Reauthorization Responses and Explanations

What to make of the new MAP-21 transportation law? The transportation reauthorization law, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, otherwise known as MAP-21, is Public Law No: 112-141. Click here for the full text. Here is commentary and explanations from various organizations and transportation commentators.

Federal Transit Administration
FTA rolls out a new webpage devoted to MAP-21 information, including illustrative apportionment data for several programs. 

Amalgamated Transit Union
ATU commented that the new law "fails mass transit, riders and workers, and will lead to more fare increases and service cuts – a hidden tax increase on riders who can least afford it." ATU calls the law a "death blow for public transportation." ATU is also focusing on the transit funding cuts and what that means for bus drivers.

ATU is commencing an "I'm in" campaign "to elect pro-transit and pro-Labor candidates." Information is available on the ATU Facebook page.

American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials
AASHTO congratulates Congress on reaching an agreement for a new transportation law. AASHTO's press release states:

Without this legislation, drastic cutbacks would have been necessary due to a revenue shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund. There are many things to like in this bill, including providing funding for surface transportation programs at current levels and extending user fees and the Highway Trust Fund through Fiscal Year 2016. We also are pleased that the legislation includes needed reforms to stretch taxpayer dollars with expanded innovative finance, improved efficiency with program consolidation, streamlined project delivery, and improved accountability with performance measures. 

[Kansas City, MO, BRT "MAX" stop at the public library.]

American Bus Association
ABA praises Congress for passing MAP-21 and offers a summary of provisions pertinent to motor carrier companies. ABA observes that the new law:

[p]rovides for greater flexibility in rural transportation programs. Changes should enable bus operators to serve more rural Americans by offering affordable, clean transportation options while connecting isolated rural areas throughout the country to larger communities.

ABA also notes that MAP-21 provides for "a study to examine the benefits of public transportation companies contracting with private carriers to transport people."

American Public Health Association
In its latest Transportation and Public Health E-Newsletter, APHA recognized the "hard work helped to preserve funding and eligibility for some important programs that support walking and biking, as well as public transportation programs." However, the final version of MAP-21 was considered far from APHA's vision of "a forward-looking 21st century transportation bill that provides equitable transportation choices and bolsters public health." Before the bill passed, APHA joined in a letter to conference committee members that opposed changes to public participation requirements.

APHA provides links to America Bikes' comparison of SAFETEA-LU and MAP-21 and information about the Rails to Trails Conservancy webinars about MAP-21 and transportation enhancements. 

American Public Transportation Association
APTA congratulates President Obama and Congress for passing a bipartisan transportation bill. "[T]he bill includes improvements to keep our systems in a state of good repair; streamlines delivery of public transit projects; provides funding for new start projects and for a bus replacement and a bus facility program.  MAP21 provides for stable funding for public transportation for twenty-seven months and will run through September 2014. "

APTA issued an estimate of urban apportionments and state-by-state distributions under MAP-21. APTA announces a webinar on July 27, 2012 with key congressional committee staff from the House and Senate who wrote the transit provisions of the recently enacted surface transportation authorization bill, MAP-21.

[Schedule and arrival time information at a BRT "MAX" stop in Kansas City, MO.]

Association for Commuter Transportation 
ACT issues a summary of MAP-21, with commentary about spending reductions and increases, the change in the definition of carpool, use of vanpool fares as local match, and the requirement that all CMAQ projects will have a 20 percent local match. ACT also hosts a MAP-21 Resource Center with a summary, legislative information, links to federal agency resources, and planning information.

Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations  
AMPO provides a state-by-state breakdown of funding in the reauthorization. AMPO explains what MAP-21 means for metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), stating that the law brings "two years of funding certainty at slightly higher levels of spending than in 2012.  MAP-21 reduces the number of highway and transit programs and does not include any earmarks." AMPO notes that MAP-21 brings performance measures requirements and expands use of federal funds for transit operations.  What was not significantly changed for the MPO community were policy in transportation planning and the population threshold for new MPOs, which remains at 50,000.

Most notable among the changes to transportation law, according to AMPO, are the changes in time periods for states to reimburse MPOs (down to 15 days), linking transportation improvement plans (TIPs) to performance targets, and targets that address national performance measures in coordination with the State and providers of public transportation.

AMPO provides detailed legislative information and plans to provide more details soon on its website.

Community Transportation Association of America
"Against what seemed to be insurmountable odds, MAP-21 emerges with two years of funding with increases in overall transit investment for both FY 2013 and 2014," CTAA's message reads. It is pleased with the new Transportation Emergency Relief Program (TERP) and with the focus on safety. The association observes that the funding sources are not a sustainable solution. 

MAP-21 allows for operating expense funding for transit agencies in communities above 200,000 in population and with fleets of 100 or fewer buses. The "[p]rogram that funds transportation specifically for seniors and people with disabilities must select projects that are included in a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan. The plan must be developed and approved through a process that includes seniors and people with disabilities and is coordinated to the maximum extent possible with transportation services assisted by other federal departments and agencies." CTAA observes that rural and tribal funding is increasing.

[MAX low-floor BRT bus near Board of Trade and Plaza area of Kansas City, MO.]

National Association of Development Organizations 

NADO “made substantial progress in promoting Regional/Rural Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPOs),” which NADO points out are defined in MAP-21. Also notable for NADO is the requirement for states to “cooperate” with nonmetropolitan local officials (or if applicable, through RTPOs) in carrying out the planning sections of the bill and in the development of the Long-Range Statewide Transportation Plan.” NADO notes additional consulting requirements on its webpage summarizing MAP-21’s significance for rural planning organizations.

National Complete Streets Coalition
Though disappointed that a complete streets provision did not survive the final passage of MAP-21 (observing that it had received bipartisan support), the National Complete Streets Coalition finds a positive note that the Highway Safety Improvement Program language includes "a new, more comprehensive definition of street users that is based on Complete Streets language." This allows for measures to protect pedestrians, bicyclists, and people with disabilities. "The term ‘road user’ means a motorist, passenger, public transportation operator or user, truck driver, bicyclist, motorcyclist, or pedestrian, including a person with disabilities."

The coalition links to responses from walking and biking organizations.

Transport Politic offers opinions on the general political equation that the law calculates regarding funding, transit and highways.

[London Underground.]

State Funding Developments

National Conference of State Legislatures
NCSL offers Major State Transportation Legislation 2011, a report with funding legislation and changes from all 50 states, including measures that did not pass.  

Resources for Communities to Serve Veterans Transportation Needs

Easter Seals Project ACTION 
The Online Dialogue on Veterans Transportation hosted by ESPA Easter Seals Project ACTION (ESPA) in partnership with the Federal Transit Administration is now complete. ESPA will be releasing a report next month. Visit the website now to peruse the suggestions and conversations about improving transportation for vulnerable veterans and their families.

Community Transportation Association of America 
The Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative (VTCLI) is underway. As part of the commencement of this FTA initiative, the National Resource Center (NRC) released a report, Transportation for America's Veterans and Their Families. The report showcases the NRC's - particularly, its ambassadors' - successes in assisting veterans by improving transportation through effective partnerships and coordination. Some of these stories involve transporting veterans to VA medical centers and others involve travel to the same places we all need to go to. The report demonstrates what coordination and committed partnerships can achieve to improve transit and transportation services.

 [Union Station, Kansas City]

The VTCLI website showcases resources for communities as well as for project grantees. Information about outreach to veteran and military organizations, one-call/one-click services and costs, relevant statistics, and transportation technical assistance, among more resources, are available on the community resource page.

For more resources relating to veterans and serving their transportation needs, please visit the NRC Veterans Transportation Bookshelf. Like all of the NRC bookshelves, there is comprehensive information about the topic.

Social Equity and Mobility Management

The Victoria Transport Policy Institute (VTPI) issues two reports that surprised me in terms of making the case for a wholistic view of mobility options in terms of environmental benefits, how people choose travel options, and how different populations - particularly transportation-challenged individuals - bear the impacts of funding decisions and how they advocate for their positions.

In New Social Equity Agenda For Sustainable Transportation VTPI takes aim at conventional transportation/social equity/environmental justice analysis. Comparing discrimination in the South prior to the civil rights movement, the report notes progress, but argues "[t]ransport system discrimination has changed: it results less from race or ethnicity and more from disability and poverty." The report criticizes the proxy use of race for poverty and age for disability status as well as a lack of funding for those who walk, bike or take transit.

Among VTPI's points are:

A major portion of total transport funding is dedicated to roads and parking facilities, and cannot be used for other modes even where demand exists and they are cost effective investments.
...
Non-drivers as a group receive less than their fair share of transport funding which is unfair (horizontally inequitable).
...
Wider roads and higher motor vehicle traffic volumes and speeds impose delay, risk, discomfort and pollution on other road users, particularly pedestrians and cyclists.

Since physically, economically and socially disadvantaged people tend to rely heavily on walking, cycling and public transit (or described differently, people who drive less than average tend to be disadvantaged compared with high-annual-mileage motorists), these impacts tend to be regressive (vertically inequitable).
These policies tend to cause automobile-dependency: transport systems and land use patterns which favor automobile access. This provides inferior access for non-drivers, and transport costs on lower-income households (Agrawal 2011).

The report urges those who represent communities of low-income and people with disabilities to shift their perspective.

Environmental justice advocates tend to treat public transit funding as a zero-sum game, which pits interests groups against each other. For example, they sometimes criticize rail transit because it diverts resources from basic bus service. Yet, rail transit funds are often shifted from highway accounts or generated by special new taxes. Cities with high quality rail transit systems tend to have more total public transit, including more bus transit service per capita, than cities that lack rail transit (Litman 2004), and rail transit tends to increase the social status and build political support for alternative modes and supportive land use policies. It is therefore wrong to assume that rail transit investments necessarily harm disadvantaged people. Although it may seem so in the short run, over the long run, rail transit development can be an effective way to create more multi-modal transport systems and accessible land use development.

Mobility Management's Wholistic Perspective for Environmental Decisionmaking

Skipping completely the mobility benefits to transportation-challenged populations and focusing instead on a wide range of factors that affect travel-mode choices of the general population (basically, for those who have choices), the VTPI report Comprehensive Evaluation of Transport Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction Policies finds that mobility management is a more effective method of reducing emissions and saving money than just making vehicles cleaner and more efficient. Included in VTPI's analysis is parking, congestion costs and other factors that contribute to mode selection.

At the heart of the argument is a reluctance to accept that everyone prefers to travel by car all of the time; in essence, VTPI posits that mobility management examines the primacy of auto travel as a reflection of lack of choice rather than preference.

FTA Celebrates Earth Day

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) observes the environmental holiday with a new Earth Day web page devoted to its environmental accomplishments, efforts and even bragging about the fact that almost 90 percent of its own employees travel by transit to get to work each day (I am guessing that among the other 13 percent there are quite a few bikers and some walkers).

Pages linked to the site tout the environmental, health and safety benefits of transit. From fewer transportation accidents in places with higher transit mode share to transit riders' far greater walking in comparison to the general population, the new website demonstrates the outsize contribution of public transportation.

On a personal note, I will be doing a nice amount of traveling in the next few months. Will be sampling transit and streets wherever I go. Hope to be taking many pictures along the way of buses, trains, streets and people.

Public Health and Expanding Mobility Options

American Public Health Association
APHA has eight fact sheets devoted to the topic of how transportation modes, accidents, and the lifestyles our prevalent car culture engender affect public health.

APHA is promoting National Public Health Week, Apr. 2-8, 2012. Monday, Apr. 2 is the day designated to celebrate active living and healthy eating. The week is designed as a time to tell your tale, host an event, or introduce yourself to public health partners. Refer to the event toolkit for ideas and instructions. Transit, transportation services, and pedestrian and bike-friendly street networks (complete streets) offer exercise and access to food and all of the important destinations in life.

Faster Route to Multimodal Choices

Department of Transportation
The Secretary and the Federal Transit Administration are proposing streamlined regulations to make the review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) more efficient and "five times" faster. More details are contained in the FTA press release and in the Federal Register notice. The notice states that "[c]omments must be received by May 14, 2012."

Ten categorical exclusions are proposed. Among these is one for "[a]cquisition, construction, rehabilitation, and improvement or limited expansion of stand-alone recreation, pedestrian, or bicycle facilities, such as: A multiuse pathway, lane, trail, or pedestrian bridge; and transit plaza amenities." Other exclusions are for rehabilitation of public transportation buildings, planning and administration, repairs within an existing right of way, acquisition and maintenance of vehicles within existing facilities, and similar activities to maintain facilities themselves. Another one that seems possibly more significant is:

Assembly or construction of facilities that is consistent with existing land use and zoning requirements (including floodplain regulations), is minimally intrusive, and requires no special permits, permissions, and uses a minimal amount of undisturbed land, such as: Buildings and associated structures; bus transfers, busways and streetcar lines within existing transportation right-of-way; and parking facilities.

The tenth exclusion is for encompassed or adjacent facilities that do not substantially enlarge the carbon footprint of a transit project, such as daycare, police or other facilities.

An important public participation aspect of the proposed regulations is that "applicants may announce project milestones using either electronic or paper media." Posting on a website of all important documents during an environmental review is encouraged. Hard copies would still be available.

Acknowledgement that Options Matter

Transportation Research Board
Keeping Baby Boomers Mobile: Preserving the Mobility and Safety of Older Americans is mostly about safe driving and roads, but it recommends enhancements to public transportation, such as:

• Ensuring public transit vehicles, facilities and stops are easily accessible and accommodating to elderly or disabled passengers.
• Expanding bus and transit routes.
• Implementing non-traditional and public sector approaches that are tailored to the needs of older adults, including ride sharing, volunteer driving programs, door-to- door community transportation services, taxi services and vehicle donation.

While the report points out that traditional fixed-route transit might not be an option for people who are frail or disabled, it does not discuss or advocate particular options.

Local Stories

Food Access - From the American Public Transportation Association newsletter is a story about transporting the supermarket to people who are transportation challenged. In areas of Columbia, MO., that the Department of Agriculture has deemed to be food deserts, a USDA grant is paying for a food bus. The city contracted with a farmer's market to provide two buses that will make stops through the food deserts and underserved areas. Promotion for the food buses include advertisements on public transit buses.

The bus route will run on 30-minute cycles from April 7 to Oct. 27, beginning at 8:15 a.m. Normal Saturday transit doesn't begin until 10 a.m. and runs in 80-minute cycles.

One-Click - Steuben County, NY, is the home of a new website that offers the one-click portion of a one-call/one-click service for information about transportation options. An article from Bath, NY, New site outlines transit options, features mobility manager Jane Davis and describes how the website, www.NeedaRide.info, offers everything from transit schedules to rides to medical appointments. The site has information about publicly-funded options and volunteer services, as well as taxis. [Editor's Note: Jane Davis serves on the Advisory Committee of the Partnership for Mobility Management. The editor is the director of the Partnership.]

Carsharing - Car2go expands to Washington, DC and Portland, OR. This carsharing company operates differently than Zipcar and others. There is no mandatory use of particular parking spaces, no requirement that cars be reserved, and the fee is based on minutes the vehicle is rented for instead of hours. Daimler's car2go Continues Carsharing Expansion from Coast to Coast, an article from the Bradenton Herald, gives more information. There are also posters with details currently on Metro trains in Washington, DC and its suburbs.

Caregiving Costs & FTA Policy on Access to Transit

AARP
AARP reports that transportation is a major part of caregiving for elderly relatives. Valuing the Invaluable: 2011 Update - The Economic Value of Family Caregiving in 2009, states:

Nearly four in ten (39 percent) Medicare beneficiaries report being accompanied to routine medical visits, typically by spouses or adult children. A recent analysis found that family and friends provide 1.4 billion trips per year for older relatives (age 70+) who do not drive. Adult children provide 33 percent of these trips.

Taking time off to drive a parent or a spouse is not the only responsibility, though it might be one of the most time consuming. AARP also mentions the at-home medical care for people with long-term conditions as well as nursing-type care is performed after major surgeries and other critical procedures. Those people requiring the most care over long periods were individuals with chronic health conditions.

According to "more than one in three (36 percent) caregivers" due to budget cuts "government agencies and nonprofit organizations are now less able to provide services to their relative or friend" than prior to the recession. These include services such as transportation and delivered meals. This is borne out with area agencies on aging statistics in the report. Long-term effects for caregivers include a drain on financial resources and retirement savings, and negatively impacted employment prospects or advancement. Only California and New Jersey have legislation mandating paid family leave programs.

[Fish design bike rack in Long Beach, Calif.]

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
AASHTO publicized the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) issuance of a policy statement on the eligibility of pedestrian and bicycle improvements for funding under federal transit law - up to a radius of one-half mile for pedestrian improvements and all bicycle improvements located within three miles of a public transportation stop or station." The FTA declares a "de facto physical and functional relationship to public transportation." Funding for bicycle or pedestrian improvements at greater distances to public transportation may also be eligible for FTA funding where it is demonstrated that "the improvement is within the distance that people will travel by foot or by bicycle to use a particular stop or station." And that's just the FTA's introduction to the statement.

Details about funding are available in the NRC Technical Assistance News. The FTA policy statement appears in the Federal Register.

Some Great Websites

From time to time, it's good to point out places to go, virtual places that is, that are good for finding particular types of resources, what I consider my reliable sources. Unlike great chefs who do not want their secrets to be widely known (perhaps except when their cookbooks come out), I feel like it's part of my job to share information.

Going Regional

National Association of Regional Councils (NARC)
NARC is a great resource for all types of funding information for regional councils, such as livability, transportation, economic development, air quality, and emergency preparedness. Legislation is also well covered from the perspective of regional planning organizations.

By the way, NARC has an upcoming conference in Austin, Texas in late September. Here's NARC's blurb.

Regional councils of all sizes have core cities and towns that are facing issues of growth, infrastructure, security and safety. This Forum will be a discussion on recent trends and opportunities in metropolitan policy for regions, and will address related federal, state, and local issues. Regions and partners will come together to discuss recent federal action on livability, transportation, climate change and other issues.

Federal Partnership

Initiative for Sustainable Communities and States
(ISCS)
ISCS compiles the news and resources of the federal interagency sustainability partnership in one place. There is information about funding, policy, and examples for states and localities.

FTA Site A Treasure Trove of ADA Resources

Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
FTA has a multitude of resources related to the intersection of transit and the ADA. These include regulations, legal guidance, details about equitment and paratransit eligibility, and so much more. A new page has topic guides* on selected ADA topics. These offer way more details than a simple fact sheet. They are comprehensive and contain beautiful footnotes, something I really like because I enjoy (yes, enjoy) reading about the foundation for statements and background information about the text.

* As my own little footnote, the topic guide link above is to the FTA introduction page instead of the topic guide home page so that one may easily navigate back to the other FTA resources.

Upcoming Events with Transportation Elements

National Association of Development Organizations (NADO)
NADO is hosting its annual training conference in San Diego on Aug. 28-31, 2010. There are several transportation and economic development sessions. There will also be sessions on emergency services and local food production.

Easter Seals Project ACTION (ESPA)
ESPA will be holding a two week online dialogue this summer from July 26 - Aug. 6, 2010. During the Paratransit Online Dialogue, participants may submit, comment on, and rate ideas related to paratransit service provision. Topics will include ADA paratransit service, human services transportation, accessible fixed route transit, accessible pathways, taxis, volunteer programs, and aging services transportation. The dialogue is being held in support of the Federal Transit Administration to gather information, best practices, trends, and ideas relating to paratransit service. The information provided will be used to make recommendations and develop best practices on ways to meet the needs for efficient, effective, and person-directed paratransit services while addressing the challenges of reduced funding and other possible resource constraints that are facing many communities. The forum is free and open to anyone with knowledge or perspective to share on the topic.

For a regularly updated listing of events, please visit the NRC calendar, which has information and links to conferences and meetings related to human services and public transportation.