All posts from the month of March 2010
Today’s Headlines – 3/24/10
March 24, 2010By Transportation for America
The Center for Neighborhood Technology released a study linking transportation costs to affordable housing. (WP)
Some Congressional staffers question whether the federal transportation law will be reauthorized this year. (Bond Buyer)
Fiscal crises this year will hit local communities hard, forcing further cuts in transit services and other core functions. (TNR)
A new tax incentives bill being considered in the House includes infrastructure funding through the Build America Bonds program. (Hill)
And, the Livable Communities Act sponsored by Senator Chris Dodd would move the U.S. toward smarter planning. (Next American City)
Today’s Headlines – 3/23/10
March 23, 2010By Transportation for America
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wants suggestions on how to pay for the Highway Trust Fund. (DOT Blog)
Transit advocacy groups are split on whether Congress should prioritize operating assistance or capital improvements. (Streetsblog)
The Washington Post slammed Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell for his lack of follow-through on transportation reform. (WP)
A group of 22 largely center-leaning Democratic Senators urged action on climate change legislation this year. (WaIndy)
And, a higher gas tax and delayed projects could stem from the Wyoming Legislature rejecting I-80 tolls. (BusinessWeek)
HIRE Act a down payment on transportation priorities
March 22, 2010By Sean Barry
When President Obama signed the HIRE Act into law last week, he ushered in important progress on several important transportation initiatives.
The Act extends current transportation law until December 31, 2010 and restores $19.5 billion in interest to the Highway Trust Fund. This works out to $14.7 billion for highways and $4.8 billion for mass transit. The HIRE Act also restores $8.7 billion in contract authority that was rescinded due to late Congressional action last September.
This clean extension is far superior to the stop-gap measures of the past several months. State Departments of Transportation and regional officials can now move forward on new projects with confidence.
Also of note, the Act extends the ability of urban areas to apply mass transit funding to operating assistance. Painful cuts to public transportation are a real drain on communities across America. This provision will help keep people in their jobs while helping commuters access jobs.
For a more thorough run-down of how the HIRE Act affects transportation, read this summary prepared by T4 America.
The potential economic and personal impacts of oil dependence
March 22, 2010By Lilly Shoup
There isn’t a state in the union that doesn’t depend on oil for transportation. But states have varying levels of dependence, making some far more vulnerable to dramatic economic impacts as the price of oil goes up or down — depending on how many options consumers have for getting around.
Continuing the recent theme of the transportation challenges facing our small towns and rural areas comes this new report from the National Resources Defense Council analyzing the vulnerability of each of the 50 states to changes in oil prices. The research is timely with the national price for gasoline reaching $2.79 a gallon this week, the highest level since October 2008 according to the Energy Department, and likely to rise higher as we head into the summer driving season.
Percent of Income Spent on Gasoline by the Average Driver, 2008. Graphic from NRDC
As the graphic shows, drivers in some states would have to spend a larger share of their income on gasoline and are more vulnerable to oil price shocks. The five states that are most hurt by higher fuel prices are Mississippi, Montana, Louisiana, Oklahoma and South Carolina. Drivers in these states would have to spend as much as 11 percent of their annual income on gasoline, or about $3,345 on average, if the price returned to $4 a gallon.
Compare this list with the five least vulnerable states — New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland and New Hampshire — which have historically had a variety of transportation options to choose from, from private cars to public transportation and commuter trains, as well as development patterns that have produced walkable neighborhoods where residents can safely walk or bike for short trips. States that can find ways to provide residents with multiple options for getting around will be better off financially in the long run.
Already, people living in urban areas that have access to a wide array of transportation options spend 4% or less of their income on gasoline, while some rural residents reportedly spend over 13% of their income on fuel. And a study comparing 10 statewide averages, 12 major metro areas, and 29 counties that are at least 25% Native American found that households in rural areas spend almost 30% of their income on fuel, compared to metro area averages as low as 2.6% in some parts of the country. (pdf)
With the Energy Department forecasting gas prices topping $3 a gallon this spring and summer, residents in areas that have few options for getting around besides getting into the family car could find themselves with an unfortunate choice: Spend more of their income on transportation, or be stranded without any other options.
Increasing access and mobility is not an exclusively urban or a rural agenda. It should be a national goal that we work toward using a variety of policies, including fixed route and paratransit bus services, intercity and commuter rail services, intelligent transportation solutions, telecommuting and complete streets safe for walking and biking.
Today’s Headlines – 3/22/10
March 22, 2010By Transportation for America
Yesterday’s historic passage of health-care reform allows Congress to pivot toward other issues like transportation, although action this year is far from assured. (NYT)
A key Senate Republican accused California of “dictating” auto fuel efficiency to the federal government. (Streetsblog)
Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson plans to hold a transportation summit later this month. (AP)
A California school district is complaining about its proximity to a high-speed rail line. (Mercury-News)
And, a right-wing magazine debunks pro-sprawl libertarians. (American Conservative)
Today’s Headlines – 3/19/10
March 19, 2010By Transportation for America
Transit officials in Sacramento, California, the state capitol, are expected to declare a fiscal emergency on Monday. (Chronicle)
A 30/10 plan to fund mass transit projects in Los Angeles got an endorsement from Senator Dianne Feinstein. (LA Times)
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was the subject of several Toyota-related jokes at an off-the-record dinner. (Hill)
Rural Americans could be hit hard by a hike in gas prices. (Reuters)
Escalator and elevator outages have persisted in the Washington DC Metro system. (WP)
And, T4 America’s John Robert Smith, the former mayor of Meridian, Mississippi, was among several testifiers defending transit, pedestrian and bike investment before a key committee yesterday. (Streetsblog)
President signs HIRE Act, T4 America is on the scene
March 18, 2010By Quentin Kelly
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UPDATED: Read this analysis and summary from T4 America on the HIRE Act’s ramifications for transportation.
President Obama signed the HIRE Act this morning in the Rose Garden at the White House, and T4 America was fortunate enough to have been invited to the event.
I was especially pleased to be joined by Patricia Griffin from PolicyLink. Patricia and her organization have been strong partners with the Transportation for America campaign. Increasing access to transit and helping people reach employment, groceries and other essential daily needs are equity issues as much as they are economic issues.
We need groups like these on our side.
While this bill doesn’t contain the amount of money for transportation infrastructure like the stimulus had last year, it does have a few important provisions for transportation.
It extends the transportation bill to the end of 2010, which will spare Congress (and transportation workers across the country) the headache (and uncertainty) of the continual short-term extensions that have been standard operating procedure until now. As we saw a few weeks ago when Sen. Bunning singlehandedly held up the last extension of the transportation bill before it expired, causing a shutdown at DOT, the furlough of workers, and the suspension of crucial reimbursement checks to states, providing this little bit of certainty will at least avoid a repeat of that scenario. The bill also extends the special rule permitting urbanized areas to flex funding to transit operations, which is critical to restore and retain transit jobs and maintain services at a time when transit systems nationwide are hemorrhaging jobs, reducing service and increasing fares.
The bill also restores $19.5 billion in interest back to the highway trust fund to keep it from going bankrupt before the end of the year. With more fuel-efficient cars on the road and Americans driving less the last few years, the amount of money the federal government gets from gas taxes hasn’t been able to keep up with the authorized amounts of spending in the transportation bill.
It’s a short-term fix to a much larger issue of how we fund transportation, and doesn’t address what those billions are buying us. We need long-term solutions and answers to both of those issues.
The President’s remarks about the economy and job creation were resonant. He addressed the importance of infrastructure, in terms of both short-term job growth and longer term prosperity, noting that “this jobs bill will maintain crucial investments in our roads and our bridges as we head into the spring and summer months, when construction jobs are picking up.”
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In addition to President Obama, other participants included Majority Leader Harry Reid, Majority Whip Richard Durbin, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman, Jim Oberstar.
Senator Boxer’s committee is currently developing their version of the transportation bill and we are eager to work with the Senator and her staff on shared priorities and new ideas. Senator Boxer is a passionate defender of the environment who understands that the status quo is no longer acceptable. And her home state of California has been hit hard by deep cuts in transit where people need it most.
The bill President Obama signed today helps stabilize our transportation program and enables us to focus our full attention on a long-term transformational bill that prepares us for the 21st Century. This is our chance to get the changes we have spent months fighting for — increasing access to public transportation and quality jobs for all people, rebuilding broken roads and crumbling bridges and setting benchmarks that help us measure success.
Today felt like a sign of good things to come.
Photos by Quentin Kelly and Patricia Griffin.
T4 America co-chair testifies before Senate on rural transportation
March 18, 2010By Stephen Lee Davis
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| Mayor Smith speaking at the T4 America platform launch in 2009. |
Mayor John Robert Smith, T4 America co-chair and President of Reconnecting America, testified before a Senate committee today about the transportation challenges facing rural areas and small towns — and offered six practical suggestions for how the federal government can help them meet these challenges head-on.
Far from being left behind or left out of federal transportation policy, Mayor Smith’s recommendations provide a clear road map for boosting the economies of Main Streets across America and connecting small cities and towns to increased economic opportunity. As the former Mayor of Meridian, Miss., and the board chair of Amtrak, he has experience on almost all sides.
The word may have connotations of big cities and tall buildings, but our small towns are decidedly “urban” — at least in the sense that many residents live decently close to a town center or square, with a street grid that gives people the option to walk. Schools may still be within walking distance in the town’s core, kids ride their bikes around town, families walk when they can, and these historic downtowns are still magnets for business and community events.
But while major metro areas are battling gridlock and congestion, smaller towns are looking at issues of access, ensuring that residents have good connnections to economic opportunities — and that they can get where they need to go quickly and affordably.
“Long commutes, volatile energy prices, and shifting demographics all impact the prosperity of these communities,” Mayor Smith testified this morning. ”Many small towns and rural areas lack the financial resources, planning capacity, or authority to implement solutions to their transportation needs. A bold new policy is needed at the federal level to meet those needs.”
He knows a thing or two about how transportation decisions can affect economic opportunity on Main Street after years as a mayor. “In my own hometown [Meridian, Miss.], through investment in our downtown and the creation of a transportation hub, we bolstered the local economy and reversed the decline of our historic buildings and city center. Other communities like ours can experience that same revitalization if our country will commit the resources needed to enhance the economic competitiveness of existing communities,” he said.
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| Download this Brief (pdf) |
Mayor Smith, T4 America and our many partners in rural areas that developed these recommendations are seeking to provide a framework for residents of our small towns and rural areas to have the transportation options they need so they’re not stranded without options.
Residents of these areas are demanding good transit networks, safe streets, bridges that don’t fall down and highways that aren’t cracked and potholed.
Mayor Smith’s testimony to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee coincided with the release of a whitepaper on rural transportation entitled “Principles for Improving Transportation Options in Rural and Small Town Communities,” which describes T4 America’s recommendations in much greater detail.
You can read his full testimony here.
And read the official campaign press release.
Safe, Strong and Efficient Transportation Systems in Small Towns and Rural Areas are Needed to Grow Economy and Pursue the American Dream
March 18, 2010By Transportation for America
T4America Co-Chair John Robert Smith Testifies before Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Calls for Bold New Agenda for Small-Town America
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Senate continues to develop a revitalized, long-term federal transportation program, Transportation for America (T4America) called on senators to support a bold new agenda for rural transportation that would spur economic development in small towns and cities across the United States.
In testimony today before the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, T4America Co-Chair John Robert Smith — former Mayor of Meridian, Mississippi and past chair of the Amtrak Board — issued a series of forward-looking recommendations to invigorate Main Streets across rural America and connect small cities and towns to increased economic opportunity.
The testimony is part of T4America’s Rural Transportation Initiative to gather policy recommendations from key transportation practitioners, nonprofit advocates, service providers, and elected officials who serve small town and rural America. The working group’s recommendations are summed up in the white paper released today along with Mayor Smith’s testimony entitled, “Principles for Improving Transportation Options in Rural and Small Town Communities.”
“Transportation challenges facing small town America are not of congestion but of access,” Mayor Smith testified. “Long commutes, volatile energy prices, and shifting demographics all impact the prosperity of these communities. Many small towns and rural areas lack the financial resources, planning capacity, or authority to implement solutions to their transportation needs. A bold new policy is needed at the federal level to meet those needs.”
The recommendations presented by T4America highlight the importance of six key areas of policy reform necessary to meet the transportation challenges facing rural America:
- Invest in Main Street to link public transit, passenger rail, high-speed rail, commercial air service and intercity buses. These intercity transportation networks will create local hubs and generate millions of dollars in private economic development to preserve and revitalize small town main streets across the country.
- Empower Local Communities through institutional reforms to ensure residents and leaders of small towns and rural communities are part of the decision-making process in finding solutions.
- Improve the Conditions and Safety of our Transportation System by fixing our rural infrastructure and finding highway design solutions to correct dangerous conditions that threaten the safety of our people.
- Invest in Public Transportation to meet the growing demand and need of an aging rural population that is increasingly reliant on local transit service.
- Preserve and Create Livable Communities to enhance the economic competitiveness, historic character and heritage of small town America.
- Move Goods Through Rural America with increased flexibility and investment in infrastructure such as rail, intermodal transfer points, and inland waterways to ensure that rural economies continue to be competitive in the 21st century global economy.
“Rural America is not what’s missing between the cities. It’s what connects us,” said Dee Davis, president of the Center for Rural Strategies in Whitesburg, KY, one of T4America’s partners in developing rural-oriented proposals for the transportation bill. “It makes a real difference having a chance to join the conversation about a more thoughtful, strategic way to invest transportation dollars. We thank the Senators for taking the time to listen to rural concerns, and look forward to a new bill that serves us all.”
Mayor Smith knows firsthand about the transformative power of thoughtful transportation investment. “In my own hometown, through investment in our downtown and the creation of a transportation hub, we bolstered the local economy and reversed the decline of our historic buildings and city center,” he said. “Other communities like ours can experience that same revitalization if our country will commit the resources needed to enhance the economic competitiveness of existing communities.”
Full EPW Testimony: http://t4america.org/resources/jrs-testimony-epw/
“Principles for Improving Transportation Options in Rural and Small Town Communities”: http://t4america.org/policy-papers/#rural1
Today’s Headlines – 3/18/10
March 18, 2010By Transportation for America
Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill has proposed an end to transportation earmarks. (Streetsblog)
Budgets cuts have forced the Missouri Department of Transportation into a “fix-it-first” approach by default. (Waynesville Daily Guide)
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was in Washington this week to push his 30/10 plan to build thirty years of long overdue mass transit projects. (HuffPost)
Now a declared candidate for California’s Lt. Governor, Gavin Newsom took aim at Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger over transit cuts. (Chronicle)
And, the chief lobbyist for Chicago’s Transit Authority is promoting increased flexibility in operating assistance. (Chicago Current)
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- Oppose House bill that slashes public transit funding, falls short on repair and axes bike & pedestrian safety
February 7, 2012 - T4 coalition announces opposition to House energy and transportation bill
February 6, 2012 - House committee ignores broad opposition, decimates transit funding anyway
February 3, 2012 - Massive letter opposing House leadership attack on transit sent to Capitol Hill
February 3, 2012 - House leadership making unprecedented assault on public transit
February 2, 2012
- Oppose House bill that slashes public transit funding, falls short on repair and axes bike & pedestrian safety
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