CFTE Update
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Issue Archive
CFTE Update
June 1 , 2007 - Vol. 5, No. 4
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In this issue …
•All Systems Go in Austin, Texas
•Miami Plans for Streetcars
•Minnesota House-Senate Negotiators
Agree on Nickel Gas Tax Increase
•SAFETEA-LU Implementation and Global Warming are in
the Spotlight
All Systems Go in Austin, Texas
SNEAK A PEAK OF AUSTIN”S STARTER COMMUTER RAIL LINE
June 10th – 12th the Center for Transportation Excellence
will be holding the 2007 Transit Initiatives Conference in Austin,
TX. The city of Austin is the perfect backdrop for the conference
because Capital MetroRail, Austin’s starter commuter rail
line will open in late 2008, thanks to a successful transit referendum
in 2004 called All Systems Go. Many of the key players from this
successful referendum will share their insight into the art of
passing transportation ballot measures and building community support
for transit. Attendees will hear how the success of the 2004 initiative
has sparked a new community dialogue about public transit as Austin
considers a streetcar system and evaluates next steps for more
commuter rail lines.
Conference attendees will also get a sneak peak at how Austin’s
sleek, new trains will transport folks to work in comfort and style;
trains provide high-back seats, bicycle and overhead racks, and
Wi-Fi connections.
This is the only national conference devoted to understanding
the role of ballot measures in improving transportation choice
and investment and providing advice on how to achieve success at
the ballot box. The CFTE conference features leading national
transportation experts, seasoned campaign professionals including:
*
Lane Beattie, President & CEO, the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
* William Millar, President, the American Public Transportation
Association
* David Schwartz, Executive Director, Friends of Transit,
Phoenix, AZ
* Oliver Griswold, Communications and Outreach Director, Ballot
Initiative Strategy Center, Washington, DC
*Bill Lhota, President/CEO, Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA),
Columbus, OH
To view the full program and register for
the conference..
Miami Plans for Streetcars
MAYOR WANTS TO BUILD A SUSTAINABLE CITY
Miami city administrators hope to develop a $200 million streetcar
to connect downtown activity centers, businesses, and residential
communities. The project would be funded as a public-private partnership,
which is a funding model used in many European countries. This
structure provides a way for governments to control and share the
risks with developers. City officials met recently in Paris and
Madrid with government representatives, international streetcar
experts, and potential partners to plan what they hope will become
a jointly funded transit system designed to relieve congestion
in Miami's quickly developing urban core. Miami is experiencing
a population and development boom and most of the medium and high
rise condos and apartments are being built within a few blocks
of Metro or the streetcar line.
In addition to the financial support administrators hope to garner
if the commission approves a public-private partnership model,
officials plan to fund the city's share through revenues and interest
generated by the streetcar system and with transportation sales
tax revenue and federal grants.
The streetcar is an urban transit circulator that will operate
in existing roadways, and provide connectivity among major activity
centers, commercial and retail establishments, as well as residential
communities throughout the project corridor. Its proposed route
runs east of the Miami River, serving Government Center through
the Entertainment District, Wynwood, Midtown Miami, the Design
District, Overtown, and the Civic Center area. Should the city
commission pass enabling legislation in the fall, Miami would issue
a request for proposals to construct, operate, and maintain the
project. The city recently published a schedule that forecasts
a contract award in December 2008 and the streetcar opening in
December 2011.
During the State of the City Address in April, 2007, the Mayor
said, "We need to invest in a streetcar
system today, like the one we used to have. And, we must do
it while we can still afford it. Rather than wait years and Miamians
(wonder) why we failed to act, a streetcar system is an inevitable
solution - Miami can either pay for it now, or pay for it later
- leaving future generations to pay a much, much higher bill to
ensure sustainability".
For more transportation news
Minnesota House-Senate Negotiators Agree
on Nickel Gas Tax Increase
LEGISLATORS DEFY GOVERNOR'S VOW TO VETO
An agreement was reached Wednesday, May 9, by House-Senate negotiators
to raise Minnesota's gasoline tax 5 cents a gallon on Sept. 1 and
another 2½ cents over the next four to five years. The 5-cent
increase is half the dime increase approved earlier by both chambers.
The tax hike would increase road funding throughout Minnesota by
$160 million a year. The additional 2½ cents would gradually
kick in to cover debt service on $1.5 billion in bonding. Brian
McClung, spokesman for Gov. Pawlenty, said the governor plans to
veto state-level tax increases; however, the bill may have enough
bipartisan support to override the governor's veto. The compromise
proposal will be up for a floor vote early this week. It takes
two-thirds majorities—90 votes in the House and 45 in the
Senate—to enact legislation over a governor's veto
The proposal would pour $7 billion into roads, bridges, and transit
over 10 years. The money would come from a broad mix of state levies,
borrowing and a half-cent general sales tax in the Twin Cities
area that county boards could impose without a voter referendum.
But increasing the gas tax, currently at 20 cents a gallon since
1988, would have the most immediate effect on taxpayers. The tax
would be dedicated solely to roads and bridges. Efforts to raise
it have failed year after year.
This compromise bill could be considered a major concession to
Gov. Pawlenty, who proposed spending an extra $2 billion on roads
and transit over the next decade, most of it from borrowing $1.7
billion.
For a complete list of 2007
Transportation Ballot Initiatives
SAFETEA-LU Implementation and Global Warming are in the
Spotlight HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARS FROM KEY PLAYERS IN
THE ADMINISTRATION
In May the House T&I Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
held an oversight hearing on the implementation of the New Starts & Small
Starts Program. During the hearing Chairman Oberstar stated that
he “FTA, however, is not currently incorporating all of the
congressionally mandated project justification criteria into either
the New Starts or Small Starts evaluation process. Rather, FTA
gives undue weight to a singular criterion – cost effectiveness – effectively
trumping all the others.” The subcommittee Chair also expressed
some harsh criticism of the administrations process for implementing
SAFETEA-LU. During the second panel of the hearing a number of
Transit Agencies testified about the impact this focus on a singular
criterion has impacted their projects specifically streetcars.
Their seemed to be overwhelming concern that FTA was not following
the intent of congress with their narrow definition of cost effectiveness
and the weight it has been given in evaluating projects.
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure also held
two hearings in May on climate change and energy independence in
regards to transportation. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters,
Environmental Protection Administrator Stephen L. Johnson, and
General Services Administrator Lurita Doan were among the witnesses
at the first hearing. During his opening remarks Committee Chairman
Oberstar explained that he is holding these hearing because there
is “Overwhelming evidence of the relationship between fossil
fuels and global climate change, and the ever-increasing price
of oil, have focused national attention on the benefits we could
achieve by reducing our overall energy consumption and meeting
more of our needs with renewable sources.” Since this
is a fairly new topic for the Transportation & Infrastructure
committee they are holding these hearings as a means of exploring
their jurisdiction on these topics.
During the second hearing the committee heard from a wide range
of non governmental organizations including William Millar of the
American Public Transportation Association. It appears that there
will be more movement on this issue in coming months.
For more transportation news
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