All posts from the month of October 2011
A real plan to fix bridges, or a reprise of attacks on pedestrian safety?
October 28, 2011By Stephen Lee Davis
Our reports calling attention to our nation’s deficient bridges have gained enormous traction in recent weeks, to the point that members of Congress and the White House are citing our data in demonstrating the need for infrastructure investment. Unfortunately, some are using them to make disingenuous attempts to eliminate a small program they’ve been trying to put on the chopping block for years.
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| A New Trail Originally uploaded by M.V. Jantzen to Flickr. |
| Safe travels for people on foot, on bike and in cars on the new Wilson Bridge in Washington, D.C. Should we really have to choose? |
The small Transportation Enhancements program represents less than 2 percent of all transportation funding, and more than half of that 2 percent is used to help make walking and biking safer — a worthy expenditure considering 10 percent of trips are taken on foot and 47,700 people on foot were killed from 2000-2009.
Senator Rand Paul is expected to offer an amendment next week to take all of the TE money and put it toward bridge repair. And a handful of others in Congress have been trying to kill this program for years, well before the current talk of austerity.
Sen. Paul’s proposal doesn’t represent a sincere plan to repair our bridges, but unfortunately, a handful in the media are still taking the bait.
The question is this: With the nation facing a transportation crisis that has gotten little attention outside of policy wonks and Washington, should the federal government continue to mandate that states spend federal dollars on pedestrian safety, bicycling trails, landscaping and historic preservation?
When you ask the wrong question, you often get the wrong answer. And this question in particular has been manufactured by those who would capitalize on the sense of urgency about our bridges to eliminate a program they’ve been after for years.
We’ve covered before how the money spent on walking and biking safety won’t actually do anything to address the bridge backlog. It would take Kentucky 66 years of bike/ped money to fix all of the bridges that are deficient today. And as we wrote in National Journal, “So what if we decided to ignore the significant safety issues faced daily by pedestrians and cyclists, and spent that money instead on bridge repair as some have suggested? We could indeed fix all the currently deficient bridges in the state of Missouri, for example. We’d just need to be patient because it would take 82 years. The State of Washington could get to its backlog in 164 years. And Pennsylvania could finish up with its deficient bridge list at the start of the 24th century.”
Raiding these safety funds to fix our bridges is like trying to stop a freight train with a BB gun. Beyond that, it’s false — and cruel — to suggest that we have to even decide between safety on our bridges and safety on our streets.
We have often pointed out the fact that states have the flexibility to spend up to half of their bridge repair money elsewhere, regardless of the condition of their bridges. But they also have the flexibility to spend most of their Surface Transportation Program dollars, usually the biggest pot of transportation funding, on almost anything they want. They could fix bridges, build transit, highways, bridges, sidewalks; it’s all eligible, and totally up to the states for how they spend it. No mandates from Washington.
Despite false assertions that we require states to build museums or turtle tunnels instead of repairing their bridges, there’s nothing stopping states from getting on top of their deficient bridges. Just like nothing has stopped Florida from spending their TE money each year while also setting up a bridge repair program to target funds first and foremost to bridges that need attention, resulting in some of the best bridges in the country. Meanwhile, Senator Paul’s state of Kentucky, with more than 2,700 deficient bridges, spends $6.50 on new highway capacity for every dollar they spend on bridge repair.
We don’t have to choose between being safe when we walk or being safe when we drive over a bridge. Anyone who tells you otherwise has their own agenda; an agenda that has very little to do with actually repairing our bridges.
It’s time for serious proposals from Congress to fix our crumbling bridges and infrastructure, rather than making a large percentage of people less safe in the name of grabbing a few extra bucks for our bridges.
Along these lines, a good step would be Senator Cardin’s “Preservation and Renewal of Federal-Aid Highways Act.” Tell your Senators to support this important piece of legislation.
Today’s Headlines – 10/28/11
October 28, 2011By Transportation for America
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder continued to receive accolades for his transportation ideas. (Streetsblog Capitol Hill)
The League of American Bicyclists explains why killing the transportation enhancements program will not fix the nation’s bridges. (Bike League Blog)
A key budget committee approved $1.3 billion for New Jersey’s infrastructure. (Star-Ledger)
Baltimore County officials are prioritizing about transportation projects that can spur the local economy. (Baltimore Sun)
And, the pros and cons of California high-speed rail were debated at Fresno State’s student union. (Fresno Bee)
With Congress in limbo, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder puts promising transportation ideas on the table
October 27, 2011By Sean Barry
More state and local officials are coming to grips with the fact that they cannot wait for Washington to act on infrastructure investment and repair. After two years of short-term extensions, a new transportation bill may or may not happen in the next six months. From a vantage point closer to their constituents, local leaders of all political stripes see the need for more immediate solutions — and know that the potential impact on the economy is too important to be ignored because of partisan squabbles.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder (pictured at right), a Republican elected in 2010, is one of those leaders. And his new $1 billion blueprint for the state’s infrastructure, released earlier this week, does a commendable job of ditching ideological gestures in favor of common sense.
One of the more ground-shifting components of Snyder’s plan is his preference for rapid bus service in the Detroit area to complement and expand on the Woodward light-rail line already in the pipeline. As the Detroit Free Press discussed in an editorial this morning, it is likely that some will dismiss bus service as inferior to rail. That distinction is for Michiganders to decide, but Snyder’s willingness to consider a medley of transportation options should induce a healthy discussion.
He’s also willing to discuss revenue, which remains the most major hold-up in Congress. Under Snyder’s proposal, voters would get to decide at the local level whether to raise vehicle license fees by $40. Allowing for local debate and deliberation would likely increase the chances of new revenue being secured.
Snyder would also shift Michigan’s current gas tax to a levy as percent of the price per gallon, rather than a flat fee, a shift that is expected to increase overall receipts.
The additional revenue from both of these measures would fund road repair and public transportation, including enhanced bus and rail service in Detroit and its surrounding suburbs.
Now that Snyder has outlined his preferences, it is up the state legislature to make the next move. As the Free Press put it:
The governor has not solved southeast Michigan’s transportation problems. But in laying out a practical plan for providing — and paying for — rapid transit service, he has given leaders a road map to a better transportation future.
Photo courtesy of AnnArbor.com
Today’s Headlines – 10/27/11
October 27, 2011By Transportation for America
Key Senate chairman Barbara Boxer challenged her House transportation counterpart John Mica on funding levels. (The Hill)
House and Senate Democrats introduced legislation to establish a National Infrastructure Bank that closely resembles President Obama’s proposal. (The Hill)
The Los Angeles Crenshaw light-rail project recently fast-tracked for approval was threatened with a lawsuit. (AP)
Governor Rick Snyder’s $1 billion plan for transportation improvements is worthy of support, the Detroit Free Press editorialized. (Free Press)
And, transit-reliant Appleton residents decried Valley Transit service cuts. (Appleton Post-Crescent)
Today’s Headlines – 10/26/11
October 26, 2011By Transportation for America
Aging residents of Cincinnati face inadequate transit options, a trend some are calling ‘transportation poverty.’ (Urbancincy)
House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer said a Republican-written transportation bill is not necessarily a “jobs bill.” (The Hill)
Illinois Representative Aaron Schock is a key GOP point person on transportation authorization. (LaSalle News Tribune)
U.S. road travel has fallen to its lowest levels since 2003. (USA Today)
The Detroit region needs high-speed buses, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said in a speech yesterday. (Detroit Free Press)
And, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg supports extending subway service to New Jersey. (New Jersey Star-Ledger)
Events across the country last week bring sense of urgency to bridge repair
October 25, 2011By Sean Barry
Many communities are taking a close look at Transportation for America’s deficient bridge rankings by metro areas released last week. People are telling their representatives to invest in our infrastructure — and Washington is listening, with President Obama and rank-and-file members of Congress expressing urgency about repairing our crumbling assets.
At an event held at the Route 16′s Mabscott Overhead Bridge in Beckley, West Virginia, (pictured right) Representative Nick Rahall made a strong case for repair while surrounded by labor partners carrying “America wants to work” signs. The local NBC, ABC and CBS affiliates were on hand, alongside the Associated Press and Beckley Register-Herald, the region’s largest daily newspaper.
“It should not take a major catastrophe to bring this home to America. This horrific and tragic example shows how America’s decaying infrastructure is a disaster waiting to happen,” Rep. Rahall said, citing past tragedies that could have been prevented with greater foresight and investment
Rahall added that putting Americans to work was also a “deficit reduction issue” because it means more people paying taxes and putting money back into the economy.
Gary Zuckett, executive director of West Virginia Citizen Action and T4 America’s chief organizer in the state, played a key role in making the event happen.
At a similar event under a 78-year-old bridge at Chicago’s Lakeshore Drive and Wilson Ave. last Wednesday, Representative Jan Schakowsky joined labor groups, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and other groups in highlighting unsafe bridges in their area. The local affiliates for ABC, CBS and FOX all picked up the story, alongside print media and several blogs.
“Don’t my colleagues and their families and their children drive over bridges like this? Isn’t this a priority?” Schakowsky, a Democrat from Illinois’ Ninth Congressional District, said during the event. Brian Imus, the state director of Illinois Public Interest Research Group, pictured at the lectern, also addressed members of the press and public.
West Virginia has more than 2,500 bridges rated as structurally deficient, while Illinois has more than 2,200.Portions of West Virginia are also part of the Washington, DC metropolitan area, which has 215 structurally deficient bridges, or 5.7 percent of total bridges.
9.4 percent of the bridges in the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet metropolitan area are structurally deficient, for a total of 481 deficient bridges.
The deficient bridges in our largest 102 metro areas carry three-quarters of all traffic that crosses a deficient bridge each day. Check out how your area stacks up here.
Today’s Headlines – 10/25/11
October 25, 2011By Transportation for America
House Republicans pitched transportation reauthorization as their alternative jobs bill. (AP)
Senator Mark Kirk, Republican of Illinois, is pushing public-private transportation partnerships, while West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin lent his support to $60 billion in infrastructure investment. (Chicago Sun-Times, Beckley Register-Herald)
The Fitchburg commuter line from Boston received $75 million in federal funds. (Boston Globe)
Former Marietta, Georgia Mayor William Dunaway argued that Cobb County must diversify its transit system. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
And, an announcement from Governor Rick Snyder on fixing Michigan’s infrastructure and transit woes is set for this afternoon. (Detroit Free Press)
Today’s Headlines – 10/24/11
October 24, 2011By Transportation for America
The Senate EPW Committee decision to move forward on transportation authorization may be motivated by a desire to get ahead of the House. (Streetsblog Capitol Hill)
The full Senate will vote this week on the transportation component of President Obama’s American Jobs Act. (AP)
The AFL-CIO and U.S. Chamber of Commerce are joining hands again in favor of infrastructure investment. (The Hill)
The 2012 election could be definitive for the future of Amtrak. (Economist)
And, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett said transportation is not an immediate priority, despite bipartisan agreement on steps forward. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Update on Raquel Nelson: petition delivered to Cobb County
October 21, 2011By Stephen Lee Davis
UPDATE below. More than 5,200 of you signed our petition to push for freedom for the Atlanta mother who was charged in her son’s death when he was killed by a hit-and-run driver while crossing a street in front of their apartment complex. Raquel Nelson is due back in court next week, but we wanted to let you know — especially those of you who signed that petition — that we were able to deliver that petition to the Cobb County Solicitor’s Office a few weeks ago.
With the help of a terrific partner group in Atlanta called PEDS, we had the petition delivered to the Solicitor’s office. Sally Flocks, the executive director, and Liz Coyle with PEDS were kind enough to take a trip out to Cobb County to deliver your names in person.
Unfortunately, Solicitor General Barry Morgan refused to take a few moments to meet with PEDS, a well-respected group in Atlanta, to accept the petition and hear a little more about the underlying problem of streets that aren’t safe for people on foot or bike.
Here is a few notable thoughts from Sally Flocks and PEDS about delivering the petition.
Solicitor General Barry Morgan’s refusal to meet with representatives of PEDS to accept the Transportation for America petition disappointed us. By meeting with us, Morgan could have learned why members of Transportation for America – as well as over 5,000 petitioners, believe Raquel Nelson should be pardoned of all charges. When we arrived in Marietta, the receptionist would not allow us to enter Morgan’s office to hand the petition to his assistant. Instead, she came to the receptionist’s desk to pick up the petition we had handed him.
On our way to the Solicitor General’s office, we drove by the Marietta [bus] Transfer Center (pictured below), where fences block access to the street for over ¼ mile. The closest signalized intersections are over a half mile apart. Victory Drive intersects South Marietta Parkway between the signalized intersections, which means it’s legal for pedestrians to cross anywhere they want. Yet “no pedestrian” signs have been installed to discourage pedestrians from crossing a high-speed five-lane street.
If I could wave a magic wand, the Solicitor General would have joined me for a bus ride to visit the location where Raquel Nelson and her family had attempted to cross the street. To catch a bus back to his office, we would have had to cross the street. Perhaps then the Solicitor General would understood why Cobb County needs to stop treating pedestrians as second class citizens.
Well said, Sally. We especially want to recognize all of you who added your names to this petition. Though we wish we could have gotten that meeting and bus ride with the Solicitor General and put your names directly in his hand, you can be sure that the calls and emails and petitions that have flooded into that office in the last few months have made a significant difference in this case, and helped to publicize the larger issues at hand nationally.
We can’t thank you enough for your support. We’ll continue to keep tabs on this story in the coming weeks.
UPDATED 10/24/11 2:30 p.m.: The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that her second trial is starting tomorrow. It also includes that apt nugget to describe her situation:
With interviews on ABC’s Good Morning America and news outlets CNN, Reuters and the BBC covering her initial trial and sentencing, Nelson became the face of public transit users and perpetual pedestrians whom a sprawling suburbia has left behind.
Today’s Headlines – 10/21/11
October 21, 2011By Transportation for America
The Senate EPW Committee is expected to move forward with transportation authorization on November 9. (Streetsblog Capitol Hill)
In addition to a national infrastructure, state-issued transportation bonds and TIGER grants continue to enjoy bipartisan support. (WaPo)
Officials in Bluefield, West Virginia were encouraged to apply for TIGER’s next round. (Bluefield Daily Telegraph)
Governor Andrew Cuomo tapped Joseph Lhota, a former New York City deputy mayor and budget director, as head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. (Bloomberg)
And, Democrats think Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney could be vulnerable on his opposition to auto-industry bailouts. (The Hill)
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- The more they see, the less they like: 10 reasons why opposition to the House transportation bill is growing
February 21, 2012 - Crucial amendment could improve Senate bill, restore local control and help make streets safer
February 14, 2012 - 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
- The more they see, the less they like: 10 reasons why opposition to the House transportation bill is growing
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