Transportation Funding
Streetsblog LA
Transit Industry to Join State DOTs in Blasting Senate Climate Bill
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is set to join
the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
(AASHTO) and two construction interests tomorrow in protesting the
Senate climate bill's proposed diversion of new fuel fees away from
infrastructure -- an argument that puts the transit industry's leading
D.C. lobbying group squarely in the transportation mainstream.
May 19, 2010
Times Columnist Wants a Regional Transit System, Mayor Agrees
Earlier this week, Streetsblog discussed a piece by Times' Business Writer David Lazarus on the problems that Metro is facing with its funding. The piece was almost entirely opinion, and there was very little research besides Lazarus' gut and experiences in the column. Despite that, Lazarus helped bring the debate over whether or not Metro should offer transfer passes into the mainstream.
May 14, 2010
LaHood Answers GOP Critic, Soothes Dem Skeptic of Sustainability Budget
As Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood tangled with a senior GOP senator today over the White House's $500 million-plus request for its inter-agency office of sustainable communities -- a new project
aimed at channeling federal energy towards local transit-oriented and
smart growth plans -- an influential Democrat joined her fellow senator
in raising questions about diverting highway money to the effort.
May 6, 2010
Transit Industry Asks Congress to Quadruple Annual Security Funding
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the D.C.
lobbying arm for much of the transit industry, today asked the House
committee in charge of homeland security spending for $1.1 billion next
year to beef up rail and bus security, a four-fold increase over the
level that Congress approved for 2010.
April 22, 2010
Obscure Transportation Spending Watchdog to Have Meeting Monday
I see that on Monday at 2:30 p.m. the Independent Citizens’ Advisory
and Oversight Committee is holding its annual Public Hearing in the
Metro Board Room to receive public comments on the result of the audits
it oversees of the spending of funds from Propositions A and C by Metro.
April 2, 2010
New Survey: 84% of Transit Agencies Facing Fare Hikes, Service Cuts
Budget shortfalls exacerbated by the lingering recession have forced 84
percent of local transit agencies to hike fares, cut service, or begin
considering one or both of those options since the beginning of 2009,
according to a report released today by the American Public
Transportation Association (APTA).
April 2, 2010
Transport and the Tea Party: How Conservatives Talk About the Gas Tax
The passage of health care legislation this week, while elating
Democrats, has proven an equally potent motivator for conservatives
advocates of states' rights. Appearing on Sean Hannity's Fox News show
last night, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) was asked about the viability of the
legal challenge to the health bill filed by 14 mostly conservative attorneys general.
March 26, 2010
Boxer Aims to Put TIGER-Type Program in Next Federal Transport Bill
During an otherwise-abbreviated
hearing yesterday, Senate environment committee chairman Barbara
Boxer (D-CA) joined the chorus of praise for the stimulus law's TIGER
program, declaring her intention to add a version of the
competitive infrastructure grants to the next long-term federal
transportation bill.
March 26, 2010
Is 2010 the Year for Federal Bike Aid? The Answer: A Big ‘Maybe’
This week's National Bike Summit culminated in an ambitious new campaign to recruit a million bike advocates and the unveiling
of a new Google Maps bike feature. But in a Wednesday session dedicated
to the outlook for federal bike investments, cycling advocates
hesitated to declare that they could secure new commitments from
Washington.
March 15, 2010