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Arizona to Other States: Take Our Transit Funding… Please
Streetsblog founder Aaron Naparstek passes along this tale of
legislative dysfunction from sunny Phoenix, Arizona. The narrator is
former Arizona state legislator Steve Farley, a former public artist and
community activist who recently
brought home a $63 million TIGER grant to fund a new streetcar in Tucson.
It's a good thing the feds provide funding opportunities outside the
Highway Trust Fund formula, or else it would be even harder to invest in
efficient, sustainable transportation in Arizona -- a state that goes
to extraordinary lengths to avoid spending on transit. Farley's story
explains why this is still the case:
April 22, 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. APTA president William Millar told … Continued
April 21, 2010
Obama Aide Defends Transit Safety Plan as Different from Rail Rules
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) chief Peter Rogoff today mounted a defense of the White House’s transit safety plan, assuring some skeptical members of Congress that he does not want to “replicate” inter-city rail safety rules that have taken flak for impeding the development of viable U.S. train networks. As of last year, D.C.’s Metro had … Continued
April 21, 2010
Could L.A.’s Transit Plan Become a Winning Campaign Issue for Boxer?
President Obama did triple duty last night for the re-election
campaign of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), visiting
three fundraisers to send a stark message about polls that show the
environment committee chair holding a single-digit
lead against her GOP challengers despite a formidable cash
advantage.
April 20, 2010
MTC Report Shows Dismal Future for Transit Operators
The 2009 Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Annual Report paints a sobering picture of funding crises at nearly every Bay Area Transit operator -- crises we've covered extensively on Streetsblog -- and sums up the situation bluntly: "There is no way to sugarcoat it: These are difficult, daunting days for public transit in the Bay Area."
April 19, 2010
Streetsblog Launches “Bay Area Transit” Blog on SF Gate
I know some of you probably thought this was a late April Fool's Day post when you saw that headline, but we're indeed launching a blog on the San Francisco Chronicle's website, sfgate.com. The new Bay Area Transit blog is a coordinated effort between Streetsblog San Francisco and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, with more contributors coming in the future.
April 6, 2010
Rev. Jackson Joins Labor, Enviro Groups in Call for Transit Funding
At a rally yesterday headlined by Rev. Jesse Jackson, a new coalition of labor unions and environmental organizations stood together to demand more funding for transit agencies across the country. With service cuts afflicting bus and train riders in dozens of major cities, the “Keep America Moving” coalition is focused on securing funds to maintain … Continued
April 2, 2010
Gov Signs Transit Funding Bills, Money Coming for Local Operators
California transit operators are poised to receive a temporary infusion of $400 million in cash from the state for operating funds, a move that could defray immediate shortfalls and set up a steady stream of state money for the foreseeable future.
March 23, 2010
Broad AC Transit Service Cuts Coming, But There Could Be a Silver Lining
AC Transit announced today it plans to cut service on 108 of 113 lines across the East Bay on March 28th, amounting to an 8 percent overall reduction.
March 15, 2010
The Hopes and Challenges for Remaking San Francisco’s Market Street
With six months of hindsight since San Francisco began trial traffic diversions and art in shuttered storefronts on Market Street, city leaders are taking stock of what has been successful and what has been less so. Within weeks, they expect to complete a scoping document and put out bids for a three-year design and transportation plan that will remake the most iconic street in San Francisco.
March 11, 2010