions on the lack of transportation funding and abundance of traffic congestion in the region.

Officials from Mobility 21 — a L.A.-area transportation coalition — discussed creative financing options, transportation’s role in the global economy and the area’s quality of life, and homeland security. Participants recommended the coalition try to increase awareness about the importance of moving goods and people throughout the region; lobby for new state and federal transportation legislation to create public-private partnerships to build and fund transportation systems; and encourage state officials to allocate security funds based on strategic needs rather than fixed allocations.

During the past year, coalition members lobbied state and federal officials for additional state and federal dollars for regional transportation projects, and secured about $4.5 billion. Mobility 21 members also lobbied the state to preserve Proposition 42 transportation funds.