Transit News Summary 10 30 2007

[Jack May]

Since most transit supporters seem to seldom use Google, I will at times put
a short summary of transit news from Google.

CTA called hurdle to Olympics
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-olytransit_weboct30,0,2229696.story?coll=chi_news_politics_ugc

unless reinvestment begins promptly, the city may have few mass-transit
services left when the 2016 Olympics are held, federal lawmakers warned
Monday.

Seattle Vote
Transit Measure Trails, I-960 a Dead Heat in New Poll
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/seattlepolitics/archives/124668.asp

The poll shows 43 percent of those surveyed certainor leaning toward a "Yes"
vote, with 46 percent in the "No" category. A total of 11 percent of those
surveyed remained undecided.
I-960 is supported by Republicans and rural voters, but gains a resounding
"No" from Democrats and loses in the Puget Sound region.

Costs add up for public transit systems (for several cities)
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/washington/news.aspx?id=67141

WASHINGTON-- It seems that almost train and bus ride in America has gotten
more expensive recently. Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Boston have all
raised public transit fares in 2007, and several other cities are poised to
do so soon.

New York
The issues: The MTA took out a huge loan in the late 1990s to repair train
tracks and make other improvements, which enticed more New Yorkers to use
public transit. However, the MTA is now looking to pay off that debt through
fare increases that would go into effect early next year.

Washington, D.C
Metro's ridership has exploded in the past few years, and WMATA is straining
at the seams to accommodate riders. "That system was designed to run half a
million trips a day

Boston
Call it a case of sibling rivalry: MBTA has been jostling with highways and
roads for funds since Massachusetts changed the transportation funding
formula seven years ago. In 2000, the state dedicated 1 percent of the state
sales tax to highways and public transit and put the MBTA on its own budget.
However, "things haven't panned out,"

Chicago
The issues: Chicagoans are bracing for a transit showdown if additional
state funding for transit doesn't come through in the next week. Due to
gaping holes in its operating budget, the CTA has threatened to eliminate 39
bus routes and raise fares by as much as a dollar during peak travel times
starting November 4.


Philadelphia
Philadelphia's transit riders just experienced their last fare increase
October 1, when token fares rose 15 cents from $1.30. But Peter Javsicas,
executive director for the advocacy group PenTrans, said more fare increases
could be around the corner if additional funding doesn't materialize for
SEPTA's cash-poor operating budget.

Los Angeles
But a $1.3 billion cut in state funding for public transit may make future
growth difficult, said Emily Rusch, transportation advocate for CalPIRG, a
consumer research group. "It was larger than any other cuts in recent
history," she said. "Road and highway advocates say they don't have enough
money, but they didn't get raided the way that public transit did."

San Francisco
Recent state cuts have also hurt SFMTA's bottom line and made less money
available for new projects, said Dave Snyder, transportation policy director
for San Francisco Planning and Urban Research. "Rehabilitating rail lines,
purchasing new buses, all the tiny little capital projects. there's not
enough political support for projects that don't have a ribbon cutting
associated with them," he said.
BART gets $5.4 million from state to upgrade surveillance cameras
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/10/30/MNEOT2R0D.DTL
BART will spend $5.4 million to upgrade and expand its security camera
system to help protect Bay Area transit riders from terrorist attacks and
everyday crimes, officials said Monday.

Dallas
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-transit_29edi.ART.State.Edition1.427daed.htm

The editorial boards of The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram
held an unprecedented joint meeting two weeks ago. The purpose was to
refocus on the communitywide goal of expanding the region's rail transit to
keep pace with explosive population growth.
Editorial writers and editors listened to experts, elected officials and
community leaders. Most urged that the region stay the course; others
challenged assumptions involved in the four-year push to lay more rail to
move more people.

[george conklin]

Post by Jack May
Since most transit supporters seem to seldom use Google, I will at times
put a short summary of transit news from Google.
CTA called hurdle to Olympics
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-olytransit_weboct30,0,2229696.story?coll=chi_news_politics_ugc
unless reinvestment begins promptly, the city may have few mass-transit
services left when the 2016 Olympics are held, federal lawmakers warned
Monday.
Seattle Vote
Transit Measure Trails, I-960 a Dead Heat in New Poll
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/seattlepolitics/archives/124668.asp
The poll shows 43 percent of those surveyed certainor leaning toward a
"Yes" vote, with 46 percent in the "No" category. A total of 11 percent of
those surveyed remained undecided.
I-960 is supported by Republicans and rural voters, but gains a resounding
"No" from Democrats and loses in the Puget Sound region.
Costs add up for public transit systems (for several cities)
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/washington/news.aspx?id=67141
WASHINGTON-- It seems that almost train and bus ride in America has gotten
more expensive recently. Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Boston have all
raised public transit fares in 2007, and several other cities are poised
to do so soon.
New York
The issues: The MTA took out a huge loan in the late 1990s to repair train
tracks and make other improvements, which enticed more New Yorkers to use
public transit. However, the MTA is now looking to pay off that debt
through fare increases that would go into effect early next year.
Washington, D.C
Metro's ridership has exploded in the past few years, and WMATA is
straining at the seams to accommodate riders. "That system was designed to
run half a million trips a day
Boston
Call it a case of sibling rivalry: MBTA has been jostling with highways
and roads for funds since Massachusetts changed the transportation funding
formula seven years ago. In 2000, the state dedicated 1 percent of the
state sales tax to highways and public transit and put the MBTA on its own
budget. However, "things haven't panned out,"
Chicago
The issues: Chicagoans are bracing for a transit showdown if additional
state funding for transit doesn't come through in the next week. Due to
gaping holes in its operating budget, the CTA has threatened to eliminate
39 bus routes and raise fares by as much as a dollar during peak travel
times starting November 4.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia's transit riders just experienced their last fare increase
October 1, when token fares rose 15 cents from $1.30. But Peter Javsicas,
executive director for the advocacy group PenTrans, said more fare
increases could be around the corner if additional funding doesn't
materialize for SEPTA's cash-poor operating budget.
Los Angeles
But a $1.3 billion cut in state funding for public transit may make future
growth difficult, said Emily Rusch, transportation advocate for CalPIRG, a
consumer research group. "It was larger than any other cuts in recent
history," she said. "Road and highway advocates say they don't have enough
money, but they didn't get raided the way that public transit did."
San Francisco
Recent state cuts have also hurt SFMTA's bottom line and made less money
available for new projects, said Dave Snyder, transportation policy
director for San Francisco Planning and Urban Research. "Rehabilitating
rail lines, purchasing new buses, all the tiny little capital projects.
there's not enough political support for projects that don't have a ribbon
cutting associated with them," he said.
BART gets $5.4 million from state to upgrade surveillance cameras
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/10/30/MNEOT2R0D.DTL
BART will spend $5.4 million to upgrade and expand its security camera
system to help protect Bay Area transit riders from terrorist attacks and
everyday crimes, officials said Monday.
Dallas
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-transit_29edi.ART.State.Edition1.427daed.htm
The editorial boards of The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth
Star-Telegram held an unprecedented joint meeting two weeks ago. The
purpose was to refocus on the communitywide goal of expanding the region's
rail transit to keep pace with explosive population growth.
Editorial writers and editors listened to experts, elected officials and
community leaders. Most urged that the region stay the course; others
challenged assumptions involved in the four-year push to lay more rail to
move more people.

Until the riders are asked to pay for the operating costs of these systems,
plus something towards the capital costs, people will vote to have someone
else take transit!!!!

[Jack May]

Post by george conklin

Post by Jack May
Since most transit supporters seem to seldom use Google, I will at times
put a short summary of transit news from Google.
CTA called hurdle to Olympics
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-olytransit_weboct30,0,2229696.story?coll=chi_news_politics_ugc
unless reinvestment begins promptly, the city may have few mass-transit
services left when the 2016 Olympics are held, federal lawmakers warned
Monday.
Seattle Vote
Transit Measure Trails, I-960 a Dead Heat in New Poll
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/seattlepolitics/archives/124668.asp
The poll shows 43 percent of those surveyed certainor leaning toward a
"Yes" vote, with 46 percent in the "No" category. A total of 11 percent
of those surveyed remained undecided.
I-960 is supported by Republicans and rural voters, but gains a
resounding "No" from Democrats and loses in the Puget Sound region.
Costs add up for public transit systems (for several cities)
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/washington/news.aspx?id=67141
WASHINGTON-- It seems that almost train and bus ride in America has
gotten more expensive recently. Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Boston have
all raised public transit fares in 2007, and several other cities are
poised to do so soon.
New York
The issues: The MTA took out a huge loan in the late 1990s to repair
train tracks and make other improvements, which enticed more New Yorkers
to use public transit. However, the MTA is now looking to pay off that
debt through fare increases that would go into effect early next year.
Washington, D.C
Metro's ridership has exploded in the past few years, and WMATA is
straining at the seams to accommodate riders. "That system was designed
to run half a million trips a day
Boston
Call it a case of sibling rivalry: MBTA has been jostling with highways
and roads for funds since Massachusetts changed the transportation
funding formula seven years ago. In 2000, the state dedicated 1 percent
of the state sales tax to highways and public transit and put the MBTA on
its own budget. However, "things haven't panned out,"
Chicago
The issues: Chicagoans are bracing for a transit showdown if additional
state funding for transit doesn't come through in the next week. Due to
gaping holes in its operating budget, the CTA has threatened to eliminate
39 bus routes and raise fares by as much as a dollar during peak travel
times starting November 4.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia's transit riders just experienced their last fare increase
October 1, when token fares rose 15 cents from $1.30. But Peter Javsicas,
executive director for the advocacy group PenTrans, said more fare
increases could be around the corner if additional funding doesn't
materialize for SEPTA's cash-poor operating budget.
Los Angeles
But a $1.3 billion cut in state funding for public transit may make
future growth difficult, said Emily Rusch, transportation advocate for
CalPIRG, a consumer research group. "It was larger than any other cuts in
recent history," she said. "Road and highway advocates say they don't
have enough money, but they didn't get raided the way that public transit
did."
San Francisco
Recent state cuts have also hurt SFMTA's bottom line and made less money
available for new projects, said Dave Snyder, transportation policy
director for San Francisco Planning and Urban Research. "Rehabilitating
rail lines, purchasing new buses, all the tiny little capital projects.
there's not enough political support for projects that don't have a
ribbon cutting associated with them," he said.
BART gets $5.4 million from state to upgrade surveillance cameras
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/10/30/MNEOT2R0D.DTL
BART will spend $5.4 million to upgrade and expand its security camera
system to help protect Bay Area transit riders from terrorist attacks and
everyday crimes, officials said Monday.
Dallas
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-transit_29edi.ART.State.Edition1.427daed.htm
The editorial boards of The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth
Star-Telegram held an unprecedented joint meeting two weeks ago. The
purpose was to refocus on the communitywide goal of expanding the
region's rail transit to keep pace with explosive population growth.
Editorial writers and editors listened to experts, elected officials and
community leaders. Most urged that the region stay the course; others
challenged assumptions involved in the four-year push to lay more rail to
move more people.

Until the riders are asked to pay for the operating costs of these
systems, plus something towards the capital costs, people will vote to
have someone else take transit!!!!

It is amazing how many transit agencies are in financial trouble. With
energy prices heading up rapidly because of the spike in oil prices, a lot
of them are really going to be pushed to the financial edge like they were
in the last energy price spike.

Although I doubt that many politicians are smart enough to understand the
basic problem, but it will be interesting to see what happens. BTW the
Seattle one is interesting because they are one of the few areas that has
tried to quantify bang for the buck for the different options.

The election is for more than $17B with 2/3 for transit and 1/3 for roads.
The estimates are that the transit will get only 2% out of their cars and do
nothing to reduce congestion. Everybody knows that transit will not do
anything, but they are trying to find excuses why it should be funded.

The main explanation I saw was that transit is needed to give people an
option to avoid the high congestion that is predicted to occur. Of course
the high congestion is because they are spending most of their money on
transit that will not do anything according to their estimates. That weird
reasoning seems to satisfy many voters.

[george conklin]

Post by Jack May

Post by george conklin

Post by Jack May
Since most transit supporters seem to seldom use Google, I will at times
put a short summary of transit news from Google.
CTA called hurdle to Olympics
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-olytransit_weboct30,0,2229696.story?coll=chi_news_politics_ugc
unless reinvestment begins promptly, the city may have few mass-transit
services left when the 2016 Olympics are held, federal lawmakers warned
Monday.
Seattle Vote
Transit Measure Trails, I-960 a Dead Heat in New Poll
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/seattlepolitics/archives/124668.asp
The poll shows 43 percent of those surveyed certainor leaning toward a
"Yes" vote, with 46 percent in the "No" category. A total of 11 percent
of those surveyed remained undecided.
I-960 is supported by Republicans and rural voters, but gains a
resounding "No" from Democrats and loses in the Puget Sound region.
Costs add up for public transit systems (for several cities)
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/washington/news.aspx?id=67141
WASHINGTON-- It seems that almost train and bus ride in America has
gotten more expensive recently. Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Boston
have all raised public transit fares in 2007, and several other cities
are poised to do so soon.
New York
The issues: The MTA took out a huge loan in the late 1990s to repair
train tracks and make other improvements, which enticed more New Yorkers
to use public transit. However, the MTA is now looking to pay off that
debt through fare increases that would go into effect early next year.
Washington, D.C
Metro's ridership has exploded in the past few years, and WMATA is
straining at the seams to accommodate riders. "That system was designed
to run half a million trips a day
Boston
Call it a case of sibling rivalry: MBTA has been jostling with highways
and roads for funds since Massachusetts changed the transportation
funding formula seven years ago. In 2000, the state dedicated 1 percent
of the state sales tax to highways and public transit and put the MBTA
on its own budget. However, "things haven't panned out,"
Chicago
The issues: Chicagoans are bracing for a transit showdown if additional
state funding for transit doesn't come through in the next week. Due to
gaping holes in its operating budget, the CTA has threatened to
eliminate 39 bus routes and raise fares by as much as a dollar during
peak travel times starting November 4.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia's transit riders just experienced their last fare increase
October 1, when token fares rose 15 cents from $1.30. But Peter
Javsicas, executive director for the advocacy group PenTrans, said more
fare increases could be around the corner if additional funding doesn't
materialize for SEPTA's cash-poor operating budget.
Los Angeles
But a $1.3 billion cut in state funding for public transit may make
future growth difficult, said Emily Rusch, transportation advocate for
CalPIRG, a consumer research group. "It was larger than any other cuts
in recent history," she said. "Road and highway advocates say they don't
have enough money, but they didn't get raided the way that public
transit did."
San Francisco
Recent state cuts have also hurt SFMTA's bottom line and made less money
available for new projects, said Dave Snyder, transportation policy
director for San Francisco Planning and Urban Research. "Rehabilitating
rail lines, purchasing new buses, all the tiny little capital projects.
there's not enough political support for projects that don't have a
ribbon cutting associated with them," he said.
BART gets $5.4 million from state to upgrade surveillance cameras
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/10/30/MNEOT2R0D.DTL
BART will spend $5.4 million to upgrade and expand its security camera
system to help protect Bay Area transit riders from terrorist attacks
and everyday crimes, officials said Monday.
Dallas
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-transit_29edi.ART.State.Edition1.427daed.htm
The editorial boards of The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth
Star-Telegram held an unprecedented joint meeting two weeks ago. The
purpose was to refocus on the communitywide goal of expanding the
region's rail transit to keep pace with explosive population growth.
Editorial writers and editors listened to experts, elected officials and
community leaders. Most urged that the region stay the course; others
challenged assumptions involved in the four-year push to lay more rail
to move more people.

Until the riders are asked to pay for the operating costs of these
systems, plus something towards the capital costs, people will vote to
have someone else take transit!!!!

It is amazing how many transit agencies are in financial trouble. With
energy prices heading up rapidly because of the spike in oil prices, a lot
of them are really going to be pushed to the financial edge like they were
in the last energy price spike.
Although I doubt that many politicians are smart enough to understand the
basic problem, but it will be interesting to see what happens. BTW the
Seattle one is interesting because they are one of the few areas that has
tried to quantify bang for the buck for the different options.
The election is for more than $17B with 2/3 for transit and 1/3 for roads.
The estimates are that the transit will get only 2% out of their cars and
do nothing to reduce congestion. Everybody knows that transit will not
do anything, but they are trying to find excuses why it should be funded.
The main explanation I saw was that transit is needed to give people an
option to avoid the high congestion that is predicted to occur. Of
course the high congestion is because they are spending most of their
money on transit that will not do anything according to their estimates.
That weird reasoning seems to satisfy many voters.

Charlotte, NC, has a group which wants to repeal the tranist sales tax
because money is being squandered, they say, mostly on a short rail link,
neglecting the bus routes and the poorer areas. But big business has
contributed huge sums to keep the tax!! Big businss in favor of more
taxes.

Here are some of the largest donors to the Vote Against Repeal Committee,
which is working to keep the transit tax

Bank of America: $60,000

Wachovia: $60,000

Duke Energy: $50,000

Siemens: $50,000

EarthTech: $20,000

Goodrich: $12,000

US Airways: $12,000

Time Warner Cable: $12,000

AT&T: $9,000

Belk: $6,000

Charlotte Pipe & Foundry: $6,000

Carolina Panthers: $6,000

Coca Cola Bottling; $6,000

Carolinas Multiple Listing Service: $5,000

N.C. Association of Realtors: $5,000

Allen Tate Co.: $4,000

Charlotte Bobcats: $3,000

Pappas Properties: $3,000

Who's Donating?

Vote Against Repeal Committee

Here are some of the largest donors to the Vote Against Repeal Committee,
which is working to keep the transit tax

Bank of America: $60,000

Wachovia: $60,000

Duke Energy: $50,000

Siemens: $50,000

EarthTech: $20,000

Goodrich: $12,000

US Airways: $12,000

Time Warner Cable: $12,000

Sensible Charlotte Area Transportation

Here are some contributors to a group working to repeal the tax

Button River LLC: $5,000

Robert Rucho: $1,000

James Howard Cherry Jr.: $750

Linda Cherry: $750

Samuel Rankin: $500

John Sullivan: $500

[Jack May]

Post by george conklin

Post by Jack May
Since most transit supporters seem to seldom use Google, I will at
times put a short summary of transit news from Google.

Charlotte, NC, has a group which wants to repeal the tranist sales tax
because money is being squandered, they say, mostly on a short rail link,
neglecting the bus routes and the poorer areas. But big business has
contributed huge sums to keep the tax!! Big businss in favor of more
taxes.

My experience is that big business executives know almost nothing about
transportation and tend to believe what politicians say about
transportation. Their main concern is that traffic congestion is bad and
they often believe transit will reduce congestion.

There are typically few voices in elections that will tell why transit will
not work. It is too hard a story to tell in simple minded cliché driven
elections.

[Peter Schleifer]

Post by Jack May
Since most transit supporters seem to seldom use Google, I will at times put
a short summary of transit news from Google.

If you posted to a transit newsgroup you might get more transit
supporters to read this.

Post by Jack May
New York
The issues: The MTA took out a huge loan in the late 1990s to repair train
tracks and make other improvements, which enticed more New Yorkers to use
public transit. However, the MTA is now looking to pay off that debt through
fare increases that would go into effect early next year.

This is not news to people in NY. Virtually all people who support
transit opposed issuing the debt and the plans to pay it off with
future fare increases, but at the time we had a Republican
"borrow-and-spend" governor who was not planning to be in office when
the fare hikes went into effect (you could use Google to find some of
the articles from the mid 90's about this controversy). Most likely
the state will find some other way to pay off the bonds. That was
the first time debt backed by future fare revenue was used to fund the
MTA's capital budget.

In road news, tolls on the George Washington Bridge may go up by as
much as $2, supposedly to pay for increased security measures.