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After years of trying to slash funding, the House proposes solid funding for next round of TIGER grants
After several years of consistently trying to cut or outright eliminate the program’s funding entirely, House appropriators last week approved $450 million for competitive TIGER grants within the annual budget bill for all transportation and housing programs.
Feds get out of the way of communities that want to design safer, more complete streets
Two encouraging moves made by the Federal Highways Administration in the last week clear the way for states, metro areas and local communities to use their federal dollars to design safer, more complete streets.
When it comes to traffic congestion, we need to measure more than just vehicles
Last week, USDOT issued a draft rule that will govern how states and metro areas will have to measure and address congestion, along with other metrics like freight movement and emissions. However, the rule as it is currently written would measure success in outdated ways. Old measures leads to old “solutions,” like prioritizing fast driving speeds above all other modes of transportation and their associated benefits.
Ten things to know about USDOT’s new proposal for measuring traffic congestion
For the first time, USDOT has released new requirements for how states and metro areas will have to measure traffic congestion. While the new rule marks a continued, necessary shift to assessing what our federal transportation dollars actually accomplish, this proposal as introduced doubles down on outdated measures of congestion that will push local communities to spend billions of dollars in vain attempts to build their way out of it.
Breaking news: USDOT releases draft rule for measuring congestion
A new federal proposal governing how states and metro areas will be required to measure congestion was just released early today. Our brief analysis finds that though there’s potential for improvement with how the rule is worded, it would still push local communities to waste time and money attempting to build their way out of congestion by using a measure of traffic congestion that’s narrow, limited and woefully out of date.
Will pending federal transportation rule double down on outdated view of congestion?
USDOT is on the cusp of releasing crucial directions for how states and metro areas will have to measure traffic congestion. The new rule could push local communities to try in vain to build their way out of congestion, or mark a shift toward smarter approaches like shortening trip times, rewarding communities that provide more options or better accounting for other travel modes and telecommuting.
Georgia’s legislature moved last night to enable Atlanta to fund new transit & local projects
After an up-and-down last few years when it comes to transportation funding, the Georgia state legislature successfully passed a pared-back bill last night that will allow voters in the City of Atlanta to decide whether or not to raise new funds for expanded transit service throughout the city, in addition to other transportation investments in the city.
Though not selected as finalists, other Smart Cities Challenge applicants still hopeful to make their plans a reality
Though 77 cities will leave USDOT’s Smart Cities competition empty-handed later this summer, T4America is looking to help many of those cities advance the great ideas still deserving of help.
Seven semifinalist cities selected over the weekend in USDOT’s Smart City Challenge
Over the weekend, while appearing at the South by Southwest Interactive festival, USDOT Secretary Anthony Foxx announced the selection of seven cities to continue as semifinalists in the first-ever Smart City Challenge — a competition that will eventually award $40 million to just one city to “use technology to connect transportation assets into an interactive network.”
Interested in learning more about or applying for this year’s TIGER grants? Join us on 3/24
Though the future of the program is perpetually up in the air, $500 million in competitive federal funding is available for smart, local transportation projects this year in the TIGER program, and Transportation for America is here to help you learn more about the program.
Massachusetts event highlights the growing trend of states moving to enable more local transportation funding
“Let the voters decide.” It’s a mantra we hear all the time in politics, but not quite as much in transportation. Yet that’s starting to change, as nearly a dozen states have taken steps to empower local communities with new or enhanced taxing authority for transportation over the last few years, putting the question directly in the hands of voters.
Tennessee charting a course to make streets more dangerous & hamstring local authority
A bill moving through the Tennessee state house would severely roll back local control over transportation spending, eliminating the flexibility that cities and counties currently have to invest in a wide range of transportation options — part and parcel of staying economically competitive.
Maryland attempting to bring accountability & transparency into process for selecting transportation projects
Maryland is attempting to join the growing movement of states trying to ensure that transportation projects are selected and built on their merits in a more transparent process. T4America testified today in favor of a bill that would move the needle in that direction.
Carrying the message of Gulf Coast support for passenger rail up to Capitol Hill
After last week’s inspiring rail trip along the Gulf Coast where we witnessed firsthand the massive support from citizens and local leaders alike for restoring passenger rail service along the coast, a member of the Southern Rail Commission testified before the Senate’s key rail committee earlier this week to deliver the same message Gulf Coast citizens so passionately presented at each stop last week.
Though the program’s future is uncertain, $500 million in TIGER grants are now available
Though the future of the program could be in doubt, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced yesterday that $500 million is now available for the best local projects in the next round of the TIGER competitive grant program.
Though Congress passed a transportation bill, funding for key programs still up in the air
Though Congress passed a five-year transportation bill back in December, the fate of many important transportation programs will still be decided in Congress’ appropriations process this year. Among them is one of the few ways that local communities can directly receive funding for smart projects.
A look back at the overwhelming support for restoring Gulf Coast passenger rail [VIDEO]
The Gulf Coast inspection train toured a potential route and examined the CSX tracks last week from February 18-19th. It was the product of years of work by local residents and elected leaders at almost all levels to restore the passenger rail service wiped out by Katrina over ten years ago.
Gulf Coast leaders intent on boosting their economic prospects with passenger rail
While the local residents who turned out along the Gulf Coast last week to support the return of passenger rail through their communities are perhaps most hopeful for a new way to get where they want to go, their leaders are focused intently on the significant economic development potential for their cities, region and states that will come from the new connection.
A massive show of support in Gulf Coast communities for passenger rail
A massive show of support yesterday from the people of the Gulf Coast welcomed the first passenger rail train east of New Orleans since Katrina, with thousands of residents in scores of communities from New Orleans to Atmore, Alabama turning out to send a clear message to their elected leaders that they want passenger rail service back.
A first step toward restoring passenger rail to the Gulf Coast
A train full of elected, civic and other local leaders from the Gulf Coast and beyond will ride a special Amtrak inspection train from New Orleans to Jacksonville, Florida this week — a step toward restoring the passenger rail service east of New Orleans wiped out by Hurricane Katrina more than ten years ago — and Transportation for America will be along for the ride.
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