Obama Administration Proposes Major Public Transportation Policy Shift
to Highlight Livability
Changes Include Economic Development and Environmental Benefits
In a dramatic change from existing policy, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today proposed that new funding guidelines for major transit projects be based on livability issues such as economic development opportunities and environmental benefits, in addition to cost and time saved, which are currently the primary criteria.
In remarks at the Transportation Research Board annual meeting, the Secretary announced the Obama Administration’s plans to change how projects are selected to receive federal financial assistance in the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) New Starts and Small Starts programs. As part of this initiative, the FTA will immediately rescind budget restrictions issued by the Bush Administration in March of 2005 that focused primarily on how much a project shortened commute times in comparison to its cost.
“Our new policy for selecting major transit projects will work to promote livability rather than hinder it,” said Secretary LaHood. “We want to base our decisions on how much transit helps the environment, how much it improves development opportunities and how it makes our communities better places to live.”
The change will apply to how the Federal Transit Administration evaluates major transit projects going forward. In making funding decisions, the FTA will now evaluate the environmental, community and economic development benefits provided by transit projects, as well as the congestion relief benefits from such projects.
“This new approach will help us do a much better job of aligning our priorities and values with our transit investments” said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff. “No longer will we ignore the many benefits that accrue to our environment and our communities when we build or expand rail and bus rapid transit systems.”
FTA will soon initiate a separate rulemaking process, inviting public comment on ways to appropriately measure all the benefits that result from such investments.
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About Christopher DeMorro
If we had useful and clean public transportation similar to the “Inter-Urban” electric trains that ran between Columbus, OH and several outlaying places like Buckeye Lake, about 40 miles that my parents used in the 19 teens, and had prices on them that were held low to keep up ridership, it might be accomplished.
State laws can over ride federal laws in this area and all that would be required would be an obligation to restore the previous situation by any entity that did not complete the project. City, County or State ownership would be a requirement for any eminent domain usage.
It’ll never happen.
If we had useful and clean public transportation similar to the “Inter-Urban” electric trains that ran between Columbus, OH and several outlaying places like Buckeye Lake, about 40 miles that my parents used in the 19 teens, and had prices on them that were held low to keep up ridership, it might be accomplished.
State laws can over ride federal laws in this area and all that would be required would be an obligation to restore the previous situation by any entity that did not complete the project. City, County or State ownership would be a requirement for any eminent domain usage.
It’ll never happen.
We need replace NOW combustion buses by electric buses. This must be mandatory for Public Administration and public lines buses.
We need replace NOW combustion buses by electric buses. This must be mandatory for Public Administration and public lines buses.
I’m not convinced the perception that “Americans really, really love having their own cars” is still true. Cars are expensive; gas, oil and other upkeep are also expensive, and nobody likes spending a significant portion of their life sitting at stop lights and in traffic. I hate that owning a car isn’t an option but a necessity for personal mobility in our society. I MUST own a car. I’m chained to it. We all are.
I think what people love is being able to get where they want to go in a timely manner. Start building cities more intelligently, with higher density that puts things close at hand, and give people other options that will allow them to get where they want to go in a timely manner, and I bet they’d ditch their cars most of the time. I would.
I’m not convinced the perception that “Americans really, really love having their own cars” is still true. Cars are expensive; gas, oil and other upkeep are also expensive, and nobody likes spending a significant portion of their life sitting at stop lights and in traffic. I hate that owning a car isn’t an option but a necessity for personal mobility in our society. I MUST own a car. I’m chained to it. We all are.
I think what people love is being able to get where they want to go in a timely manner. Start building cities more intelligently, with higher density that puts things close at hand, and give people other options that will allow them to get where they want to go in a timely manner, and I bet they’d ditch their cars most of the time. I would.