All posts from the month of December 2011
Congress fails to keep the transit benefit from being slashed at the end of the year
December 19, 2011By Stephen Lee Davis
Unfortunately, the Senate’s extension of the payroll tax cut did not include a provision for keeping commuter tax benefits equal, so at the end of the year, the transit pre-tax benefit will be cut in half, and the parking benefit will be increased $10 to $240 to nearly double the amount of the transit benefit. (The transit benefit is being increased from its original level of $120 to $125 for a cost of living adjustment.)
There is still hope for the early months of 2012 when Congress comes back in session, but with Congress about to leave for the year, this change will definitely be enacted come January 1.
So if you need more than $125 of your income each month deducted pre-tax to pay for your transit commute or vanpool, you’ll be out of luck. With this inaction in both chambers of Congress, the federal government is sending a message loud and clear to commuters: they’d like you to start driving to work.
This is disappointing news to many of us, no doubt.
Many in Congress don’t seem to understand what it’s like to be a daily commuter trying to get from A to B each day without breaking the bank. Transportation is the second largest household expense for many households, eating up an even larger proportional share of income for the poorest Americans. The millions who depend on transit to get to work each day shouldn’t have to pay more, and certainly not for something that also saves us energy, reduces congestion and emissions, and uses less oil.
To those of you who sent messages or made phone calls to your representatives in Congress, we thank you. Though it’s not too late to make a call now so they continue to hear that this provision will do serious harm to transit commuters in January, we’ll likely have a renewed push in mid-January 2012 when Congress comes back to Washington after a long holiday break.
Update: The Washington Post editorial page opined in favor of extending the transit benefit.
WHETHER THE federal government should give a tax break to workers to help pay for their commutes is a question that is certainly worthy of discussion. What shouldn’t be on the table is giving a bigger edge in any subsidy to those who drive, as opposed to those who use mass transit — since there is no reason to encourage more traffic, more pollution and more gas consumption. That, however, will be the outcome if Congress doesn’t act before it adjourns for Christmas.
Transit flexibility bill introduced by Senator Brown is badly needed in many cities
December 16, 2011By Stephen Lee Davis
WASHINGTON, DC — This week, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the Local Flexibility for Transit Assistance Act, which would give local transit agencies flexibility in how they choose to allocate federal funding, especially during times of economic crisis. It provides transit systems with the option to use a portion of their federal transit funds for operating assistance to keep buses and trains running and avoid potential fare increases. This bill is the Senate companion to H.R. 3200, introduced by Representatives Carnahan and LaTourette.
Sarah Kline, Policy Director at Reconnecting America, released the following statement on Transportation for America’s behalf:
“This bill from Senator Brown is badly needed in many cities across the country. We are in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, with gas prices wildly fluctuating, and hard-working Americans need more affordable transportation options. Despite booming ridership, transit agencies across the country are having to cut service or raise fares, leaving people stranded without a way to get to work, to school, or to the doctor. This bill by Senator Brown will help to ensure that people in cities of all sizes can continue relying on public transportation to get them where they need to go.”
Latest batch of TIGER grants released, supporting locally-led innovations in transportation
December 15, 2011By Stephen Lee Davis
The third batch of TIGER transportation grants was released today, and Secretary LaHood is busy today traveling between events in Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Chicago to announce specific grants in those cities.
In case you’re not familiar with TIGER, it’s a relatively small competitive and merit-based grant program for transportation projects that address economic, environmental and travel issues at once. Thousands of applications were received by the USDOT — more than 3,200 for the $2.6 billion total that’s been granted as of today in the last two years — and they announced 46 new grantees for the $527 million in available funding for this round.
The projects span the country and encompass a wide range of projects that improve ports, relieve road, freight or rail congestion, make unsafe streets safer for walking or biking and improve transit connections. Many of the projects accomplish several of these goals at once. The projects that states and localities submit for TIGER applications, usually with broad local and community support, often have a hard time getting funded under the outdated structure of the current federal transportation program.
We’ve added today’s TIGER III grants to our map of TIGER grants from 2010 so you can find grants near you and learn more. The full list of grants is available below a larger version of this map on this page, http://t4america.org/resources/tigermap/, as well as code to embed the map on your own site.
Senate committee takes positive steps for freight, multimodalism, performance and safer streets
December 14, 2011By Stephen Lee Davis
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| Sen. Rockefeller, Senate Commerce Committee Chair (USA Today photo) |
The Senate Commerce Committee this morning passed a bill to create and implement goals and objectives for the overall transportation bill, update our federal freight transportation policy, and an amendment to help ensure that federal dollars help build streets that are safe for all users.
As a refresher, there are four committees that share most of the responsibility for the bill in the Senate, with the Commerce Committee covering safety and freight, as well as a few other components. Today’s bills (including others not mentioned) represent the majority of this committee’s contribution to the overall Senate transportation bill.
Many components of Senator Lautenberg’s FREIGHT Act, which we’ve been supporting since its introduction in 2010, were passed out of committee as a part of S. 1950 today. It would create a coordinated national policy for freight and ports across the country.
The FREIGHT Act was combined with a separate bill about performance goals and objectives to become the Surface Transportation and Freight Policy Act. These two proposals both had language on measuring performance – one focused on the freight system and the other on the entire surface transportation network.. The combined bill melds performance goals and objectives from both bills to see if we’re really spending money wisely across our whole system, not just freight.
This bill will establish national policy objectives and goals for the transportation system. It explicitly covers key indicators such as congestion, road condition, reducing environmental impacts, improving the reliability of freight movement, increasing access to transit, and reducing traffic fatalities across all modes. It directs the Secretary to create a national strategic plan for surface transportation and freight and examine all transportation programs for their consistency with these goals and objectives, evaluating and reporting on that every two years.
There’s also a multimodal grant program for freight infrastructure projects focused on bottlenecks, areas of congestion and other key freight needs. The projects are selected by criteria that support many of the same goals and objectives listed above.
The FREIGHT Act was passed out of committee on a party line vote. Republican Senators had asked for more time to review the legislation and raised concerns about the potential impact on the Highway Trust Fund. However, EPW Chairman Barbara Boxer, a member of the Commerce Committee, spoke up in support of Senator Lautenberg’s amendment and assured the Committee that the program wouldn’t impact the trust fund. “I support what Senator Lautenberg is doing with this,” she told her fellow Committee members.
Senator Begich introduced an amendment to “ensure that the design of Federal surface transportation projects provides for the safe and adequate accommodation…of all users of the transportation network,” which passed on a unanimous voice vote after it was amended.
Under this bill, USDOT will work with states to develop standards to ensure that any surface transportation project built with federal funds provides safe and adequate accommodation for all users. Senator Thune offered an amendment to this that would give states discretion as to what is safe and adequate. States have the option of developing their own standards which would then apply instead of the federal standards. This will help states have been leading the way on policies to improve street design.
The Commerce Committee could take up other key provisions in 2012 related to intercity passenger rail, the TIGER program and an Infrastructure Bank, but this morning’s provisions are now done and will join MAP-21 and the pending Banking Committee markup in awaiting floor action in the Senate.
Related: read our full statement on today’s Commerce Committee action
Transportation for America responds to Senate Commerce Committee actions on transportation authorization
December 14, 2011By Transportation for America
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate Commerce Committee today adopted two key policy measures for the upcoming authorization of the federal transportation program. The “Surface Transportation and Freight Policy Act of 2011” establishes policy goals for the federal surface transportation program, such as addressing congestion, improving access to multiple travel options, supporting domestic manufacturing and reducing impacts on the environment and public health. It also directs the U.S. Department of Transportation to create a national surface transportation and freight strategic plan and establishes a multimodal grant program for alleviating bottlenecks in the freight system.
An amendment offered by Senator Mark Begich (D-Alaska), and modified by Senator Thune (R-SD), directs the DOT Secretary to “establish standards to ensure that the design of Federal surface transportation projects provides for the safe and adequate accommodation … of all users of the transportation network, including motorized and non-motorized users.”
Transportation for America’s director, James Corless, offered this statement in response:
“The Commerce Committee’s measures offer critical policy direction at a time when our key national infrastructure program is in urgent need of renewed focus and reinvigoration. Establishing national goals and performance-based objectives for our investment in transportation would be a vast improvement over our current system, improving accountability and transparency of federal transportation spending. The Surface Transportation and Freight Policy Act would go a long way toward ensuring that we get the most bang for the buck from our increasingly constrained transportation dollars.
At a time when pedestrian fatalities and injuries are rising as other traffic fatalities fall, the Begich amendment would help to improve safety for everyone on our roads and save money. With support from the full Senate and incorporation into the House’s companion bill, these measures would establish safety, fairness and efficiency as the hallmarks of the next authorization.”
Today’s Headlines – 12/13/11
December 13, 2011By Transportation for America
Like the voice of one crying in the wilderness, former New York City traffic commissioner urges his fellow traffic engineers to adapt and evolve, or risk becoming marginalized. (Engineering News-Record)
Gannett “uncovers” the fact that federal transportation dollars are given out to states with little accountability for how the money is spent. (LoHud.com)
Does MAP-21 mean big changes for freight in the U.S.? (Tri-State Transportation Campaign)
Apathy from lawmakers could be the reason that the pretax transit benefit could get slashed in half come January 1. (Politico)
Traffic fatalities reach record low as pedestrian fatalities rise. Relatedly, 12 pedestrians were struck in a suburban D.C. county in less than 72 hours. Two died. (Governing, Washington Post)
A closer look at the Senate’s MAP-21: state of good repair
December 13, 2011By Stephen Lee Davis
We’re kicking off a short series of posts looking at some of the specific provisions in the Senate’s MAP-21 proposal over the coming days and weeks, as well as some of the proposed amendments in play. The Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee has jurisdiction over highways and controls what usually amounts to about 80 percent of the bill’s total investments — though that spending also covers freight, biking and walking, and air quality, for example. MAP-21 was approved in the EPW committee on November 9th.
One thing MAP-21 does — something that House and Senate members on both sides of the aisle have been suggesting — is consolidate more than 100 programs in the transportation program down to a more manageable number. (View our graphic showing the consolidation here.)
One of these newly consolidated programs is the National Highway Performance Program (NHPP), which essentially took three current highway and bridge programs — Interstate Maintenance, National Highway System and the Highway Bridge Program — and combined them into one new program. Here’s how we summarized this program after the bill was released.
National Highway Performance Program (NHPP): ~$20.6 billion
This new program focuses on repairing and improving an expanded National Highway System (NHS). The NHS is expanded from ~160,000 miles to ~220,000 miles. States are required to develop asset management plans and as a part of these plans establish performance targets for the condition of roads and bridges and the performance of the system. In addition, the program includes provisions to hold states accountable for the repair of Interstate pavement and NHS bridges by requiring that they spend a certain amount of funding on the repair of those facilities if they fall below minimum standards established by USDOT.
Ok, so what does that mean, exactly? Before we break that down a little bit it’s worth looking at current policy and how it determines how states and localities prioritize repair of our roads and bridges.
Current policy
Under the current policy, states receive money through the Interstate Maintenance program to improve the condition of Interstate highways. States are also provided funds through the Highway Bridge program to rehabilitate and replace deficient bridges, and at least 15% of those dollars must be used on what’s known as “off-system” bridges, which essentially means bridges not on a federal aid highway — like rural minor collector roads or local streets.
One big loophole in the current law is that up to 50 percent of the funds in both of these programs can be transferred to other programs for other purposes. Which means that a state isn’t completely required to prioritize bridge repair ahead of spending on new roadway capacity, even with their bridge repair funds. As an example, a state where 25 percent of its bridges are structurally deficient doesn’t have to knock that total down to 20 percent before they can take bridge repair money and spend it on something else.
Along those same lines, there currently aren’t any performance measures or targets related to infrastructure condition. There’s nothing that establishes targets for the condition of a state’s roads or the sufficiency of their bridges and no measures to hold states accountable to meet before getting the next infusion of cash to expand their system.
MAP-21 policy
MAP-21 makes some serious strides forward in ensuring that “state of good repair” becomes a measurable, concrete priority that states will be held accountable to meeting. One of the proposals that we’ve been supporting that would help move the needle in this direction was Sen. Cardin’s “Preservation and Renewal of Federal-Aid Highways Act.”
The good news is that much of that bill’s language was wholly incorporated into MAP-21, making for a bill that is much stronger on repair than current policy.
Under the Senate’s MAP-21, money for highways and bridges is provided through this new National Highway Performance Program (NHPP) described above. In one of the most promising changes, 60 percent of NHPP funds must be used to repair NHS highways and bridges and cannot be used for new capacity. The NHS is also expanded from the current ~160,000 miles up to ~220,000 miles.
States are required to develop risk-based asset management plans — basically a concrete plan to prioritize the most urgent repairs first and save money by making repairs early and often — to help improve the state of good repair of bridges and highways.
Measuring the condition of our infrastructure is the first step toward doing a better job of maintaining it. Under MAP-21, the USDOT will develop performance measures for the condition of pavement, bridges and the performance of the Interstate and NHS systems. Though the feds will create the measures, states will be responsible for setting, and then meeting, their own performance targets for each measure.
Starting 4 years after MAP-21 is enacted, States must report on how they’re doing with meeting the targets they created. To hold them accountable, if a state is not making progress towards its targets, they must submit a plan to USDOT showing how it will make progress towards it targets.
There’s also a minimum standard that all the states will have to meet for the condition of the interstates and NHS bridges. If states fall below those minimums then they’re required to spend more money (outside of their repair dollars) to meet the minimum condition level.
This isn’t a comprehensive list of all the specific changes that MAP-21 makes for repair and maintenance, but it’s a good outline of the basics. These changes will help move us in the direction of taking care of our existing transportation assets before spending scarce dollars on new things we can’t afford to maintain.
Today’s Headlines — 12/8/11
December 9, 2011By Transportation for America
Yesterday’s release of NHTSA road fatality data showed that pedestrian fatalities went up about 4 percent, though U.S. road deaths have dropped. T4′s David Goldberg is quoted in this national story that asks whether cellphones are to blame, though it does point out that there is no data backing up that assertion. (USA Today)
Politico’s Adam Snider reports that “Rep. Steve LaTourette, at a private transportation meeting yesterday with stakeholders and staffers, said House leaders had approached Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman John Mica to suggest paring down the highway bill to two or three years, according to several sources at the meeting.” (Politico Morning Transportation)
A conservative think-tank writer says that the GOP plan for expanding oil drilling and depositing revenues in the Highway Trust Fund is a bad idea, though not necessarily for the reasons you might think. (National Review)
Despite what naysayers often suggest during state and local discussions over the policy, Complete Streets aren’t too expensive. (Streetsblog)
A former Montana DOT director and current gubernatorial candidate suggests that government should get out of the way of the private sector in regards to transportation. (Missoulian)
NYC DOT: Commuter Biking in NYC Doubled in Last Four Years. (Transportation Nation)
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell outlines his transportation plan, including increasing transportation’s share of the state sales tax. Not mentioned in this article is a fact mentioned at the same conference: Virginia will be out of money for new capacity and focused 100% on maintenance within 5 years if no new revenue is found. (Bloomberg)
Public transportation ridership continues to grow; agencies continue to raise fares and cut service
December 8, 2011By Stephen Lee Davis
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| A family on an eastbound MARTA rapid rail train in Atlanta. MARTA has experienced drastic cuts in service over the last 3 years.
Eastbound Originally uploaded by robholland |
| Take action if you live in one of these Senate Banking Committee states
AL – Sen. Shelby |
USA Today covered the news today from the American Public Transportation Association that transit ridership went up another 2 percent nationally in the third quarter, compared to the same period last year.
“We are seeing employment tick up and people are making lifestyle choices,” says Michael Melaniphy, association president. “People think, ‘There must be a better alternative.’ “
This good news comes along with a dose of bad news — the same bad news we’ve been experiencing for the last three or four years. An example from the story:
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which serves the Boston area, is considering fare hikes and service cuts to its 180 bus routes and 17 commuter and subway lines because of a potential $161 million shortfall next year, says Acting General Manager Jonathan Davis. The authority posted record ridership in September and October. Weekday ridership for October increased 3.2% compared with a year earlier.
All across the country, hundreds of transit agencies just like the MBTA are in dire budgetary straits: they’re cutting back on service, laying off workers, and hiking fares. On our interactive map about transit cuts across the country, Alexander in Los Angeles described to us how cuts have affected him:
… I am deeply disappointed by the service cuts. I used to be a regular MTA patron (in Los Angeles), however while the subway and LRT service is more or less OK, the bus service has fallen to a completely unacceptable level. …15-minute headways on some lines turned to 40-minute intervals; this is no exaggeration. I am now back to driving (polluting the air and adding to gridlock, having no other choice…)
Of course, Alexander is somewhat lucky, in that he can afford a car and gas to still make it to work each day. Millions of others depend on public transportation each day without any other options to lean on when their bus starts coming once an hour instead of every 15 minutes.
We talk about this now because a key Senate committee is deciding the fate of public transportation right now. The Senate Banking Committee is writing their portion of the Senate transportation reauthorization and they have jurisdiction over transit.
They need to know that it’s important to give transit agencies the flexibility to use their money not just to buy new buses or railcars but for the operation of those buses and trains. That’s because transit agencies in our larger cities aren’t allowed to use the federal dollars they receive to keep trains and buses running, even in this incredibly difficult time.
Public transportation ridership has been growing three times faster than the US population to reach record highs. Public transit is a driving force in our economy, and we need it now more than ever to help the economy rebound.
So if you live in one of the states listed below or at right, tell your Senators on the Banking Committee to support flexibility for public transportation operations in their draft transportation bill.
(If you don’t live in a Banking Committee state, the action page won’t let you send a message.)
AL – Sen. Shelby
CO – Sen. Bennet
HI – Sen. Akaka
ID – Sen. Crapo
IL – Sen. Kirk
KS – Sen. Moran
LA – Sen. Vitter
MT – Sen. Tester
NC – Sen. Hagan
NE – Sen. Johanns
NJ – Sen. Menendez
NY – Sen. Schumer
OH – Sen. Brown
OR – Sen. Merkley
PA – Sen. Toomey
RI – Sen. Reed
SC – Sen. DeMint
SD – Tim Johnson
TN – Sen. Corker
VA – Sen. Warner
WI – Sen. Kohl
Today’s Headlines — 12/8/11
December 8, 2011By Transportation for America
U.S. road deaths fall to lowest levels since 1949, though deaths among pedestrians and other smaller groups actually rose. Would that be attributable to the rise in walking across the country? (LA Times)
Public transit ridership continues its upward trend with a 2 percent increase in third quarter compared to 3Q last year. Agencies still planning fare increases and service cuts. (USA Today)
Former MassDOT vet believes that America should move to a per-mile road tax, believing that new technology can help “open the door” to more investment and smarter roads. (CNN)
A bipartisan group of House members sent a letter to the President asking him to help move a long-term reauthorization with between $400 and $600 billion for transportation investment, taking a few subtle shots at the Senate’s two-year reauthorization plan. (The Hill)
Michigan Rep. Gary Peters suggests that postwar America can teach today’s America a lesson about investing in transportation (and transit specifically) to help grow our economy and put us on the path to prosperity. (Detroit Free Press)
The controversial Columbia River Crossing, a multi-billion dollar bridge replacement in Portland for Interstate 5, crossed a crucial federal hurdle. The state is looking to the feds to pick up half the cost of the $3-billion-plus project. (The Oregonian)
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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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