Burlington, North Carolina embraces transit in a growing community
Residents in Burlington, NC have greater access to jobs today thanks to a new transit system, which launched in 2016. A far cry from a large, transit-rich city, Burlington is showing how important public transportation can be for smaller communities. Many residents are already pushing for service extensions and longer hours for the fledgling system.
Changing the transportation paradigm, one project selection at a time.
Thanks to support from the Kresge Foundation, Transportation for America helped several regions around the country take tangible steps toward aligning their spending with their policy goals using performance measures. We asked them about it…here’s what they said.
USDOT has become the biggest obstacle in the way of delivering transit projects on time and on budget
Our updated Stuck in the Station resource shows how USDOT was already slow-rolling transit funding well before Congress gave them another $1.4 billion 157+ days ago to build or expand transit systems across the country.
Gov. Accountability Office: The FTA “runs the risk of violating federal law”
With the release last week of Stuck in the Station, we detailed how the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has been delaying the distribution of $1.4 billion to help build and expand transit systems across the country. 153 days (and counting) after Congress handed billions to USDOT and the FTA, they finally spoke up last week.
Fundamentally flawed bill to govern automated vehicles springs back to life
After being shelved earlier this year in response to widespread concerns about its hands-off approach to automated vehicles, a Senate bill that would leave cities, states, and the public in the dark while handing the keys to the self-driving auto industry has returned in the 11th hour, with the Senate considering a move to expedite its passage by attaching it to a huge must-pass aviation bill.
The Paris Metro in small-town Texas
While many people think of public transit as a big city service, transit also serves scores of residents in small towns and rural areas across the country. New transit in the small city of Paris, TX offers the first reliable public transportation option that residents can use to travel to work, classes, and job training.
Trump administration has effectively halted the pipeline of new transit projects
Last March, Congress provided the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) with about $1.4 billion to help build and expand transit systems across the country. 142 days later and counting, FTA has obligated almost none of these funds to new transit projects. Our resource—Stuck in the Station—will continue tracking exactly how long FTA has been declining to do their job, how much money has been committed, and which communities are paying a hefty price in avoidable delays.
Connecting Kansas City and the national economy with transit
Transportation for America held a briefing recently on the transit supply chain making the case for a strong federal partner on transit projects with Kansas City Mayor Sly James and a variety of other panelists. While the Mayor was in DC, Erika Young from Smart Growth America made a trip to Kansas City to see the local impacts of the KC Streetcar in person.
U.S. Senate passes transportation appropriations bill with robust funding for transit, rail programs
The US Senate again rejected the Trump administration’s proposal to eliminate or severely cut vital transportation programs that local communities rely on by adopting its FY19 Transportation Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill. In perhaps their strongest rebuke of the president’s disdain for transit, the bill language specifically requests that USDOT manage the BUILD program (formerly TIGER) as it did during the Obama administration.
Rep. Bill Shuster’s infrastructure proposal scores 50 percent
On Monday, July 23, the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Bill Shuster, released his proposal to reform transportation investment. While there are some novel ideas in the proposal, it ultimately scores a 50 percent based on our four guiding principles for infrastructure investment.
A vital tool in the transportation-funding toolbox
The current administration is doing what it can to interfere with federal funding for transit, which makes it important that localities have a broad set of tools if they hope to compete. Today, we share an argument from Timothy Brennan, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, on the need to legalize regional ballot initiatives in Massachusetts—and beyond.
Choosing transportation projects that actually match our priorities
Transportation for America recently wrapped up a year of work with six metro areas to direct their transportation dollars to projects that help them achieve their goals and become the kinds of places they aspire to be.
Moving from theory to practice with the Smart Cities Collaborative
Many of the 24 cities in our Smart Cities Collaborative are currently knee-deep in pilot projects or a flood of new mobility services. Their direct and ongoing experiences helped shift the conversation from theory to practice during a two-day meeting of the Collaborative in Seattle last week.
Planning for a better future with arts and culture
Transportation for America is helping three communities across the country use arts & culture as a vehicle to shape local transportation investments. So what has been happening in Dothan, AL; Indianapolis, IN; and Los Angeles, CA over the last few months?
Atlanta, GA: More than just a host, a destination
This week, we’re announcing the chair of our host committee for Capital Ideas 2018: the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Here is a note from Dave Williams, Vice President of Infrastructure & Government Affairs at the Metro Atlanta Chamber.
The role of transit in rural America: a case study from Washington State
Some perceive public transit as exclusively an urban issue. However, rural communities and small cities rely heavily on transit as a key component of the transportation system as Lewis County, WA—which is currently dealing with the loss of a critical rural bus route—shows in this profile.
Using new mobility models to increase access
New mobility services have enormous potential to change the transportation landscape and increase access for all residents. But, only a few projects are actually focused on that. As new mobility models continue to have an impact on our transportation system and shift how our cities are designed and operate, cities and transit agencies are launching […]
Leveling the playing field: How T4America uses benefit-cost analyses to support multi-modal transportation projects.
As with its predecessor (TIGER), the BUILD competitive grant program requires applicants to include a benefit-cost analysis (BCA) for their project to be considered for an award from the now $1.5 billion program. This post explores what BCAs are, how can they help multi-modal transportation projects compete more effectively on their merits, and how Transportation for America’s (T4America) Technical Assistance program is helping applicants prepare a BCA that accounts for their smart growth principles.
208 local leaders and organizations urge Congress not to back down from federal commitment to transportation
208 local leaders and organizations—including 72 local elected officials—sent a letter to House and Senate appropriators today urging them to continue rejecting the administration’s proposed cuts to transit and passenger rail programs, and the BUILD competitive grant program. This group of elected officials and organizations, spanning 36 states, urged Congress to continue their commitment to […]
Vancouver mobility pricing study reveals why pricing is such a hard sell
One of the main themes in this year’s Smart Cities Collaborative is how communities can price roadway and curb space as part of their strategy to achieve their long-term outcomes, such as reducing congestion, lowering emissions or shifting trips to transit or other mobility options. A recent study out of Vancouver reveals some of the […]
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