CFTE Update
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Issue Archive
CFTE Update
March 27, 2006 - Vol. 4, No. 4
Any comments on the newsletter, our site, or resources you want
to be sure we know about, please e-mail us at info@cfte.org.
In this issue ...
* Marin & Sonoma County Voters Embrace Rail Plan
* States Seek Increased Funding for Public Transportation
* First Steps for Your Ballot Measure Campaign
* Light Rail in Twin Cities Gets Green Light
* News Updates
Marin and Sonoma County Voters Embrace Rail Plan
POLL FINDS STRONG SUPPORT FOR JUNE BALLOT MEASURE
Earlier this month Marin and Sonoma County voters declared their
strong support for commuter rail service through the two counties
according to a public poll that concluded that 72 percent of voters
in the two counties would vote "yes" for a quarter-cent
sales tax to pay for the service. The issue has already been placed
on the November 2006 ballot in Marin and Sonoma . If passed, it
would create a new commuter rail service on 70 miles of existing
and publicly owned rail tracks between Cloverdale in northern Sonoma
County and the Larkspur Ferry terminal area in Marin. The plan also
includes a new 70-mile bike path to run parallel to the tracks.
When told the general outline of the rail proposal the most important
issue to voters was that the passenger train will reduce traffic
on Highway 101 by taking approximately 5000 passengers off the road
per day in Marin and Sonoma counties, which was rated "very
important" by 72 percent of those surveyed.
Get more information at
CFTE's Update on 2006 Ballot Measures
States Seek Increased Funding for Public Transportation
LEGISLATORS ACTIVE ON VARIETY OF TRANSPORTATION FUNDING BILLS
Following the passage of SAFETEA-LU in August 2005 a number of
states started looking to increase state transportation funding
levels that will act as a match for the federal funding. Alabama
is among a number of states that are relying on the state legislature
to increase funding for transit. In Alabama , State Senator Rodger
Smitherman (D) has proposed a bill that would amend the state constitution
to allow gasoline tax funds to be used for public transportation.
Passing this piece of legislation would allow a number of projects
to move forward. Most notably, Birmingham's plans for a revamped,
regional transit system which includes better bus service, carpool
lanes on interstates, express buses, park-and-ride lots and a downtown
trolley system. Other states that have taken legislative action
or have proposal currently in the state legislature include:
New Jersey - March 24, 2006 Governor Corzine signed a bill that
will raise $8 billion for the state's highway, bridge and mass transit
projects during the next five years.
Washington - The 2005 Washington State Legislature provided a
16-year expenditure plan to take care of some of Washington State
's most critical transportation needs including transit.
Illinois - Governor Rod Blagojevich has proposed a $2.3 billion
transportation infrastructure program that would provide new capital
funds for urban public transportation systems.
Connecticut - Gov. M. Jodi Rell and top Assembly leaders have
unveiled several plans since the session opened, the most recent
being House Speaker James Amann's 10-year, $5 billion program that
largely mirrors state Transportation Strategy Board recommendations.
Read more on state
initiatives in CFTE's transportation news archive.
First Steps for Your Campaign
POLLING AND PUBLIC OUTREACH CONSIDERED VITAL
So you're launching a transportation ballot measure campaign. You've
got a measure approved for the ballot and plan for the new investment.
What's next? Several speakers at the 2005 Transit Initiatives Conference
addressed that very issue. Based on their successful experiences
in San Diego, Utah, and Phoenix, experts offered some proven 'first
steps' for your campaign related to understanding public opinion
and beginning your voter targeting efforts:
• Understand where you stand with the public through a baseline
phone poll;
• Identify subregions within your voting area and matching
these subregions with voting data;
• Using your subregions, conduct focus groups to deepen your
baseline data and test your messages;
• Begin crafting a field operations plan based on vote targets,
history, projections, and focus group results;
• Conduct an aggressive public education and outreach effort
based on the investment plan for the new transportation resources
(Ideally, this work will have been well underway prior to the campaign
launch);
• Plan for on-going polling to gage your support and make
tactical decisions as the campaign moves forward.
The experts also agreed that every good campaign begins with a well-crafted
plan and compelling message. CFTE's website has resources on campaign
planning and message development, along with the presentations from
the 2005 conference.
Read more details from presentation
at the 2005 Transit Initiatives Conference.
Light Rail in Twin Cities Gets a Green Light
PROPOSED DEEMED 'COST EFFECTIVE' UNDER FEDERAL RULES
Regional officials announced earlier this week that a proposed
light rail transit line in the Central Corridor has achieved a favorable
cost-effectiveness index (CEI), improving its chances to win final
state and federal approvals. The proposed LRT alternative has CEI
score in the range of $24 to $25 per hour. This index compares the
annualized costs for construction and operation of the proposed
line with the estimated hours of commuting time saved each year
by its users. The Federal Transit Administration requires a CEI
score of under $28 per hour before a project can enter preliminary
engineering and $22 per hour before it can receive funding for construction.
The 11-mile, $840 million LRT line on University Avenue
would link four major centers of activity and generators of trips
in the region - downtown Minneapolis , the University of Minnesota
, the Midway area and downtown St. Paul .
Get the latest transportation
news headlines from CFTE.
News Updates
CFTE monitors new developments in public transportation across the
nation, including upcoming and potential elections.
Check out our 2006 news archive for recent
articles.
Any comments on the newsletter, our site, or resources you want
to be sure we know about, please e-mail us at info@cfte.org.
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