Posts Tagged "transit"
Seattle making smart decisions today to continue their city’s renaissance tomorrow
Downtown Seattle has become the hot place in the region for companies to locate as employment and growth has accelerated to new highs over the last decade, but limited space downtown could stymie job growth and economic potential if Seattle doesn’t think differently about transportation.
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.
Local communities in Utah and beyond will decide their transportation funding fate this November
As November approaches, voters in a majority of Utah’s counties will be weighing a decision to approve a .25-cent increase in their counties’ sales tax to fund transportation projects in those counties. This is just one of many notable ballot measures for transportation on the horizon for this fall and next year.
City leaders from Indy, Raleigh and Nashville get inspired by the secrets to Denver’s transit success
Delegations of city leaders from Nashville, Raleigh and Indianapolis wrapped up the latest two-day Transportation Innovation Academy workshop in Denver last week, where they learned firsthand about the years of hard work that went into Denver’s economic development plan to vastly expand the city’s transportation options, including new buses, light rail and commuter rail.
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.
Phoenix voters approve a plan to raise money for transportation; vastly expand the city’s light rail and bus networks
On Tuesday night, voters in Phoenix, AZ, approved a slight increase in the sales tax to help fund a 35-year, $31.5 billion package to greatly improve and expand Phoenix’s light rail and bus systems, as well as other transportation improvements. The vote is further evidence that voters are willing to tax themselves for transportation — especially when they know what they’re getting.
Compromise in Washington State clears the way for a transportation funding package
Washington State Governor Jay Inslee and state legislative leaders indicated today that they have reached agreement on a $15 billion transportation package that also provides $15 billion in local funding authority for Sound Transit, the regional transit agency for the Puget Sound (Seattle) region. The deal looked almost dead last week, but a last-ditch compromise could give Seattle-area residents a little more control over their transportation future.
UPDATE: The House is voting to slash transportation programs local communities are counting on
This evening, the House of Representatives is expected to begin debate and vote on their annual transportation funding bill. As it stands, the bill will make painful cuts to several important transportation programs that local communities depend on. With debate beginning tonight at 7 p.m., it’s crucial that we weigh in as soon as possible.
Will Congress reward the ambitious places that are seizing their future with both hands?
The three mid-sized regions participating in this week’s Transportation Innovation Academy in Indianapolis are a refreshing reminder that local communities – particularly a growing wave of mid-size cities — are seizing their future with both hands and planning to tax themselves to help make ambitious transportation plans a reality. Yet even the most ambitious cities can’t do it alone, and if Congress fails to find a way to put the nation’s transportation fund on stable footing, it will jeopardize even the most homegrown, can-do plans to stay economically competitive.
The Baltimore Sun agrees: Baltimore needs the Red Line
Yesterday, The Baltimore Sun editorial board heartily affirmed the necessity of the Red Line for Baltimore’s future, calling it “the economic shot in the arm” that the city needs and urging Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to approve both it and the Purple Line project in the DC suburbs.
The Red & Purple transit lines in Maryland would position Maryland for long-term economic success
Drawing from experience across the nation, a new Transportation for America report attempts to assess the full range of potential economic benefits from the planned Red and Purple transit lines in Maryland. The key finding: With benefits that far outweigh the costs, these two lines would help position Maryland for economic success in ways that few other investments are likely to do.
Economic analysis shows Red and Purple lines could be major boon for Maryland, the city of Baltimore and suburban Washington, DC
The two rail transit lines being considered by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and his advisers could help leverage billions of dollars in income, increased productivity and expanded tax base, according to a new analysis from Transportation for a America.
As transit becomes ‘must-have economic development tool,’ will Congress help?
An excellent piece in the Washington Post this morning caught up to the topic we have been raising here for some time: Good transit service and walkable locations with nearby places to live, eat and shop are essential for economic development in today’s world. Which makes us wonder: Is Congress listening?
New training academy brings together key leaders from three ambitious regions
Twenty-one local leaders representing three regions with ambitious plans to invest in public transportation gathered today in Raleigh, NC, to kick off the first yearlong Transportation Innovation Academy, sponsored by T4America and TransitCenter.
15 issues to watch in ’15, Part II: Places
It’s a challenge to craft a list of only five states, regions and cities that have important or notable things happening this year. Whether states attempting to raise transportation revenue this year, states changing key policies and continuing to innovate how they choose or build transportation projects, or local communities going to voters to raise money for new projects, there’s no shortage of places worth watching this year. Here are five that rose to the top, but tell us what you think we missed, in your area or elsewhere.
House bill extends transit benefit through 2014, leaving permanent extension in doubt
Transit commuters would get two weeks’ worth of additional tax benefit under a House bill introduced yesterday.
Leaders say St. Petersburg transit measure key to economic success
Voters in Pinellas County, Florida, which includes St. Petersburg and borders Tampa, have the chance to approve a one percent sales tax next week that will raise $130 million per year. The money will kickstart a 24-mile light rail system, improve and expand their bus system by 65 percent, build bus rapid transit lines, and increase important regional connections.
After spurning it for decades, suburban Atlanta county seems poised to join regional transit system
Though many cities or counties will be deciding ballot measures to raise local funds for transportation in a few weeks, in many states local jurisdictions have to get permission from their state legislature to decide those questions locally. One of the most notable examples of this will be taking place in a county in the heart of metro Atlanta, Georgia.
Denver’s ambitious transit expansion plan was almost left at the station
Denver’s amazing bet on an ambitious and comprehensive plan to expand their transportation network a decade ago very nearly crashed upon takeoff. Getting creative and staying committed to the vision helped them weather an economic storm and pull off “a public transit miracle.”
Our three principles
It’s past time to elevate the national conversation about infrastructure.
Learn more about our platformLatest From The Blog
Five for ’25: What to expect on transportation…
Dec 11th, 2024
Meeting the moment after the 2024 elections
Nov 27th, 2024
A pause for TransportationCamp DC
Nov 19th, 2024
I cannot find the zoom link, I registered…
Jan 6th, 2024
A rare look behind the curtain of Transportation…
Jul 28th, 2023
In what Harrison Ford said was his most…
Jul 25th, 2023
Good example, walking to the local taco place…
Jul 24th, 2023
