BAF IN THE NEWS:
Streets Blog: Stuck With No Bike Lane? Your Complaint to Congress Is Three Clicks Away
A few months ago, we told you that Building America’s Future had released an app called, “I’m Stuck!” It allowed you to send a quick email to your Congressional representatives, telling them that you were stuck in traffic, or on an overcrowded bus or a delayed train, and you wanted Congress to approve more funding to upgrade infrastructure. At the time, we noted that there was no bike/ped component to the app, but BAF has changed that — halfway, at least.
NATIONAL NEWS:
Streets Blog: Who Would Benefit From Eliminating the Federal Gas Tax?
http://streetsblog.net/2013/11/20/who-would-benefit-from-eliminating-the-federal-gas-tax/
We wrote recently on Streetsblog Capitol Hill about a proposal by Republican members of Congress to eliminate the federal gas tax and turn transportation funding entirely over to the states. This proposal — “devolution,” it’s called — has been a conservative dream for decades.
Streets Blog: Transformation for America: T4 Reemerges With Focus on Local Control
http://dc.streetsblog.org/2013/11/20/transformation-for-america/
Transportation for America has been in hiding. Perhaps you’ve noticed. The coalition of over 500 organizations that came together to advocate for policy reform and adequate funding in the transportation reauthorization seemed to disappear for a little while after the dust settled on MAP-21.
Metro Magazine: Cities with rail-to-airport connection boost hotel revenue
Hotels in cities with direct rail access from downtown to airport terminals receive nearly 11% more revenue per room than hotels in cities without a rail airport connection, according to a study released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the U.S. Travel Association.
NPR: Study: Commuting Adversely Affects Political Engagement
http://www.npr.org/2013/11/19/246085202/study-commuting-adversely-affects-political-engagement
Researchers think an increase in commuting may be partly to blame for widespread political disengagement among many Americans. As stressed-out commuters disengage, they leave the political arena to the most partisan voters.
The Associated Press: MPR News: Federal gov't to require seat belts on large buses
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/11/21/news/seat-belts-required-on-large-buses
WASHINGTON (AP) -- New tour buses and buses that provide service between cities must be equipped with seat belts starting in late 2016 under a federal rule issued Wednesday, a safety measure sought by accident investigators for nearly a half century.
The Washington Post: Foxx on transportation funding: ‘You can’t push a rope’
Though Congress seems to lurch from one crisis of its own making to the next, there is a real potential crisis on the horizon next year when the mega transportation funding bill expires. That’s because the dedicated Highway Trust fund that pays for transportation spending, mostly with gas taxes, has dwindled down so much there’s no money to pay the bills.
STATE NEWS:
The Philadelphia Daily News: DN Editorial: Road not taken
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20131121_DN_Editorial__Road_not_taken.html
THE SUDDEN passage of a $2.3 billion transportation bill, first in the state House just a day after an initial failure and then quickly in the Senate, might be seen as the action of a modern, forward-looking Legislature. If this were 1956.
Streets Blog: Grassroots Efforts “Crushed” by Louisville’s $2.6 Billion Bridge Boondoggle
At $2.6 billion, the Ohio River Bridges project in Louisville, Kentucky, is the costliest in the state’s history. It includes 18 elevated lanes, two enormously expensive bridges, a mammoth raised interchange, and a $225 million tunnel under an undeveloped suburban property (“Indiana’s Big Dig“).
Cincinnati Enquirer: EDITORIAL: Cincinnati public transit must expand
There is good news and bad news out of the Metro bus system that serves Cincinnati and its Ohio suburbs. The good news: Metro does better than the regions we compete with when it comes to efficiency and maximizing service based on resources. The bad news: Our public transportation is underfunded, our region is underserved and we are hobbled by a lack of choices to get around.
Progressive Railroading: Council adopts transit-oriented development policy for Minneapolis
The Minneapolis region's Metropolitan Council recently adopted a transit-oriented development (TOD) policy that will enable the council to play a leadership role in the planning and implementation of TOD.
The New York Times: In October, a Day for the New York City Subway’s Ridership Record Book
The weather was mild on the subway system’s perfect day — clear skies to coax New Yorkers outdoors, paired with a breeze that discouraged long walks...And so, on Oct. 24, 5,985,311 subway rides were taken in New York City, the most in recorded history, according to an internal memo prepared by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority last week.
KUHF: Concerned Residents Give Mixed Reviews To North Freeway Improvement Plans
TxDOT is now gathering input on what should be done about one of the area's most crowded roadways. Officials say they need to take action soon to deal with increasing congestion on the North Freeway.
The Washington Post: Neighbors debate impact of opening Beltway shoulder
I just can’t see this traffic issue the way April Georgelas does, though she patiently explained her view four times as we looked over maps of the Capital Beltway in McLean on Tuesday night.
Associated Press: The Washington Post: Just 10 percent of electric car charging stations Calif. promised in legal deal are ready
LOS ANGELES — A New Jersey energy company required by an unusual legal settlement to build an extensive network of electric car chargers throughout California has delivered just 10 percent of what it promised in the first year.
Politico Morning Transportation
By Adam Snider | 11/21/13
Featuring Kevin Robillard and Kathryn A. Wolfe
TRUCKER HOURS RULE COMES UNDER FIRE TODAY: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's new trucker hours-of-service rule has angered the trucking industry and drawn scorn from lawmakers on Capitol Hill. A House Small Business panel, chaired by T&I member Richard Hanna, meets today for a hearing on the rule. FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro will be there to defend it — which is a good thing for the agency, since the rule has come under a lot of fire lately. This week has seen damning surveys from the ATA’s research wing and independent trucker group OOIDA (http://bit.ly/19Ishwq). Hanna will point to a number of issues with the rule and its 34-hour restart provision — including that it might actually be counterproductive. “Most disturbingly, there is a case to be made that the rule does not only cause economic harm, but may also make our nation’s roads less safe,” he’s expected to say in his opening statement. Stream today’s 10 a.m. hearing here: http://1.usa.gov/1dPhWTI
FUNDING UP TO CONGRESS, FOXX SAYS: Less than a year from the deadline for a new transportation bill, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx says it’s up to lawmakers to say what funding options they could support. Foxx, speaking to reporters after a speech at the Newseum, said the administration has already proposed a number of ideas and now is looking for “where the yes point is on transportation.”
‘Push rope’: “Down in the South we have a saying: It’s really hard to push rope,” said Foxx, who hails from Charlotte, N.C. “And I think if there were a couple of clusters of ideas that were being generated out of Capitol Hill, it would be easier for us to begin thinking about how we all come together,” Foxx continued, bemoaning the “one-sided” talks about funding. “I think we are waiting to hear back from Congress,” he said. My Pro story: http://politico.pro/1jnadgQ
No, you go first. No, you! Just a few short weeks ago the House Transportation Committee’s freight panel essentially said it’s up to DOT to come up with funding solutions. Looks like we’re in another game of transportation funding chicken — who will blink first this time?
BIKE-PARTISAN: Rep. Earl Blumenauer is always open to a legislative bike ride with Republicans. In his latest effort, the bow-tied Oregon Democrat is offering a short and simple bill to ensure that federal regulators keep bicyclists and pedestrians in mind when setting safety standards for road projects. He’s got two Republican cosponsors and a bipartisan Senate companion bill. “Life’s too short and I think infrastructure is a natural bipartisan platform,” he told MT in an interview. There’s much more in my story, which is in today’s POLITICO paper or right here: http://politi.co/18aoTjW
TURKEY TIME COUNTDOWN: T-MINUS SEVEN DAYS. Thanks for reading POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on trains, planes, automobiles and ports, where on this day in 1980, hundreds of millions of people around the world tuned in to “Dallas” to find out just who shot J.R. (Kristin Shepard, his former fling and wife’s sister). That was a bit before my TV-watching time, but luckily “The Simpsons” reprised the idea with the two-part “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” episode in 1995 (spoiler alert: it was Maggie, accidentally). Please send me your tips, news and insights: asnider@politico.com. And follow me on Twitter: @AdamKSnider.
“Well my daddy told me, looking back, the best friend you will have is a railroad track …” http://bit.ly/18pskRK (h/t Drew Phillips)
ROCKEFELLER REPORT ON FREIGHT RAILROAD$: The Senate Commerce Committee has a hearing today on a trio of nominations, including Paul Jaenichen Sr. to lead the Maritime Administration and Debra Miller to sit on the Surface Transportation Board. In conjunctions, Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller will put out an update to a 2010 committee study on the financial state of the freight rail industry. In short: The railroads are still making a lot of money. An executive summary of the report notes the “captive” shippers that only have access to one rail company — “If the railroad industry is now proving to be financially viable for the near and long term, policymakers will need to consider whether regulatory changes are in order to make sure the industry does not enjoy unfair advantages,” it says. See the summary: http://politico.pro/1jo4jMz
NHTSA NEWS — Seatbelts on buses: Two big bits of news coming from the safety agency yesterday. The agency is mandating that, starting in November 2016, new buses in the U.S. will have to have seat belts. That’s five decades after the NTSB first recommended it. And since it takes a while for the bus fleet to turn over, some bus riders could be going belt-free well into the 2020s, though the industry says it’s already made huge strides on the issue. Check out the rule (http://1.usa.gov/1avqcIH) and be sure to read Kevin’s story (http://politico.pro/1eiZ4xc).
Elon Musk seeing stars: A day after battery-powered carmaker Tesla clashed with NHTSA over who exactly requested an investigation into a trio of fires hitting the company's signature Model S vehicle, the government agency fired a veiled warning shot at the automaker. “The updated guidelines now explicitly state that ratings are always whole numbers and that NHTSA does not award a rating higher than 5 stars,” NHTSA said in announcing what cars it would rate this year. “Manufacturers or advertising agencies, therefore, should not advertise ratings with decimal points or ratings over 5 stars, and advertisers who claim more than 5 stars are misleading the public.” Without naming names, that’s a not-so-subtle jab at Tesla, which said this summer it got a “combined” 5.4 star rating, calling it the “best safety rating of any car ever tested.”
** A message from POWERJobs: New jobs on our radar this week: Press Secretary at Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives at APHSA and VP, Federal Affairs at AHIP. Interested? Apply to these jobs and more at www.POWERJobs.com; finally, a career site made for YOU! **
FOOTBALL GAME HIGHLIGHTS: T&I Chairman Bill Shuster was inducted into the inaugural class of the Congressional Football Game Hall of Fame last night, but he wasn’t on hand due to a family illness back in Pennsylvania. Shuster, who helped come up with the idea for a charity football game to replenish a fund for the families of two Capitol Police officers that was running low, was inducted along with ex-NFLers Ken Harvey and John Booty and officer Jim Davis. A source at the game said Railroads Chair Jeff Denham “played well on the offensive line and gave solid protection” to quarterback Heath Shuler. Denham also got honored for his work on the game and the charities involved, getting a framed special edition of a Capitol Police badge in recognition.
HERNANDEZ DIED QUICKLY: TSA employee Gerardo Hernandez died within five minutes of being shot at Los Angeles International Airport, a coroner has ruled. Medics couldn’t get to his body for a half hour after he was shot, reports said, but that appears to have played no role in his death. Press-Telegram: http://bit.ly/1bE9fbH
WHICHEVER WAY THE WRDA BLOWS: Senate EPW Chair Barbara Boxer doesn’t care whether a final water infrastructure bill used the Senate approach of laying out guidelines for what projects to authorize or the House approach of authorizing specific projects, she told reporters yesterday. “They name projects that have chief's reports, we don't name them,” she said after the first meeting of the WR(R)DA conference committee. “I think it's six of one, a half-dozen of the other. ... I'm not wedded to either approach.”
REPUBLICANS MEH ON JEH: Jeh Johnson’s nomination to lead DHS and the agency that’s part of it, the Transportation Security Administration, cleared committee yesterday and now heads to the floor. But he has a few hurdles to overcome — Lindsey Graham, Chuck Grassley and John McCain, for example. MT friend Seung Min Kim has the story for POLITICO: http://politi.co/1dj8sUr
THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ)
- Amtrak is investigating how a train switched from its tracks to SEPTA rails before stopping at a station outside Philly. NBC Washington: http://bit.ly/1hYJj3l
- T&I member Trey Radel taking a leave of absence from Congress for a drug treatment program. POLITICO: http://politi.co/17MZ60G
- Oops: A group in Washington state used an Airbus plane in a newspaper ad trying to entice Boeing. Q13 Fox: http://bit.ly/I0DFNI
- A JetBlue flight was diverted after an emergency slide partially deployed mid-flight. Orlando Sentinel: http://bit.ly/IhsMXL (h/t Bob King)
- Secretary Foxx in on-ed: “Our children are years away from driving, but my wife and I are teaching them now about the dangers of distracted driving.” Huffington Post: http://huff.to/1bEcfoA
THE DAY AHEAD: 3:30 p.m. — Secretary Foxx makes “a major funding announcement with the Georgia Department of Transportation. 600 West Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, Ga.
8 a.m. — The Volvo Group and the American Highway Users Alliance host a summit titled “Infrastructure for the Future: Sustainable Pathways to Meet America’s Transportation Challenges.” 425 New Jersey Ave. NW.
9 a.m. — The Bipartisan Policy Center and the Eno Center for Transportation hold a discussion on “Improving Passenger Rail Service in the Northeast Corridor.” BPC, 1225 I Street NW, Suite 1000.
9 a.m. — Common Good and Regional Plan Association co-host a forum on exploring ways to streamline infrastructure approvals. 901 E St. NW.
10 a.m. — FTA holds a teleconference meeting of the Transit Rail Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS).
Noon — FAA Administrator Michael Huerta addresses an Air Carrier Training Roundtable composed of training experts from the aviation community to discuss how to prioritize and implement voluntary improvements in air carrier training. Bessie Coleman Center, 2nd Floor East, FAA Headquarters, 800 Independence Ave. SW.
1 p.m. — ARTBA holds a webinar to discuss economic conditions affecting the 2014 U.S. transportation construction market growth, and the potential impacts of the continued budget gridlock on future federal transportation program financing. Online.
1:15 p.m. — DOT holds a meeting of the National Freight Advisory Committee at which its six subcommittees will meet for one hour and then report out to the full committee. DOT, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.
2 p.m. — United Airlines event to officially open its new widebody aircraft maintenance hangar at Washington Dulles International Airport. United Airlines Widebody Hangar, 23295 Autopilot Drive, Dulles, Va.
2:30 p.m. — Senate Commerce hearing on nominations including Paul Jaenichen Sr. to be administrator of the Maritime Administration and Debra Miller to be a member of the Surface Transportation Board. 253 Russell.
THE COUNTDOWN: Surface transportation policy is up in 314 days and FAA policy in 679 days. The mid-term elections are in 348 days. DOT appropriations run out in 56 days.
CABOOSE — TED Talks drones: The famous lecture series tackles drones with 12 talks taking both sides of the issue: “Depending on who you listen to, drones will either save the world — or usher in our techno-driven doom.” Check it out: http://bit.ly/1avFi0J
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Stories from POLITICO Pro
Foxx: Congress has to make the move on transpo funding
Seatbelt mandate for buses won’t bring instant results
Foxx: Congress has to make the move on transpo funding
By Adam Snider | 11/20/13
Less than a year from the deadline for a new transportation bill, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx says it’s up to lawmakers to say what funding options they could support.
Foxx, speaking to reporters Wednesday after a speech at the Newseum, said President Barack Obama has already proposed a number of funding ideas, but now the administration is looking for “where the yes point is on transportation.”
“Down in the South we have a saying: It’s really hard to push rope,” said Foxx, who hails from Charlotte, N.C.
“And I think if there were a couple of clusters of ideas that were being generated out of Capitol Hill, it would be easier for us to begin thinking about how we all come together,” Foxx continued, bemoaning the “one-sided” talks about funding. He added, “I think we are waiting to hear back from Congress.”
Foxx isn’t too pessimistic — he said he’s “encouraged” by the House’s “overwhelming” vote last month on an $8 billion water-projects bill. That measure passed 417-3 despite opposition from several right-wing groups that have traditionally had major influence over the most conservative members of Congress.
Foxx’s remarks lay down a key marker to lawmakers who haven’t agreed to a significant boost in transportation revenue in two decades. The gasoline tax that funds highway and transit projects hasn’t been raised in 20 years, and the Highway Trust Fund will go broke next year without billions of additional dollars.
The next bill setting policy and funding levels for highways and transit is due next October. While they have started preliminary work, top transportation lawmakers have been focused lately on the Water Resources Development Act, a long-awaited bill to upgrade the nation’s ports, waterways and flood protection systems. House and Senate negotiators — the same members tasked with finding a funding solution for surface transportation — held their first formal meeting on the water bill Wednesday.
Much of the rhetoric from key members of Congress so far has focused on keeping all funding options on the table and finding a solution the two parties can both support. But it’s a lot more complicated when you get into the weeds.
One possible solution is to look outside the traditional transportation financing methods — ideas like a repatriation tax or using general taxpayer dollars. But moving further away from the traditional “user pays” principle that has been a linchpin of transportation policy for decades could run into strong opposition from interest groups that worry such a move would open the door to major funding cuts down the road.
The administration has previously proposed options like using savings from ending the Middle East wars to pay for building and repairing roads and bridges, and Obama has asked Congress to create an infrastructure bank. But lawmakers have largely dismissed his ideas, saying the proposals are inadequate, or unrealistic or simply couldn’t pass a divided Congress.
Seatbelt mandate for buses won’t bring instant results
By Kevin Robillard | 11/20/13
Regulators finally finished creating a long-sought mandate for intercity buses to have seatbelts, but it will be years before every American bus has a way for passengers to strap in.
Starting in November 2016, every new bus in the U.S. will be required to have seatbelts under a rule that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finished Wednesday. That will be almost five decades after the National Transportation Safety Board first recommended the requirement. And because it will take decades for the nation’s bus fleet to turn over, some passengers could ride belt-free buses well into the 2020s.
But United Motorcoach Association President Victor Parra said he expected a majority of the nation’s bus fleet to have seatbelts ready by the time the rule goes into effect.
“The industry has already adapted,” Parra told POLITICO. “You can’t buy a new bus without a three-point seatbelt.”
Parra said bus manufacturers are now requiring companies to sign releases if they don’t want seatbelts. While some buses can be retrofitted for between $30,000 and $50,000, it’s impossible to install seatbelts on some buses without damaging their structural integrity, Parra said. NHTSA said it planned to “encourage” the industry to speed the adoption of lap and shoulder seat belts.
Safety watchdogs praised the rule change, which NHTSA estimates could cut bus deaths and moderate-to-severe injuries by close to 50 percent.
Right now, an average of 21 bus occupants are killed each year in crashes and more than 7,900 are injured. More than half of those deaths are caused by passengers being ejected, according to Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.
“Parents who put their children on a motorcoach for a school trip, an athletic event or a family trip will now be assured that one of the most essential safety protections will be available to protect a loved one in a crash,” the group’s president, Jackie Gillan, said in a statement.
NHTSA said seatbelts will particularly help limit deaths and injuries from rollover crashes.
The rule was required by the last surface transportation bill, but the seatbelt mandate has been a long time coming. The NTSB first recommended the rule in 1968 after 19 passengers died following a crash in California. Commercial bus operators fought against seatbelts for years, but support grew after a 2007 crash when a bus carrying a college baseball team drove off a highway overpass, leaving seven dead and dozens wounded.
The motorcoach industry hauls 700 million passenger trips each year on about 25,000 to 30,000 buses, Parra said. About 1,800 of those buses are replaced each year. The rule does not apply to school or transit buses.
“Safety is our highest priority and we are committed to reducing the number of deaths and injuries on our roadways,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. “Today’s rule is a significant step forward in our efforts to improve motorcoach safety.”
BAF IN THE NEWS:
Streets Blog: Stuck With No Bike Lane? Your Complaint to Congress Is Three Clicks Away
A few months ago, we told you that Building America’s Future had released an app called, “I’m Stuck!” It allowed you to send a quick email to your Congressional representatives, telling them that you were stuck in traffic, or on an overcrowded bus or a delayed train, and you wanted Congress to approve more funding to upgrade infrastructure. At the time, we noted that there was no bike/ped component to the app, but BAF has changed that — halfway, at least.