Transit
Basics
Salt Lake City: A Red State Capital Builds Ambitious Transit
According to Congress for New Urbanism President John Norquist, the Salt Lake City area has the fastest growing rail system in America. And as Streetsblog's Angie Schmitt pointed out last month, "It's the only city in the country building light rail, bus rapid transit, streetcars and commuter rail at the same time."
July 2, 2013
APTA Goes After Transit-Harassing Patent Troll
For years, transit agencies and other companies have been harassed by a patent troll seeking to extort them for "settlements" when they use real-time vehicle tracking technologies. ArrivalStar and Melvino Technologies, offshore firms led by one Martin Kelly Jones, claim to hold the rights to those ideas.
June 26, 2013
The State of State Transit Funding
States increased their transit spending more than 5 percent between 2007 and 2011, reaching $13.9 billion annually, according to a recent report from the Association of American State Highway and Transportation Officials. But that increase was concentrated in just a handful of states.
June 20, 2013
“The Twilight of the Appropriations Process”: House GOP Gets Its Knives Out
Constrained by Paul Ryan's budget and the sequester, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and HUD passed a $44 billion spending bill for 2014 – 15 percent lower than 2013 enacted levels. The bill contains $15.3 billion in discretionary appropriations for the Department of Transportation, also 15 percent below enacted 2013 levels and amounting to about two-thirds of the president’s request. It passed the subcommitee this morning on a voice vote.
June 19, 2013
Conservative Think Tank: Invest in Transit to Boost Metro Economies
Here's a refreshing take on metropolitan economic health from the right side of the aisle: The conservative Free Congress Foundation says it's time America got serious about investing in transit in its metro areas.
June 17, 2013
NC Gov. McCrory Sets Out to Let Highway Money Flow While Blocking Transit
A new transportation plan put forward by North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory will make it "almost impossible to find money for passenger trains, sidewalks, bicycles and regional transit," according to the Raleigh News Observer.
June 12, 2013
Bi-Partisan Lawmakers Push Permanent Tax Equality for Transit Commuters
Right now, transit riders get the same commuter tax benefits as drivers: $245 a month in pre-tax income to spend to get to work. But next year, straphangers might go back to second-class status, getting just $125 for their ride.
June 7, 2013
Salt Lake City: How a Remote Red-State City Became a Transit Leader
It's number one in the nation in per-capita transit spending. The only city in the country building light rail, bus rapid transit, streetcars and commuter rail at the same time. And that city -- Salt Lake City -- is a town of just over 180,000 in a remote setting in a red state.
June 5, 2013
Is Your Rep a Member of the New Public Transportation Caucus Yet?
The answer to that question is: Probably not. Reps. Daniel Lipinski, a Democrat from Chicago, and Michael Grimm, a Republican representing Staten Island and a little slice of Brooklyn, announced their new transit-focused Congressional caucus just last week, and this week the House has been in recess.
May 31, 2013
Where’s the National Business Voice for Transit?
At the local level, business has been a key force in cementing transit victories. But at a national level, the business voice has been largely absent from heated, high-stakes debates about transit. With a new report called “Bosses For Buses,” Good Jobs First investigates the disparity between local- and national-level organizing efforts by employers.
May 30, 2013