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New study finds positive economic development benefits associated with bus rapid transit projects
Today T4America unveiled the findings of a new peer-reviewed study that examined existing bus rapid transit (BRT) lines and found strong evidence that BRT systems in the U.S. can indeed generate economic development, attract jobs, retail and affordable housing — at a cost that’s well within reach for many mid-sized American cities.
Seven metropolitan areas selected to participate in yearlong transportation training academy
Continuing T4America’s dedication to cultivating local transportation expertise and knowledge, we’re proud to announce the selection of seven local groups of metropolitan leaders to participate in a new yearlong training academy focused on performance measurement to better assess the impacts and benefits of transportation spending.
12 states successfully raised new transportation funding in 2015 — what can other states learn?
The second issue of Transportation for America’s “Capital Ideas” series, released today, takes a closer look at the states that passed new transportation funding and policy legislation in 2015, distilling it all into some notable trends, lessons learned, challenges, and recommendations for other states planning similar action in 2016.
Help make TIGER roar in this year’s budget
Though the multi-year transportation bill is behind us, Congress is currently considering an annual transportation spending bill with $600 million for the competitive TIGER grant program — an increase of $100 million over existing funding amounts. We need to support it this week as Congress finalizes a new budget to carry us into next year.
Think FAST – the good, the bad and the ugly in Congress’ new five-year transportation bill
For the first time in a decade, Congress is on the cusp of passing a five-year transportation authorization bill that will carry us into the next decade. Though we await final floor votes and the President’s signature, it will almost certainly be approved in a matter of days. So how does the bill stack up against the pressing needs of our country? Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly of the FAST Act.
House and Senate conference members reach agreement on five-year transportation authorization
Conferees from the House and Senate have reached agreement on a final transportation reauthorization that will tap Federal Reserve surplus funds and other accounting maneuvers to cover the bill’s full cost over five years.
Senate pivoting to yearly spending bill that increases TIGER but still cuts transit funds
While a few Senate members are focused on the conference committee deliberations on a new long-term transportation bill, the Senate committee that doles out transportation money each year has released their proposal for next year, and the news is mixed for several important transportation programs.
How MPOs can save money and improve safety by adopting complete streets policies
As we continue to unpack the helpful material contained in our Innovative MPO guidebook, our fifth webinar in the series coming up on December 3rd will take a closer look at how metropolitan areas (MPOs) can actually reduce costs and improve safety for their residents by adopting complete streets policies and using those policies to help select projects.
With conference underway, how do the House and Senate bills stack up?
While the multi-year transportation bills passed by the House last week and the Senate back in July are fairly similar, there are still some notable differences between the two. With the conference committee getting underway to reconcile the bills, it’s worth looking at the similarities and differences.
While Congress punts on sustainable funding, local communities approve a slew of new transportation taxes on election day
In a striking contrast to the actions of Congress when it comes to transportation funding, a handful of local jurisdictions went to the ballot this week and approved new taxes for transportation investments.
Amendments to the House transportation bill we’re tracking
The Rules Committee is considering which amendments to the House transportation bill to send to the full House, which will begin debating and voting on them over the course of this week. We’ll be tracking a handful of these amendments closely and you can find out more about each of them right here.
An amendment to improve the House transportation bill and support greater local control
The House transportation bill that’s beginning debate on the floor this afternoon is a major missed opportunity for giving cities, towns and local communities of all sizes greater access and control over federal transportation dollars. But there’s still a chance for the House to include an amendment to fix that, but it needs more support to move forward.
Updated – Ten things to know about the House transportation bill
The House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee debated and approved their multi-year transportation reauthorization proposal last week. Next step is consideration on the House floor and then, if approved, conferenced (merged through negotiations) with the Senate, which passed their multi-year DRIVE Act back in July. Here are ten things you need to know about what’s in (or not in) the House bill which is expected to be considered on the House floor early next week.
Ten amendments worth watching closely during today’s House markup
The House is beginning markup of their transportation reauthorization proposal right now (10 a.m. EDT) and we have the lowdown on ten eleven amendments worth keeping your eyes on out of the more than 160 that were filed.
The details on the Davis-Titus amendment to the House transportation bill to increase the funding going to local communities
Two Representatives championing the cause of giving local communities more control over their transportation dollars have introduced a modified plan in the House to steer more federal transportation dollars directly to local communities — a plan they hope to have incorporated into the House’s draft transportation bill being marked up in committee this Thursday.
Announcing a new academy for local leaders who want to dig in on performance measures for transportation
In partnership with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA),T4America is announcing a new yearlong training academy for metro regions hoping to learn more about (and start using) the emerging practice of performance measurement, and applications are open now.
Update: North Carolina legislature adjourns without addressing political meddling in transportation selection process
The NC legislature adjourned their session without fixing a damaging cap on state funds intended for a Triangle area light rail project. Their widely decried actions circumvented a new bipartisan state process for evaluating transportation projects on the merits and awarding state funds to the best projects, intended to be free from political meddling.
Politicians meddling with North Carolina’s shift to a merit-based process for choosing transportation projects
Just two years after instituting a new process to choose transportation projects based on merit and award funds in a more transparent process intended to be free of political interference, a handful of North Carolina legislators reinserted politics back into the process in an attempt to stop a light rail project in the Raleigh-Durham metro area.
Pilot program to support smart planning around new transit lines will benefit 21 different cities
How can communities make the best use of land around transit lines and stops, efficiently locate jobs and housing near new transit stations, and boost ridership (increasing the amount of money gained back at the farebox along the way)? 21 communities today received a total of $19.5 million in federal grants from a new pilot program intended to do exactly that.
Finding inspiration in another city’s successful expansion of public transportation
This week, 21 local leaders from three different regions with ambitious plans to invest in public transportation will be traveling to Denver to hear about how that region built an economic development strategy around investing in new public transportation.
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