2003 Reports and News
DECEMBER 2003
Brookings
Report on Federal Transportation Policy Disparities
(December, 2003)
Authored by Robert Puentes and Edward Beimborn, this report shows
that despite a number of reforms in the past decade, federal rules
remain stacked against transit, and funding highway projects is
far easier. The report looks at the local funding matches required
for different transportation projects, and offers policy recomendations
for TEA-21 reauthorization.
NOVEMBER 2003
Good
Jobs First Report on Transportation Projects (November,
2003)
A new report by Good Jobs First finds that particular types of highway
construction projects create more jobs than others. More specifically,
the report found that Smart Growth and "Fix-It-First"
highway maintenance projects create more jobs than sprawling new
capacity projects. The report, The Jobs Are Back in Town: Urban
Smart Growth & Construction Employment specifically reviews
the number of jobs created by different types of highway investment
and found that “fix-it-first” or maintenance projects
generated more construction jobs per dollar than new capacity projects.
Community
Transportation Association Report on Senior Mobility (November,
2003)
Authored by Jon Burkhardt, Mobility and Independence: Changes
and Challenges for Older Drivers documents the need for safe
mobility options for seniors. Says Burkhardt, "Because
of our focus on automotive transportation, most Americans (including
the elderly) now live in communities that are not served well by
public or private transit services...." The report calls for
increased mobility planning and mobility choices.
OCTOBER 2003
Brookings
Report on Transportation Decision Making (October,
2003)
Co-authored by Brookings and the Surface Transportation Policy Project,
this report looks at the status of metropolitan transportation decision
making, and offers policy solutions. This report argues that more
local control is needed, and should be designed into the architecture
of TEA-21 reauthorization. Additionally, the report looks at spending
levels in communities where greater local control is given and shows
that more holistic transportation strategies are achieved.
EPA
Study on Travel and the Environmental Implications of School Siting
(October 8, 2003)
This report "is the first study to empirically examine the
relationship between school locations, the built environment around
schools, how kids get to school, and the impact on air emissions
of those travel choices. Over the next few decades, communities
making decisions about the construction and renovation of thousands
of schools will be challenged to meet multiple goals -- educational,
fiscal, and environmental."
Sustainable
Transport Strategies Report (October 10, 2003)
Authored by Christine Laurence, a 2002 Churchill Fellow, this report
looks at international strategies, programs, policies, and organizations
that promote sustainable forms of transportation. Cities included
in this informative report include Brussels, Washington DC, Toronto,
Sacramento, and San Francisco.
SEPTEMBER 2003
The
2003 Annual Urban Mobility Report (September 30, 2003)
Released on the day that TEA-21 expired, this report from the Texas
Transportation Institute, has traditionally measured the cost of
congestion in dollars and time wasted. This year, for the first
time, the report measures the time and money saved by drivers due
to public transportation investment, ITS technologies, and other
congestion management strategies.
Financing
Intermodal Transportation (Sept. 24, 2003)
A report from "Reconnecting
America" finds a funding gap of almost $5-8 billion annually
over the next five years to make needed connections between air,
rail and highway systems to improve the flow of both passengers
and goods, and recommends a number of actions to address the shortfall.
The independent non-profit project Reconnecting America¹s Transportation
Networks released the report by transportation finance expert William
D. Ankner, PhD, former top executive at the Rhode Island Department
of Transportation, in order to promote a dialogue on ways to generate
the revenue needed to meet the growing demand for projects to eliminate
bottlenecks in the national transportation system.
Missing
the Bus: How States Fail to Connect Economic Development with Public
Transit (Sept. 11, 2003)
This 50-state study finds that not one single state coordinates
its economic development spending with public transportation. It
also finds that 46 states fail to even collect data on subsidized
corporate relocations and therefore cannot determine if their economic
development incentives are undermining job access for low-wage workers.
Saving
City Lifelines: Lesson Learned in the 911 Terrorist Attacks
(PDF File) (Sept. 11, 2003)
What emerged from this investigation by the Mineta Transportation
Insitute was a clear sense that public transit agencies were the
unsung heroes of the 9-11 attacks. From their role in saving passengers'
lives and evacuating Lower Manhattan to delivering rescue workers
and heavy equipment to Ground Zero and providing communications
capacity, the transit agencies played a vital role in rescue and
recovery work. Valiant efforts resulted in system repairs and the
establishment of new service in fractions of the usual required
time, greatly assisting New York's economic recovery.
VTPI
Report on Evaluating Critics of Smart Growth (PDF File)
The Victoria Transport Policy Institute released a report titled
"Evaluating Criticism of Smart Growth." The paper evaluates
criticisms of Smart Growth land use policies. It defines the concept
of Smart Growth, contrasts it with sprawl, and describes common
Smart Growth strategies. The author of the report, Todd Litman examines
various criticisms of Smart Growth, including the claim that it
does not reflect consumer preferences, infringes on freedom, increases
traffic congestion and air pollution, reduces housing affordability,
results in socially undesirable levels of density, increases public
service costs, requires wasteful transit subsidies and is unjustified.
The analysis indicates that many claims by critics reflect an incomplete
understanding of Smart Growth, and inaccurate analysis.
Measuring
the Health Effects of Sprawl (PDF File)
This new report from Smart Growth America and the Surface Transportation
Policy Project presents the first national study to show that people
who live in counties marked by sprawl-style development tend to
weigh more, are more likely to be obese and are more likely to suffer
from high blood pressure.
STPP
Report Measures Air Quality Due To Automobiles (PDF
File)
Nearly half of all Americans are breathing unhealthy air, and air
quality in dozens of metropolitan areas has actually gotten worse
over the last decade according to a new report from the Surface
Transportation Policy Project. The study names transportation as
a major contributor to air pollution nationwide, and calls on Congress
to protect and strengthen clean air laws and funding. The new report,
Clearing the Air, Public Health Threats from Cars and Heavy
Duty Vehicles- Why We Need to Protect Federal Clean Air Laws
ranks metropolitan areas by the highest number of days of unhealthy
air pollution levels.
AUGUST 2003
Brookings
Report on Aging America's Impact on the Transportation Landscape
(PDF File)
The Brookings Institution recently released a report titled "The
Mobility Needs of Older Americans: Implications for Transportation
Reauthorization". The report highlights the projected demographic
change in America's aging population and its relation to our nation's
transportation system. According to the report, by the year 2030,
there will be more than 70 million Americans over the age of 65,
more than double what is was in 2000. The author, Sandra Rosenbloom,
emphasizes the grave danger of over-reliance on the automobile,
in terms of elderly mobility and accessibility and offers a host
of policy options for reauthorization of TEA-21, the federal transportation
bill.
Light
Rail Ridership Numbers On the Rise
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) released their
Ridership Report for the first quarter of 2003 on July 21. The quarterly
report estimates total transit passenger trips based on particular
transit modes, including light rail, commuter rail, trolley and
bus. The report showed that ridership numbers have increased for
light rail, trolleybus, and bus systems that served populations
greater than 2 million and below 100,000. The report also examines
passenger characteristics including age, income, ethnicity, and
percentage of riders using transit for work. APTA’s Public
Transportation Ridership Report is the most extensive national ridership
data available.
International
Ratings Firm Evaluates U.S. Transit (PDF File)
On June 16, 2003, Fitch Ratings released a special report entitled:
"Running for the Train: the Path Ahead for U.S. Transit."
Fitch rated $24 billion of debt involving 27 securities issued by
16 transit agencies and related authorities. The report includes
sections on the following issues: public transit financing, an overview
of public transportation, federal support for public transportation,
state and local transit support, transit's growing challenges, rating
considerations for transit operations, rating considerations for
transit capital, alternative financing options, financial management
and service delivery initiatives and the "path ahead."
Fitch Ratings is an international rating agency based in London
and New York. They provide capital market participants ratings and
research on financial institutions, loan products, structured finance,
insurance and public finance markets.
Transportation
Costs and the American Dream: Why a Lack of Transportation Choices
Strains the Family Budget and Hinders Homeownership
A new report by the Surface Transportation Policy Project shows
that transportation costs are taking an even bigger bite out of
the family pocketbook, with America’s families now spending
more than 19 cents out of every dollar earned on transportation,
an expense second only to housing and greater than food and health
care combined. The report says that the nation’s poorest families
are especially hard hit, spending more than 40 percent of their
take home pay just to get around, an expenditure that that has risen
33 percent since 1992 and is making it all the more difficult for
lower income families to afford housing, health care, and other
critical services. Transportation costs are highest in sprawling
areas such as Tampa, Phoenix and Dallas, due to spread out development
patterns, the lack of transportation choices and the absence of
convenient neighborhoods within walking distance of shops and schools.
For many low and middle income families, the costs of owning and
maintaining several vehicles may even be prohibiting their ability
to own a home, one of the most reliable forms of wealth creation.
GAO
Highway Infrastructure Report Evaluates Environmental Review Delays
(PDF file)
The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) released a report on the
causes of environmental review delay in transportation projects.
The report titled, "Stakeholders' Views on Time to Conduct
Environmental Reviews of Highway Projects," was requested by
House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Young.
The authors of the report relied on information provided by various
interest groups including state DOTs, natural resource agencies,
environmental organizations and highway advocates. The GAO reported
on the activities involved in the environmental reviews of federally
funded highway projects, the stakeholders' views on the various
aspects of the reviews, including the time added to gain environmental
approval. Environmental stakeholders cite as the main cause of environmental
review delay the failure of the state DOTs' to consider environmental
impacts early in the process and to involve affected parties early
in the process. Environmental impact assessments are conducted on
only 3 percent of highway projects. Transportation stakeholders
blame delays on insufficient staff resources and burdensome statutory
criteria.
National
AAA Drops Out of the American Highway Users Alliance
The national American Automobile Association (AAA) has announced
that they have dropped their membership in the American Highway
Users Alliance (AHUA), a group funded by the road construction industry,
oil interests and auto-makers. The AHUA advocates against fuel economy
improvements and other environmental protections. AAA's membership
in AHUA allowed them to successfully lobby on behalf of AAA’s
45 million members against improving the Corporate Average Fuel
Economy (CAFE) standards in the U.S. Senate. Although the national
organization has dropped their membership, the following ten regional
AAA clubs in 18 states are still members of AHUA: Missouri, Arizona,
Oregon/Idaho, Southern New England, Michigan, South Central Ohio,
Oklahoma, Pennsylvania AAA Federation, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
Larger
Mortgages Available for Buying Homes Near Transit
The Washington Post reported on July 23, 2003 that a major U.S.
housing lender, the Federal National Mortgage Association, two local
banks and regional elected officials unveiled a new plan to allow
Washington, DC area home buyers who purchase houses that are close
to public transportation to qualify for larger mortgages. The new
initiative, called the "Smart Commute Initiative", allows
eligible borrowers to add as much as $200 a month to their income
estimates ($250 for two-career couples), which in turn allows participating
banks to increase the maximum allowable mortgage by close to $10,000.
Research shows that people living near public transportation pay
less in gas and car maintenance, own fewer vehicles and keep their
cars longer. A recent study showed that Washingtonians on average
spend 16 percent of their income on transportation, more than any
other expense except housing.
Brookings
Report on Access to Jobs in an Auto-Oriented World
An August 2003 report, "The Long Journey to Work: A Federal
Transportation Policy for Working Families" by Margy Waller
and Evelyn Bumenberg of the Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy
at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. focuses on the
transportation needs of low-income workers. The report finds that
low-income individuals face numerous challenges when trying to travel
to work in areas without fast, reliable transportation systems.
The authors argue that in most cities automobiles still represent
the fastest and most reliable mode of transportation, a frustrating
situation for low-income families who lack reliable automobile transportation.
Although the report focuses on access to automobiles to improve
economic outcomes, it makes a compelling case for improving the
transportation options of the poor by improving fixed-route transit
services and expanding paratransit and other door-to-door transit
services.
JUNE/JULY 2003
U.S.
Senate Looks at Bus Rapid Transit
The U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
held a hearing on “Bus Rapid Transit and Other Bus Service
Innovations.” The hearing was held on Tuesday, June 24, 2003.
The following transit experts testified before the Committee: Jennifer
L. Dorn (Federal Transit Administration); JayEtta Hecker (U.S. General
Accounting Office); Gary Brosch (National Bus Rapid Transit Institute,
University of South Florida); Kenneth Hamm (Lane Transit District);
Oscar Edmundo Diaz (New York University); and Anne Canby (Surface
Transportation Policy Project and CFTE Advisory Board Member). Ms.
Canby recommended that the current transit program structure be
preserved with simple adjustments for the pursuit of BRT services
and that that the New Starts transit program should maintain its
rigorous standards and criteria. She also argued for a continuation
of the bus discretionary programs with added flexibility to meet
BRT needs, the development of specific criteria and rankings for
FTA’s recommendations to Congress on multi-year projects and
the retaining of current ratios of spending between transit and
highway capital projects and within the transit program categories.
Anti-Transit Conference planned for Cincinnati (no website
for conference information)
According to CFTE’s sources, an anti-transit conference
will be held on November 17, 2003 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Wendell Cox
will be the keynote speaker at the first annual Northern Kentucky
& Greater Cincinnati “Preserving the American Dream Conference.”
Other speakers will include Randal O'Toole, U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot,
Sam Staley (former Mayor of Cincinnati) and Roxann Quaills. This
conference will be modeled after the national “American Dream”
conference held in Washington, D.C. in February 2003.
GAO
Report on New Starts Transit Program (PDF File)
A new government report on the federal New Starts transit program
suggests that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) should (1)
change their regulations in order to accurately reflect the level
of federal funding share local transit agencies can expect to see
(this share level has recently changed and that adjustment is not
reflected in FTA’s paperwork); and (2) better assist local
transit agencies in developing data (using travel forecasting models)
that must be submitted to the FTA under a newly implemented ratings
process. The federal New Starts program provides funding for the
construction or extension of a fixed guideway systems (light-rail,
bus rapid transit, etc.) based on cost-effectiveness, alternatives
analysis results and the degree of local financial commitment. The
report, prepared by the Government Accounting Office, also discusses
the potential effects of the fiscal year 2004 budget on New Starts.
The U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
and the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
were provided copies of the report (GAO-03-701), which was written
as part of an annual requirement under the federal surface transportation
law.
Transportation
and Race: Moving to Equity
Harvard’s Civil Rights Project and the Center for Community
Change released a new report, “Moving to Equity,” on
June 17, 2003 highlighting the potential effects of the upcoming
transportation reauthorization on minorities and their communities.
The report explores the demographic realities and dependency on
public transit, transportation costs and inequities and barriers
in the transportation planning process. Recommendations made in
the report include: (1) increasing funding for enforcement of civil
rights and environmental laws and regulations, such as Title VI
and NEPA; (2) improving data collection that can be used to evaluate
the impacts of transportation projects and plans on minority and
low-income communities; and (3) recognizing the interaction between
transportation, land use, and social equity, and support programs
that understand and address this interaction.
"Keep
it Moving" Midwest Transportation Funding Report
The Joyce Foundation, an organization that works to improve the
quality of life in the Great Lakes region, released a new report
on transportation spending in the Midwest over the last 12 years.
The report urges Congress to maintain existing funding systems for
public transit and other alternative transportation modes and resist
the temptation to re-emphasize road construction. The study reports
that over $42 billion in federal transportation dollars went to
the Midwest, but the region has still lagged behind in vital areas,
such as increasing transit ridership and improving air quality.
Meanwhile, traffic congestion costs the Midwest more than $10 billion
annually; freight-rail tie-ups in Chicago (the world's third-largest
intermodal port) slow down shipments nationally; and promising light-rail
and high-speed rail projects remain stalled for lack of funds. According
to the report's authors, the experience of the seven Midwestern
states examined in the study are representative of the successes
and challenges of the rest of the country, and highlight the need
to reaffirm the federal commitment to non-highway transportation
options, such as buses, light rail and bike lanes.
MAY 2003
Brookings
Institution: Improving Efficiency and Equity in Transportation Finance
This report summarizes the major changes that are altering
transportation finance, and argues that an increased reliance on
user fees remains the most hopeful way of maintaining efficient
and equitable funding systems for transportation. "User fees" are
funds collected from individuals who use the roads. The most common
user fees are tolls and fuel taxes, which impose charges generally
proportionally to travelers' use of roadways. Because of the discrepancy
between higher transportation program costs and shrinking incoming
revenue from fuel taxes, the bulk of transportation funding is being
shifted to local governments. Sales taxes and voter-approved ballot
measures are popular funding avenues at the local level, while user-fees
are used less often. The report argues that while fuel taxes are
“viable and practical” in the short term, that user fees collected
electronically assure the most flexible and suitable long term method
of user fee financing for transportation. By Martin Wachs, May
2003
Defenders
of Wildlife and STPP: Second Nature--Improving Transportation Without
Putting Nature Second
This report, released on Earth Day 2003, suggests that
the nation’s natural environment and wildlife habitats are at risk
from both development patterns and the roads that make the development
possible. The study assesses ways to lessen and avoid impacts and
applauds projects in several states - including Montana, Florida
and California – that reduce transportation’s negative impacts on
natural habitats. The report argues that transportation plays a
key role in the loss of species, damage to ecosystems, loss of wildlife
habitat and compromised water quality. Land consumption, habitat
fragmentation, and replacement of natural cover with impervious
surfaces are to blame for transportation’s role in this destructive
cycle. The report concludes with related environmental policy recommendations
for inclusion in the reauthorization of the federal transportation
bill, known as “TEA-21.” Defenders of Wildlife and STPP, April
2003.
Prescription
to Help Cure Ailing American Economy
APTA and the Transportation Construction Coalition released
new analysis titled: "House Committee Bipartisan Plan Offers
Prescription to Help Cure Ailing American Economy."
Analysis completed by the world’s leading econometric forecasting
firm, Global Insight, Inc., found that a proposal in the U.S. House
of Representatives to increase federal highway and public transportation
investment would provide a major boost to the American economy.
The bipartisan House proposal to reauthorize the federal surface
transportation policy, or “TEA-21,” would add $290 billion to the
nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the next six years—or
about $48 billion annually. This means every federal dollar invested
in highway and transit capital outlays would generate over $2.50
in additional U.S. economic activity. The proposal would also generate
over the next six years a $129 billion increase in consumer disposable
income, a $98 billion increase in consumer spending, an additional
$21 billion in equipment investment by the nation’s businesses and
an increase of $102 billion in Federal tax receipts. May 13,
2003.
MARCH/APRIL 2003
Brookings
Institution: Gas Tax Basics
In this report, Brookings experts explore the “collection,
allocation, and use of federal and state taxes on motor fuels.”
Their findings reveal that gas tax revenues make up a large percentage
(more than 1/3) of funds available for highways at both the state
and federal level. In the late 1990s, the incoming gas tax funds
plateaued with an actual decline in gas tax revenues when these
figures are adjusted for inflation. At the state level the gas tax
has generally failed to match inflation even though twenty-eight
states have raised their gas taxes since 1992; only three states
raised their gas tax rate enough to compensate for inflation. Thirty
states currently restrict their ability to fund mass transit or
air quality improvement projects by dedicating their gas tax revenue
for highway purposes only. In addition, the allocation of gas tax
funds in several states creates what what Brookings calls “donor
regions” in which cities and urban areas are paying significantly
more into the gas tax accounts than they are receiving in transportation
funds. Brookings Institution Publication by Robert Puentes and
Ryan Prince, March 2003
Washington
Post: Large Lots Eat Up Area Countryside
Smart growth requirements adopted in the Washington metropolitan
area that limit the number of houses that can be built in rural
areas have failed to reduce traffic congestion, limit sprawl, reduce
land consumption rates and protect disappearing farmlands. The Washington
Post reviewed the land plans of 14 Virginia and Maryland counties
that had adopted restrictions on standard suburban development and
found that over half the land near Washington, DC is now limited
to no more than one house for every three acres. The author surveyed
the urban planning community and concluded that, “no other
U.S. region of comparable size has protected so much land this way.”
The result, the Post claims, is the creation of rural “estate”
sprawl, builders moving further out to construct new developments,
continuing traffic problems, declining environmental quality, increasing
real estate prices and a loss of farmlands. To highlight how these
policies have had little effect on traffic, the article cites figures
released by the Texas Transportation Institute showing that the
number of miles traveled per capita in the region rose 27 percent
between 1990-2000, while the population grew only 15 percent. Report
by Peter Whoriskey, Washington Post Staff Writer, Sunday, March
9, 2003; Page A01.
STPP
Progress: Local Control Breeds Local Innovation
Marin County Supervisor Steve Kinsey evaluates California’s
model of suballocating transportation funds to local jurisdictions
and regions. He argues that when regional transportation planning
agencies (RTPAs) and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs)
are given “greater control and flexibility over funding and
programming,” the result is a more responsive and innovative
transportation system. The article details the history of California’s
law, SB 45, which gave local jurisdictions increased decision-making
powers, in addition to accountability, flexibility and significant
funding. Kinsey attributes an increase and improvement in public
transit, the building of more livable communities and the improvement
in air quality to the 1998 state law. Hon. Steve Kinsey, Marin
County Supervisor, March 2003.
Brookings
Institution: TEA-21 Reauthorization
In anticipation of the federal surface transportation policy reauthorization
this year, Brookings has released an evaluation of the successes
and challenges our nation has faced in implementing previous authorizations
(ISTEA and TEA-21). Brookings advocates that Congress keep the ISTEA/TEA-21
framework in place while focusing more attention on metropolitan
areas. The brief argues that in the upcoming reauthorization, metropolitan
areas should receive more tools and resources “in exchange
for enhanced accountability, to get transportation policy right
for their regions.” Report by: Bruce Katz, Robert Puentes
and Scott Bernstein, March 2003.
Slanted
Pavement--How Ohio's Transportation Spending Shortchanges Cities
and Suburbs
Brookings Institution, March 2003. This report examines transportation
spending patterns in the state of Ohio between 1980 and 1998. While
some transportation systems spend where there is a great need and
others spend where the contribution of tax revenue is higher, Ohio
does neither. It has allocated state transportation funds away from
cities and suburbs and placed a disproportionate fiscal burden on
urban areas. The paper identifies the locations in Ohio where current
highway contracts are placed and where gas and vehicle registration
taxes are collected and compares them to indicators of transportation
demand and need throughout the state. The paper concludes that Ohio's
highway dollars were spent disproportionately in rural counties,
while the most significant gas tax revenues were being generated
in the urban counties. The authors also explore the three primary
reasons for this “anti-urban bias,” demonstrate how
this system contributes to the spread of development into rural
areas and offer ways that Ohio and other states can reform their
transportation funding systems. Report by: Edward W. Hill, Billie
Geyer, Kevin O'Brien, Claudette Robey, John Brennan and Robert Puentes.
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