2006 Reports and News
NOVEMBER 2006
Revival of the Streetcar. Reconnecting America
recently released their latest book, STREET SMART: STREETCARS AND
CITIES IN THE 21ST CENTURY. Edited by Gloria Ohland and Shelley
Poticha, Street Smart goes in-depth into the modern revival of streetcars
in America, from Portland's modern Inekon-Skoda streetcars to Kenosha,
Wisconsin's heritage trolley. Neighborhoods and dense, vibrant development
have traditionally followed the streetcar line, a formula that still
works today. Packed with pictures and illustrations, Street Smart
is full of nuts-and-bolts information from practitioners, builders,
and streetcar fanatics
For
More Information
Pennsylvania Commission Outlines Funding Plan for TransportationThe
final report from Gov. Ed Rendell's nine-member Transportation Funding
and Reform Commission concludes that an additional $900 million
is needed for roads and bridges and another $760 million should
be earmarked for transit systems each year. The report would set
up a dedicated funding source for transit with a new Transit Trust
Fund, combining a mix of existing streams of revenue with a new
0.9 percent state realty-transfer tax. The report also calls for
increasing the state gas tax and various vehicle-related fees.
Read
the Commission Report
MAY 2006
New Report Details State Funding for Public Transportation.
The Survey of State Funding for Public Transportation 2005 is a
compilation of information on state funding of public transportation.
The survey analyzes public transportation funding for every state.
Among the report's findings is that states provided $9.5 billion
for transit in FY05 compared to $7.3 billion in federal spending.
State spending has more than doubled since 1990.
Read
the Survey
Rail Study Finds Congestion-reduction Benefits Exceed Subsidies.
Researchers at Resources for the Future used a regional transport
model to examine the Washington, D.C. region and estimate the travel
benefits of the local transit system to transit users and the congestion-reduction
benefits to motorists.
Read
the RFF Report.
Report Evaluates Bus vs Rail Performance. The
Victoria Transport Policy Institute has released a new study that
compares the performance of bus and rail New Starts investment.
The report compares U.S. urban areas that expanded rail transit
with urban areas that expanded bus
transit from the mid-1990s through 2003. The report suggests that
cities that expanded their rail systems significantly outperformed
cities that only expanded bus systems in terms of transit ridership,
passenger-mileage, and operating cost efficiency.
Evaluating New Start
Transit Program Performance: Comparting Bus and Rail
APRIL 2006
Tranist Ridership Up in 2005. Just released ridership
data finds transit use in the United States has risen by 25% over
the past decade. Public transportation usage is also outpacing growth
in auto use as measured by vehicle miles traveled. Last year 9.7
billion trips were made on U.S. public transportation, representing
a 1.3 percent increase over 2004. Since 1995, public transportation
use increased a total 25.1 percent compared to a 22.5 percent increase
in highway vehicle miles traveled during the same period. The increase
in ridership was most pronounced for light rail, but all modes saw
an increase last year. Some communities reported double-digit percentage
growth in transit use.
American
Public Transporation Association Ridership Report
FEBRUARY 2006
First Suburbs. The Brookings Institution has released
a major new report detailed the public policy challenges facing
the nation's older, inner-ring suburban communities, where one-fifth
of the nation's population now resides. The report addresses a number
of transportation issues, including improving transit for an aging
population, modernization of infrastructure, and fiscal policy.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH)
made remarks on the federal role in improving First Suburbs at an
event for the report's public release.
Brooking
Institution Report: "One-Fifth of America: A Comprehensive Guide
to America's First Suburbs"
New Housing & Transportation Affordability Index.
The Center for Transit Oriented Development and the Center for Neighborhood
Technology have developed a new tool that examines the economic
impact of transportation options and access on family budgets. The
index uses data sets from every transit-served community in the
nation to detail the true fiscal impact of transportation decisions
on housing affordability. In addition, a report discusses the policy
implications raised by the index.
Housing
and Transportation Affordablity Index
Center
for Transit Oriented Development
JANUARY 2006
Latest Transit Ridership Data Shows Steady Growth.
The latest ridership data (for the third quarter of 2005) show continued
growth with a 3.3% increase over the same period in 2004. High gas
prices helped increase ridership dramatically in some regions with
25 communities recording double digit increases. Preliminary survey
data also indicate that these new riders are continuing to use transit
even as gas prices decline slightly from record highs.
New
Transit Ridership Data from the American Public Transportation Association
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