Comments on: Despite new challenges, Americans continue flocking to public transportation

By: Tom Rubin

Tom Rubin — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:21:16 +0000

I’m not sure that the proposed legislation to allow a percentage of the ARRA (“stimulus”) funds for operating subsidies as, depending upon how it is phrased, it could actualy reduce the mount used in this way for many agencies.
Most of the transit funding here is 49 USC 5307, the standard FTA “formula” program. Technically, there are limitations on how much can be utilized for operations, but, as a practical matter, these limitations are not enforced — as is obvious to anyone who checks out the data in the FTA National Transit Database.
It would certainly be nice to have Congress make the actual national practice, which FTA is either totally unaware of, or has been doing an outstanding job of not finding out about it, for years.
But, if an “up to” limit is placed into statute, that is a bit harder to ignore.

By: joshuadf

joshuadf — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:28:47 +0000

Ah, I forgot the streetcar could be considered “light rail”, thanks.

By: The Bike Pittsburgh Blog Archives » The Headlines: 6.17.09

The Bike Pittsburgh Blog Archives » The Headlines: 6.17.09 — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:21:34 +0000

[...] Despite new challenges, Americans continue flocking to public transportation T4America [...]

By: RJK

RJK — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:15:31 +0000

Sound Transit does not run the Seattle Streetcar. The City of Seattle owns the Streetcar, and has an operations/maintenance agreement with King County Metro to run the system. That’s probably why KCM has a “light rail” line item under APTA’s numbers.

By: Streetsblog New York City » A Failure of Design in Downtown New Haven

Streetsblog New York City » A Failure of Design in Downtown New Haven — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:13:17 +0000

[...] from around the network: Transportation for America reports on a study that shows Americans continued to use public transit in record numbers during [...]

By: andrew.bielak

andrew.bielak — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:59:55 +0000

The source is the first quarter ridership stats from the American Public Transportation Association. In the section for King County, it has a line for light rail which shows a 16.8% increase...Is there something we're missing there?

By: joshuadf

joshuadf — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:12:50 +0000

What’s the source on the Seattle figure? Metro doesn’t actually run the light rail, SoundTransit does, and the central line doesn’t even open until July. I suspect you mean the Sounder commuter rail, or maybe Metro buses.