All posts from the month of July 2010
Senate poised to advance livable communities bill
July 30, 2010By Stephen Lee Davis
UPDATED (8/3/10): The Senate Banking Committee approved this bill 12-10 during markup today, with a few amendments added. Stay tuned for a release with more details. Thanks to everyone who made a phone call. We heard from some offices that your calls were coming in, and they were heard!
The Senate is on the cusp of moving an important bill forward that would help cities and towns across the country integrate housing with a safe, clean and smart transportation system. The Livable Communities Act (S.1619), sponsored by Senator Christopher Dodd, is due to be voted on by the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs in what’s called a “mark up” Tuesday morning (8/3) at 10 a.m.
This bill, introduced almost a year ago, has been moving lately thanks to the outpouring of support from individuals like you, mayors, and organizations from across the the country who think this bill will help them plan for the future in a smart, sustainable way. We outlined some of the provisions in the bill in this post.
The Act authorizes $400 million in competitive grants to plan for livable communities, integrating transportation, housing, economic development and environmental needs. It authorizes $3.75 billion over three years for implementation of projects promoting sustainable development by creating and preserving affordable housing in neighborhoods with access to jobs and served by transit; improving public transportation; creating safe places for walking and biking; redeveloping brownfields; and fostering revitalization. It also creates an inter-departmental council to coordinate among transportation, housing and urban development and environmental agencies, and creates an office of sustainability at HUD.
The 23 Senators on this committee need to hear from their constituents that they should support this important bill and vote for it next Tuesday. Can you help by making a phone call? In this case, it’s even easier than usual. No talking points required, just call your Senator if they’re on this list, and tell them:
“Hi, I’m a constituent calling to ask Senator ____ to vote for the Livable Communities Act in Committee on Tuesday. Thank you!”
After your call, report your call to us with this page and tell some friends to do the same.
Feel free to call more than once if you like, and tell your friends in your state to join you. We’ll want these Senators to get the message loud and clear, especially in the 24 hours from Monday morning to the vote on Tuesday at 10 a.m.
| State | First Name | Last Name | DC Phone |
| Alabama | Richard | Shelby | 202-224-5744 |
| Colorado | Michael | Bennet | 202-224-5852 |
| Connecticut | Christopher | Dodd | 202-224-2823 |
| Hawaii | Daniel | Akaka | 202-224-6361 |
| Idaho | Mike | Crapo | 202-224-6142 |
| Indiana | Evan | Bayh | 202-224-5623 |
| Kentucky | Jim | Bunning | 202-224-4343 |
| Louisiana | David | Vitter | 202-224-4623 |
| Montana | Jon | Tester | 202-224-2644 |
| Nebraska | Mike | Johanns | 202-224-4224 |
| New Hampshire | Judd | Gregg | 202-224-3324 |
| New Jersey | Robert | Menendez | 202-224-4744 |
| New York | Charles | Schumer | 202-224-6542 |
| Ohio | Sherrod | Brown | 202-224-2315 |
| Oregon | Jeff | Merkley | 202-224-3753 |
| Rhode Island | Jack | Reed | 202-224-4642 |
| South Carolina | Jim | DeMint | 202-224-6121 |
| South Dakota | Tim | Johnson | 202-224-5842 |
| Tennessee | Bob | Corker | 202-224-3344 |
| Texas | Kay | Bailey Hutchison | 202-224-5922 |
| Utah | Robert | Bennett | 202-224-5444 |
| Virginia | Mark | Warner | 202-224-2023 |
| Wisconsin | Herb | Kohl | 202-224-5653 |
Today’s Headlines – 7/30/10
July 30, 2010By Transportation for America
T4 America Director James Corless discussed challenges finding new revenue and called on more leadership from the White House in a Minnesota interview. (MinnPost)
Amendments to cut funding for TIGER grants, livability and other programs were either withdrawn or defeated in the House yesterday. (Politico)
PBS’ Blueprint America series will profile green and sustainable transportation solutions around the country. (City Fix)
The demise of climate legislation could lead to a carbon tax later, but for now all it has led to is a “dreadful mess.” (Economist)
And while visiting Wisconsin, Transportation Secretary declared that “there’s no stopping” high-speed rail. (Wisc State Journal)
Congress’ failure to enact climate legislation makes transportation reform more important than ever
July 29, 2010By Sean Barry
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| Climate Change Bill Press Conference Originally uploaded by SenatorMarkUdall to Flickr. |
When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced last week that he was unable to secure the 60 votes needed to move forward on comprehensive climate legislation, it put an end to any realistic chance of capping carbon emissions in 2010, making it even more urgent to pass a reformed transportation bill that can help us reduce emissions and oil use.
This was a tough pill to swallow for Transportation for America and our partners as we were mobilizing around the promising clean transportation provisions pushed by Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman in their American Power Act — provisions that had a good chance at being included in an overall bill until last week. We endorsed Kerry and Lieberman’s American Power Act in May of this year because it “acknowledges transportation’s role in oil consumption and climate change and proposes a serious solution.”
The legislation embraces the principle that revenues generated from transportation should go toward projects that reduce oil usage, decrease emissions and recognize the unique role transportation plays in both. It’s a basic principle: We ought to get what we’re paying for.
Many hoped the weeks of watching the Gulf’s gushing oil would compel Congress to act decisively on reducing oil dependence. The transportation sector drives that dependence, with 70 percent of the oil we consume going toward various modes of travel. That’s why the emphasis on clean transportation and projects with demonstrated potential to lower emissions in the American Power Act were so critical.
According to every measure and metric, Americans want more and cleaner transportation options. Surveys commissioned by the National Association of Realtors found more than half of respondents want to live in a neighborhood where they can walk and access public transportation, but the number of communities that meet that standard are far lower than 50 percent. In another bipartisan poll of American voters, 75 percent said increased transit options would “help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”
It’s clear to us that effective energy policy must include cleaner and smarter transportation. Unfortunately, the latest proposal to come out of the Senate fails to do that. While increased investment in electric cars and Gulf Coast clean-up are both welcome and constructive, these measures alone fall far short of what is truly needed.
The failure of climate legislation this year makes swift movement on a comprehensive surface transportation reauthorization bill more crucial than ever. As we said during climate bill negotiations, climate policy is transportation policy, but that works in reverse as well. Transportation policy is our climate policy, and in lieu of a true climate bill, we’ll need transportation policy to help our climate efforts — not hurt them.
A new transportation bill that expands options, creates real accountability for what our money will get us, repairs and maintains the roads and transit systems we already have and give rural Americans a bigger voice in planning would do a lot for the health of our planet, not to mention the health and well-being of our friends and neighbors.
Today’s Headlines – 7/29/10
July 29, 2010By Transportation for America
The contents of a scaled-back energy bill were unveiled this week. (Atlantic)
Weeks after deep service cuts, New York commuters may be asked to fork over more in fares. (NYT)
Complete Streets legislation is headed to Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm’s desk. (Interlochen Public Radio)
Land use restrictions that favor low-density development may contribute to real estate bubbles. (Yglesias)
And, Secretary LaHood promoted a new bike-share system in Denver, Colorado. (DOT Blog)
20 years after the ADA, continuing the fight to improve access for all
July 28, 2010By Sean Barry
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| Sonia at East Beasley Bus Stop 004 Originally uploaded by Transportation for America to Flickr. (Credit to Dr. Scott Crawford) |
| Still working toward accessible and complete streets for all users, 20 years later. |
A couple of years ago, my colleague Stephen Lee Davis profiled Dr. Scott Crawford, a wheelchair user and resident of Jackson, Mississippi who has long fought for accessible buses with wheelchair lifts, curb ramps and better sidewalks.
As Dr. Crawford’s story reminds us, there is still a lot of work to do in making our communities accessible for all users. But he’s had a powerful legal tool in his fight to make Jackson’s streets and transit services equitable and accessible for all users: The Americans with Disabilities Act, which turned 20 years old just this week. President George H. W. Bush signed the ADA in 1990, and his son, George W. Bush, put his signature on the 2008 amendments to the Act, which broadened protections and addressed provisions that had been weakened by the Courts.
The ADA defines a disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity.”
The ADA made reasonable accommodation in workplaces and businesses for people with disabilities the law of the land, ensuring that a disability wouldn’t automatically marginalize anyone. Before it was signed, Americans who were blind, deaf, wheelchair-bound or with chronic injuries or limitations had no legal recourse against inaccessibility. Public and private sector institutions could ignore them as a silent minority — and they often did.
Reasonable accommodation does not mean that every corner of every building can be reached by everyone. It does mean that an employer or government agency must make a concerted effort — through ramps, elevators, doors wide enough for a wheelchair and other resources — to make the workplace accessible for people with disabilities.
Meeting ADA requirements has certainly been a challenge for many communities, especially those with older buildings and smaller economies. Jackson, Mississippi has had the same bus fleet for decades with broken chair lifts and has struggled to find the resources to upgrade. Many transportation departments are more interested in expanding existing roads and broadening access between towns and cities, forgetting what happens within them.
Difficulties aside, many of us are now realizing that the focus on “reasonable accommodations” has actually improved the quality of life for everyone. Older Americans, whether technically disabled or not, face similar challenges with access, have benefited from lifts on public buses. Mothers pushing strollers appreciate new sidewalk ramps.
Beyond mere ADA compliance, everyone is better off with a focus on “Complete Streets,” ensuring that roads accommodate all users regardless of how they get around. Two Mississippi cities, Tupelo and Hernando, recently adopted complete streets policies, and the Michigan State Senate is poised to do the same. Complete streets fit nicely into the universal design approach, which emphasizes the benefits to everyone rather than perpetuating “us” and “them” delineations. The ADA won’t be enough to make our streets truly safe and complete, as Jeff Peel of the League of American Bicyclists pointed out (h/t Streetsblog.net). “…don’t forget, the ADA [doesn't] require sidewalks — it says that if they are present, they must be made accessible,” he says.
As we celebrate the ADA, it is worth reminding ourselves not to take progress for granted. Progress happens because we pursue the right policies —and the people force our elected officials to listen up. That’s a point worth remembering for everyone who envisions an America with greater transportation options for all.
Today’s Headlines – 7/28/10
July 28, 2010By Transportation for America
Environmental and transportation advocates were let down by the death of climate legislation. (Streetsblog)
One of the nation’s most widely-read newspapers endorsed raising the gas tax. (USA Today)
A federal report blames track circuit failure and negligence for last year’s Red Line crash on the DC Metro. (WP)
Suburban sprawl in New Jersey has resulted a large losses of open space. (Star-Ledger)
A majority of Residents in the Chicago’s suburbs favor increased spending on public transit. (Tribune)
And, a group of South Floridians are pushing for sidewalks to improve pedestrian safety. (Miami Herald)
America’s transit systems require $77.7 billion just to reach a state of good repair
July 27, 2010By Sean Barry
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| Old Train Car with Broken Glass Originally uploaded by The Upstairs Room to Flickr. |
Failure to keep up with regular maintenance and repair in many of our country’s public transportation systems due to tightened budgets is literally slowing us down, through longer commutes, unreliable service and reduced access, exacerbating the effects of a down economy and high unemployment.
This is part of what prompted Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to seek a report on the cost of bringing our nation’s transit systems into a state of good repair.
The Federal Transit Administration study reveals chronic underinvestment in the nation’s transit systems and estimates $77.7 billion is needed just to rehabilitate what we already have. Unfortunately, that figure is more of a floor than a ceiling. The $77.7 billion would simply modernize and repair existing transit systems, without even beginning to build the tracks or build the new projects urgently needed to keep up with burgeoning demand.
Sadly, we are nowhere near where we need to be.
Rather than matching the needed level of investment, public transit spending in 2008 clocked in at less than $13 billion. According to the FTA, “the Study’s findings — in particular the magnitude of the investment backlog — emphasize the need for a more comprehensive understanding of transit reinvestment needs.”
The New York Times echoed that theme in a recent story. The Times noted a recent incident on Maryland’s commuter rail system (MARC) in which 900 commuters on a train home to Maryland from Washington, D.C. were stuck near Union Station for two hours, with temperatures reaching as high as 110 degrees. One especially disgruntled rider ventured that air-conditioned jails in Georgia would be preferable to staying on the train.
Though important, this isn’t just about comfort. Millions of Americans, young and old, urban and rural, rely on transit system each day to get to work, school or other daily needs. Disruptions to these services are much more serious than a mere inconvenience. In tough times, we should be making it easier for people to go about their lives and get to work, but chronic underinvestment in transit is making these things harder instead.
One of the biggest contributors to incidents like those on the DC Metro is simply the age of the equipment. Every year, the price of buying new parts and repairing rail lines goes up, and every year the upgrades or repairs don’t happen, keeping the trains running becomes more expensive and difficult.
Despite this, the Times notes that “the federal government is unlikely to step in to help the strapped city, state and local transit agencies,” despite what AASHTO spokesman Tony Dorsey described as “the perfect storm” that is “causing people in the transportation industry to feel very concerned.”
The Times’ outlook aside, there is a plan in Congress to provide aid to struggling agencies hit hard by shrinking state and local budgets. T4 America has strongly encouraged Congress to pass the Public Transportation Preservation Act, which would provide $2 billion in emergency operating funds to help keep systems afloat during this crisis of state and local budgets, as the Times noted.
Whether this bill passes or not, Congress must keep the FTA’s sobering numbers in mind when moving to reauthorize the nation’s surface transportation bill. Some will surely ask whether we can afford these investments, but the question we should be asking is how we afford not to make them.
Today’s Headlines – 7/27/10
July 27, 2010By Transportation for America
More postmortems are coming in about the climate bill. (TIME)
The Americans with Disabilities Act turned 20 yesterday, but many communities still have work to do making streets accessible. (Bike League)
USDOT has an internship program to encourage women working in transportation. (DOT Blog)
Suburbs are here to stay, but they can build and grow toward greater vibrancy. (NY Times)
And, a writer considers the role of behavioral economics in improving transportation. (InTransition)
Blueprint America on complete streets in Atlanta
July 26, 2010By Stephen Lee Davis
Do yourself a favor and check out this short video from PBS’ Blueprint America series that aired on the program “Need to Know” recently.
The overall package is about “disappearmarks” — earmarks totaling millions in the last federal transportation bill that have never been allocated or spent, according to the Sunlight Foundation. But this story from Atlanta focuses much more specifically on how unsafe, incomplete streets that don’t adequately meet the needs of all users in Atlanta results in pedestrians that have little choice but to take their lives into their own hands each and every day, just to get to work, school, or the closest bus stop.
They used the numbers from Dangerous by Design, our report on pedestrian safety nationally, to help give some broader national context to the situation in Atlanta.
Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.
Today’s Headlines – 7/26/10
July 26, 2010By Transportation for America
With climate legislation declared dead for the year, President Obama vowed to veto any bill blocking the EPA from taking action on its own. (Politico)
In a bid to improve ties with business, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said an “infrastructure rebuilding bill” may be in the mix. (WSJ)
Illinois’s governor announced $500 million in mass transit funding. (Chicago Tribune)
Lack of money for upgrades and maintenance is a familiar story to bus and subway riders throughout the country. (NY Times)
A Minnesota writer ponders the disconnect between conservatives and bicycling. (MinnPost)
And, Senator Chuck Schumer is pushing to make the transit tax break permanent. (Reuters)
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- 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 - House Ways and Means proposal to end guaranteed funding for public transportation undoes bipartisan agreement since Reagan
February 2, 2012 - Pedestrian deaths, blaming the victim: headphones edition
January 19, 2012
- House committee ignores broad opposition, decimates transit funding anyway
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