Topic: Rethinking transport in the USA

[KJP]

Why Does Our Infrastructure Resemble a Third World Country’s?
One explanation may be our budgeting process.

BY: ALEX MARSHALL | FEBRUARY 2012

Take a look around your community and I bet you’ll see pothole-filled roads, rusting bridges and decaying train stations. It is rare, rather than the rule, to see unblemished asphalt, gleaming railings and bright platforms. Yet we are, by all estimates, one of the richest societies in the world. What gives?

First of all, although my evidence is largely anecdotal, I have no doubt that the state of affairs I describe above is true. Americans traveling to other developed countries notice the difference, as do foreigners when they come here.

A German graduate student once told me he was amazed at the poor roads, sidewalks and other features in Cambridge, Mass., where we were both living and studying at the time.

“It looks like a third-world country here,” he said. “Apparently, no one cares.”

READ MORE AT:
http://www.governing.com/columns/eco-engines/gov-why-does-our-infrastructure-resemble-third-world.html

[KJP]

Well worth reading and sharing......

MONDAY, FEB 13, 2012 1:00 PM EASTERN STANDARD TIME
The Tea Party’s war on mass transit
House Republicans try to gut federal funds for subways as they extend the culture wars to urban policy issues

In the week since House Republicans introduced their proposed transportation bill, one thing has become clear: It has virtually nothing to do with fiscal responsibility.

The Tea Party soared to power on the notion that it was the antidote to wasteful government spending. It’s now clear that reigniting the culture wars was a top priority, too. From guns to abortion, the extremist wing of the Republican Party has fought to turn back the clock on many socially progressive ideals.

Mass transit is its newest target.

“Federal transportation and infrastructure policy has traditionally been an area of strong bipartisan agreement,” says Aaron Naparstek, a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and founder of Streetsblog.org. “Now, it seems, Republicans want to turn cities into a part of the culture wars. Now it’s abortion, gay marriage and subways.”

READ MORE AT:
http://www.salon.com/2012/02/13/the_tea_partys_war_on_mass_transit/

[KJP]

http://www.riderta.com/newsroom/releases/?listingid=1700

February 13, 2012

Rep. LaTourette and others fight to keep transit funding

CLEVELAND -- Joe Calabrese, the CEO and General Manager of The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) salutes U.S. Representative Steven LaTourettte and his colleagues in their efforts to protect public transportation.

Efforts currently underway in Congress suggest eliminating dedicated funding for public transit. LaTourette, and his colleagues Jerold Nadler, Earl Blumenauer, Chris Gibson, Joseph Crowley, Robert Turner, Charles B. Rangel and Michael Grimm, submitted their ammendment to HR 7, urging Congress to preserve dedicated transit funding.

Here is their proposal:

 PROTECT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FUNDING IN HR 7
Support the Nadler-LaTourette-Blumenauer Amendment to Restore Federally Guaranteed Transit Funding
 
Dear Colleague:
 
When the House considers the “American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012” (HR 7), we intend to offer an amendment to restore dedicated, guaranteed funding for public transportation programs.
 
HR 7 makes drastic changes to the way transit is funded in the surface transportation authorization bill. Our amendment eliminates these changes and restores a permanent funding mechanism for mass transit.
 
Since 1983, when the Surface Transportation Assistance Act was signed into law, 2.86 cents in motor fuels taxes has been deposited into the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund to provide a dedicated stable source of funding for public transportation programs.
 
HR 7 eliminates the Mass Transit Account and dedicates that 2.86 cents to highway programs. The bill moves transit and other public transportation programs into a new “Alternative Transportation Fund,” which would be dependent on appropriations from general revenue.
 
Although the bill makes a one-time transfer of $40 billion into the Alternative Transportation Fund to cover funding for those programs through the life of the bill, there is no guarantee for public transportation funding beyond FY 2016. Such a reality would make it difficult, if not impossible, for transit agencies to develop reliable long-term capital plans, and it would leave the future of the program in doubt.
 
Public transportation agencies around the country are already struggling to maintain current levels of service and keep the system in a state of good repair.
 
Removing federally guaranteed funding could result in a virtual construction and service freeze, the effects of which would be felt by riders, businesses, contractors, manufacturers and suppliers around the country.
 
Transit agencies may have to take on more debt in order to finance capital projects, and it could result in increased fares for our constituents.
 
There is no reason to make such a drastic change in how we finance public transportation.
 
Our amendment would restore the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund and the 2.86 cents dedicated funding stream for public transportation programs. It would eliminate the Alternative Trust Fund, make the Highway Trust Fund whole, and allow it to once again fund both highways and mass transit.
 
Our amendment conforms to 30 years of federal law. It is a simple, common-sense measure to restore the status quo. We urge you to support it.
 
If you have any questions, please contact Lisette Morton w/Rep. Nadler (lisette.morton@mail.house.gov or 5-5635), John Miceli w/Rep. LaTourette (john.miceli@mail.house.gov or 55731), or Tyler Frisbee w/Rep. Blumenauer (tyler.frisbee@mail.house.gov or 5-4811).
 
Sincerely,
 
 
JERROLD NADLER                         STEVEN C. LATOURETTE                         EARL BLUMENAUER
Member of Congress                            Member of Congress                             Member of Congress
 
 CHRIS GIBSON                              ROBERT TURNER                                       CHARLES RANGEL
Member of Congress                     Member of Congress                                     Member of Congress

JOSEPH CROWLEY                      MICHAEL GRIMM
Member of Congress                   Member of Congress

[KJP]

Many people throughout the USA are watching this development very closely.......

Missouri Senate panel hears mixed views on I-70 tolls
BY KEN LEISER • kleiser@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8215 | Posted: Thursday, February 23, 2012 12:00 am

JEFFERSON CITY • Missouri's transportation chief on Wednesday told a Senate panel that rebuilding Interstate 70 with tolls would fix just one of Missouri's most pressing highway needs at a time when highway funds plummet.

"This allows us to do a project," said Missouri Department of Transportation Director Kevin Keith. "That's it."

Keith was the first to testify during the first Senate Transportation Committee hearing on a bill that would permit tolls on I-70. The project would be undertaken by a private consortium. Private companies would finance, rebuild and operate the highway.

Tolls would repay the reconstruction and ongoing upkeep of I-70.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/missouri-senate-panel-hears-mixed-views-on-i--tolls/article_5bbf9d99-b043-5b18-b35d-4ef4a7008501.html#ixzz1ntvLYzMx

[noozer]

Transportation Advocates Put Support Behind Gas Tax For Public Transit

With Chicago-area gas prices pushing the $4 mark and pending federal legislation that would slash millions of dollars in funding for local public transit, a group of city transportation advocates is calling for more funding and improved services.

Riders for Better Transit and the Active Transportation Alliance held a press conference Wednesday morning at Pritzker Park near the Jackson Red Line station at Van Buren and State Streets. The group is throwing its support behind the Transit Fast Forward Bill, which would add a tax of two-fifths of a cent per gallon of gas to the six Illinois counties served by the CTA, Metra, and Pace systems.

In a press release the group said the money raised by the tax will help reduce future fare increases and provide funding to rebuild Chicago’s aging public transit infrastructure.

Advocates like Ron Burke, executive director of the Active Transportation Alliance, said the added tax, which would increase the average family’s spending on gas by about $4 a year, would generate about $11.6 million for transit in 2013.

Read more at: http://progressillinois.com/quick-hits/content/2012/02/29/transportation-advocates-put-support-behind-gas-tax-public-transit

[noozer]

More band-aids from Congress when this nation mosts needs a comprehensive transportation policy.

House to introduce three-month highway bill extension
By Keith Laing - 03/21/12 01:07 PM ET
 
The House of Representatives will vote on a three-month extension of highway funding that will extend transportation programs in the United States until June 30.

The announcement comes after House leaders shunned the idea of holding a vote on a two-year, $109 billion plan that was approved in a bipartisan vote by the Senate last week. It represents a clear defeat for Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) goal of passing a multi-year bill early in this election year.

But House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) said a three-month extension would "ensure continuity of current programs while … House Republicans continue to work toward a responsible transportation bill that provides long-term certainty, reduces the size of government, eliminates earmarks, and is fully paid for."

Mica made clear the House has no plans to take up the Senate version.

Read more at: http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/highways-bridges-and-roads/217315-house-to-introduce-three-month-highway-bill-extension

[Quimbob]

From The American Conservative's Center for Public Transportation:
"We at The American Conservative Center for Public Transportation believe that our dependence on foreign oil is a continuing major risk that imperils our national security and ultimately our economy. Transit, especially rail transit, can provide the mobility alternatives that we need to help reduce our reliance on foreign oil."
&
"All of our institutions are geared to an era that was designed for a different set of circumstances that mainly relied on cheap domestic oil. That day is over. We need to realize it and embrace a future that recognizes that fact. That future must include public transportation, especially rail."

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/cpt/2012/03/06/our-view-on-the-price-of-oil/

[noozer]

A very good discussion about the lack of a long-term Federal Transportation Bill from WOSU's "All Sides" show....

April 3, 2012 — 10:00 am
Future of Transportation Funding in Ohio and the Nation

Congress, among rising gas prices and transportation funding declines, has been unable to pass a 5 or 6 year Federal Transportation Bill that could open up more options and perhaps bring more predictability to the funding of how we move people and goods. How is the lack of a long-term bill having an impact?

Listen to the full hour at: http://beta.wosu.org/allsides/future-of-transportation-funding-in-ohio-and-the-nation/

[noozer]

 

 

 
Bloomberg
OP-EDS

Why Does U.S. Build Roads If It Can’t Pay to Fix Them?

By Alex Marshall Apr 5, 2012

A number of years ago in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a young friend from Germany turned to me and commented on the potholed and patched streets that surrounded us, as well as the uneven sidewalks and assorted other rough edges.

“It looks like a Third World country here,” he said. “Apparently no one cares.” To him, it was amazing that the wealthy and well-educated residents of Cambridge would tolerate such a poor public environment.

Yet in the U.S. this is more the rule than the exception. Many cities, of course, are in much worse shape than Cambridge .

Last week, Congress approved an emergency stopgap transportation-spending bill, which will give the House and Senate more time to argue over the shape and size of a long-term transportation bill. Although these debates are important, they distract from the reality on the ground, which is that much of our common infrastructure is falling apart from lack of basic maintenance.

Read more at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-05/why-does-u-s-build-roads-if-it-can-t-pay-to-fix-them-.html

[KJP]

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=9v4zoegab&v=0019vIjpnfVUZ9qvvm8b622AJeoaXeCFfaadWKKXOwbbaSqQ2a2PeYXQp2cx41960xalkV3JTQRcwQ5n3iT1jdCHwLPrfD04-vSMmZ3j0nyuaYS9Wj03WgPsQ%3D%3D

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Completes Markup on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations (THUD) Bill 
 
Senate Panel Approves $100 million for "High Performance" Passenger Rail Grants in fiscal year 2013 USDOT Spending Bill

Washington, D.C. - On Tuesday, April 17, 2012, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) approved a $53.4 billion appropriations bill funding investments in the nation's roads, bridges, rail and transit systems, and airports, as well as housing assistance for low-income families and veterans. 

The American High Speed Rail Alliance (AHSRA) is pleased that $100 million is included for a "high performance" passenger rail grant program for states, in addition to funding for Amtrak, the TIGER program and the New Starts program.

Highlights of the bill include:

+ $1.75 billion for the nation's rail infrastructure.  Of the total amount provided, $100 million is for the High Performance Passenger Rail grant program to assist states with the improvement of existing intercity services, congestion mitigation and multi-state planning initiatives and $1.45 billion is for Amtrak.
+ $2.044 billion, $89 million above the fiscal year 2012 enacted level, for the Federal Transit Administration's "New Starts" program. This funding supports projects that will provide new or expanded public transportation services.
+ $500 million for the TIGER grant program to support significant transportation projects in a wide variety of modes, including highways and bridges, public transportation, passenger and freight railroads, and port infrastructure. The funding level included in the bill is equal to the fiscal year 2012 enacted level.

The bill now heads to the full Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, April 19, 2012 for further review.  The House Appropriations Committee has yet to act on the fiscal year 2013 THUD appropriations bill.

For more information, click here: http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1106103828154-81/04_17_12_THUD+Markup+Summary+(3).pdf

[KJP]

This must mean the House leadership wants either a gas tax increase, or maybe they think private enterprise is going to suddenly step in and start buying and building roads and transit from the government. Without transportation, our cities, our industries, our economy would grind to a halt....

__________

http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/

Dangerous Cuts

The House will vote tonight on a Motion to Instruct Conferees “to insist on provisions that limit funding for Federal highway and transit programs to levels that can be supported by Highway Trust Fund revenues, without transfers from the general fund of the Treasury or other sources.”  The surface transportation bill (MAP-21) currently in conference committee is a 2-year bill that provides approximately $50 billion annually for federal transportation programs. The motion to instruct amounts to a 25% decrease overall or a bill of approximately $38 billion annually.
 
Your immediate action is needed to stop the passage of this motion in tonight’s House session. Contact your Member of Congress and tell him/her to vote “no” on the motion to instruct.

A vote to cut transportation spending means a vote to cut jobs!


Millions of Jobs
Insiders on the Hill indicate that the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Sub-Committee (THUD) of the House Appropriations Committee is planning to mark-up the FY 2013 THUD bill next week. The sub-committee has yet to release the details of the bill or mark-up, but if the FY 2013 House budget is an indicator of their intent, transportation spending is at risk for more cuts. The FY 2013 House budget—referred to as a “reconciliation budget” and crafted by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI)—passed the House two weeks ago on a vote of 218-199 and reduced transportation program spending by approximately 25%.
 
The transportation sector accounts for more than 10% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (or more than $1 trillion) and results in millions of jobs. At a time when the jobless rate in many of our states exceeds 8% (and is double-digits for African-American men), cuts in transportation spending—especially public transit—are unacceptable.

It’s time for Congress to get serious about job creation and economic recovery.

Call your Member of Congress today and tell him/her to maintain current transportation and public transit spending levels in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill. The health and vitality of our communities and our nation depends on it.

[Foraker]

Well, we do have a problem (as noted above) with building new infrastructure (mostly more and more lane-miles of roadway) that we cannot afford to maintain.  So on that front, paying more attention to what we're buying with those federal transportation dollars is important.  But while I would welcome increased scrutiny and better decision-making, I don't think an across-the-board cut to transportation funding makes any sense.  In my opinion, Congress has its priorities all wrong when they don't want to spend $50 billion for transportation but complain about planned cuts to the $1 trillion military budget, particularly when (a) Congress already agreed to cut the Defense budget, and (b) the Defense Department says those cuts are manageable!

I would also argue in favor of making the gas tax a % tax rather than a flat rate, and increasing the tax above the current % rate, so that revenues will more closely follow petroleum prices.  This is particularly important when it is petroleum products that are used to build and maintain the roads, so if the price goes up maintenance costs also go up.

[KJP]

In my opinion, Congress has its priorities all wrong when they don't want to spend $50 billion for transportation but complain about planned cuts to the $1 trillion military budget, particularly when (a) Congress already agreed to cut the Defense budget, and (b) the Defense Department says those cuts are manageable!

That's putting it mildly!

When Congress tries to halt transportation spending to hurt the economy to hurt the incumbent president's re-election chance, I think that borders on treason. I don't care who the president is or will be. Congress was elected to promote the general welfare of the nation, not the general welfare of a political party. If this is what Democracy has come to, then perhaps it's time to get rid of political parties as a form of anti-competitive, collusive business practice.

[Foraker]

KJP -- what do you know about the Steel Interstate Coalition:
http://steelinterstate.org/

I like the phrase "steel interstate system."

[KJP]

They've been trying to get All Aboard Ohio to be more active with them, which usually means we end up doing more work but get no new funding for our troubles. But I still added our name as a supporter of what they're doing, which is worthwhile.

[KJP]

BREAKING NEWS

June 21, 2012
Boxer, Mica: Goal is to complete authorization package by next week

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Rep. John L. Mica (R-FL), Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following statement regarding the surface transportation bill conference:

"The conferees have moved forward toward a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on a highway reauthorization bill. Both House and Senate conferees will continue to work with a goal of completing a package by next week."             

Consensus on a transportation authorization bill has been stalled since SAFETEA-LU expired in September 2009, with the both the House and Senate releasing and

READ MORE AT:
http://www.metro-magazine.com/News/Story/2012/06/Boxer-Mica-Goal-is-to-complete-authorization-package-by-next-week.aspx?ref=MET-BreakingNews-20120621&utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Enewsletter

[KJP]

HERE'S THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT.....

FINAL LIST:
http://www.dot.gov/tiger/fy2012tiger.pdf


http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2012/dot6812a.html

Friday, June 22, 2012
U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces Funding for 47 TIGER 2012 Projects as Overwhelming Demand for TIGER Dollars Continues

WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that 47 transportation projects in 34 states and the District of Columbia will receive a total of almost $500 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) 2012 program.

“President Obama’s support for an America built to last is putting people back to work across the country building roads, bridges and other projects that will mean better, safer transportation for generations to come,” said Secretary LaHood. “TIGER projects mean good transportation jobs today and a stronger economic future for the nation.”

The TIGER program is a highly competitive program that is able to fund innovative projects difficult or impossible to fund through other federal programs. In many cases, these grants will serve as the final piece of funding for infrastructure investments totaling $1.7 billion in overall project costs. These federal funds are being leveraged with money from private sector partners, states, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations and transit agencies.

TIGER has enjoyed overwhelming demand since its creation, a trend continued by TIGER 2012. Applications for this most recent round of grants totaled $10.2 billion, far exceeding the $500 million set aside for the program. In all, the Department received 703 applications from all 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

The grants will fund a wide range of innovative transportation projects in urban and rural areas across the country:

•   Of the $500 million in TIGER 2012 funds available for grants, more than $120 million will go to critical projects in rural areas.

•   Roughly 35 percent of the funding will go to road and bridge projects, including more than $30 million for the replacement of rural roads and bridges that need improvements to address safety and state of good repair deficiencies.

•   16 percent of the funding will support transit projects like the Wave Streetcar Project in Fort Lauderdale.

•   13 percent of the funding will support high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects like the Raleigh Union Station Project in North Carolina.

•   12 percent will go to freight rail projects, including elements of the CREATE (Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency) program to reduce freight rail congestion in Chicago.

•   12 percent will go to multimodal, bicycle and pedestrian projects like the Main Street to Main Street Multimodal Corridor project connecting Memphis and West Memphis.

•   12 percent will help build port projects like the Outer Harbor Intermodal Terminal at the Port of Oakland.

•   Three grants were also directed to tribal governments to create jobs and address critical transportation needs in Indian country.

TIGER projects will also improve accessibility for people with disabilities to health care, education and employment opportunities.

Over the next six months, 27 projects are expected to break ground from the previous three rounds of TIGER. In addition, work is under way on 64 capital projects across the country.

On November 18, 2011, the President signed the FY 2012 Appropriations Act, which provided $500 million for Department of Transportation national infrastructure investments. Like the first three rounds, TIGER 2012 grants are for capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure and are awarded on a competitive basis. This is the fourth round of TIGER funding.

Under all four rounds combined, the TIGER program has provided $3.1 billion to 218 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Demand for the program has been overwhelming, and during all four rounds, the Department of Transportation received more than 4,050 applications requesting more than $105.2 billion for transportation projects across the country.

The fiscal year 2013 appropriations bill currently under consideration in the U.S. Senate provides $500 million for a future round of TIGER grants.

Click here for additional information on individual TIGER grants http://www.dot.gov/tiger/fy2012tiger.pdf

###
Contact: DOT Press Office •  Tel: (202) 366-4570

[GCrites80s]

It's strange to see the words Bronx and Pickaway so close to each other.

[KJP]

Tweeted by Transportation 4 America.....
Done deal. #Transpobill passes House and Senate in one day, completing the passage of bill that's a last gasp of 20th century policy.
"... the battle for the next one [transpo bill] begins the minute this one is signed!"

[natininja]

Wow, I am so mad about this bill I need to blow off some steam somehow.

Edit: Now that is looking like a false alarm. Yesterday I was so angry... Chabot's anti-rail amendment was apparently on another bill which hasn't passed yet.

[KJP]

June 29, 2012
Congress approves 2-year transportation bill

Congress officially approved a two-year transportation bill, as part of a broader package that included resolution of other long-simmering issues, including student loans and federal flood insurance.

The package passed the House 373 to 52 and the Senate 74 to 19, with one member voting present, according to the Washington Post. Under the agreement, federal transportation funding will continue at roughly $54 billion a year, with public transportation funds set at $8.36 billion in FY2012, $8.47 billion in FY 2013 and $8.595 billion in FY 2014.

READ MORE AT:
http://www.metro-magazine.com/News/Story/2012/06/Congress-approves-2-year-transportation-bill.aspx?ref=MET-BreakingNews-20120629&utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Enewsletter

[ClevelandOhio]

Something funny. Wasnt sure where to post it.

[Keith]

^I like the idea of a countdown timer, but it wouldn't really work for the colorblind.

[GCrites80s]

Good way to practice your drag race reaction times. Now everyone can cut perfect lights consistently!

[natininja]

This effectively exists where walk signals count down.

[GCrites80s]

Yes, yes it does...

[KJP]

Thursday, July 26, 2012
Highway Builders to Party Leaders: The Future Is “More Than Just Roadways”
by Tanya Snyder

Over the past two weeks, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association has sent letters to the Republican National Committee [PDF] and the Democratic National Committee [PDF], asking them to consider inserting a plank in their platforms about transportation. And they were clear in their letter that, despite being major cheerleaders for road-building, the future they see is multi-modal.

They also made a strong argument for transportation as a federal responsibility. To many, this is a no-brainer. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) likes to remind people of the example of the Kansas Turnpike, built in 1954, when transportation was left to the states. Oklahoma ran out of funding for the project — “So for the next 18 months, the turnpike ended in Amos Switzer’s field at the Kansas/Oklahoma border,” DeFazio said. “For months on end, Amos was left to fish drivers out of his field until the start of the interstate system that finished this badly needed roadway.”

Conservatives in Congress have been arguing the unthinkable: taking the country back to a state-based system where there’s no federal role in transportation. “We settled that debate with Dwight David Eisenhower,” DeFazio said.

READ MORE AT:
http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/07/26/highway-builders-to-party-leaders-the-future-is-more-than-just-roadways/?utm_source=July+27%2C+2012&utm_campaign=Tracks-07-27&utm_medium=email

[Hootenany]

Can't find the article online, but I was reading the latest issue of Aviation Week and came across an article titled "French Uncertainties" in which the author discusses some of the reasons for Air France's recent financial troubles.  One interesting point the article made is that, "Air France has long considered the TGV high-speed train's growing route system as a serious competitor, but avoided acknowledging the obvious.  On short distances (less than 300 miles), airlines cannot compete efficiently and profitably against TGV's serving downtown points."

I found this very interesting considering it's coming from Aviation Week.  Even extremely expensive TGV lines are more economical than short haul passenger flights on distances less than 300 miles.  For reference, Cleveland-Cincinnati = 250 miles, Cleveland-Chicago = 345 miles, Cincinnati-Chicago = 296 miles, Cincinnati-Nashville = 272 miles, Cincinnati-Pittsburgh= 288 miles.

[OHSnap]

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/08/advice-passing-massive-infrastructure-referendum/2945/

[GCrites80s]

The damage to its reputation was soon confirmed, when credit rating agency Moody’s declared a "credit negative" for Atlanta and downgraded a bond rating for MARTA, the city’s strained transit authority. Moody’s message was pretty straightforward: "The Atlanta region needs major upgrades to its dated and limited transit system and congested roadways to maintain its long-term position as an influential economic center." It’s an ominous warning for other areas of the country facing similar investment challenges.

Now that's a threat. Improve transit or Wall Street will downgrade your city's bond rating.

[KJP]

The damage to its reputation was soon confirmed, when credit rating agency Moody’s declared a "credit negative" for Atlanta and downgraded a bond rating for MARTA, the city’s strained transit authority. Moody’s message was pretty straightforward: "The Atlanta region needs major upgrades to its dated and limited transit system and congested roadways to maintain its long-term position as an influential economic center." It’s an ominous warning for other areas of the country facing similar investment challenges.

Now that's a threat. Improve transit or Wall Street will downgrade your city's bond rating.

Whoa!

[KJP]

Wonder what Romney's policy will be toward transportation? His new running mate gives some indication (as does Romney's plan to kill Amtrak: http://www.progressiverailroading.com/amtrak/article/Romney-threatens-to-eliminate-Amtrak-subsidy-if-elected-Enos-Schank-weighs-in-on-potential-implications--32113) based on his recent federal transportation budget....

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 11 Comments
GOP Budget Would Slash Transpo Spending, Entrench Oil Dependence
by Noah Kazis

With the release of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s budget proposal yesterday, right wing calls for massive cuts to transportation spending are now enshrined in the GOP leadership’s fiscal plan. Ryan singled out transportation as an area particularly ripe for cuts, criticized the use of gas tax revenues for projects that aren’t highways, and called for transportation spending levels to barely cover half of what President Obama requested in February.

Ryan’s budget calls for $704 billion to be spent on transportation over the next decade. That’s $318 billion less than if current spending levels were simply extended forward, according to House Transportation Committee Ranking Member Nick Rahall’s office, and $633 billion less than what Obama requested.

The proposal would also radically shift the balance of federal transportation spending toward highways. It promises to eliminate all new intercity rail projects unless they can be established as profitable private enterprises, for example. It also blames the highway trust fund’s deficits on non-highway spending, with “bike trails” specifically singled out. Of course, the real cause of the trust fund shortfall isn’t the minuscule amount spent on bikeways but the declining revenues from a gas tax that hasn’t even been adjusted for inflation since 1993.

READ MORE AT:
http://dc.streetsblog.org/2011/04/06/gop-budget-would-slash-transpo-spending-entrench-oil-dependence/

[UrbanSurfin]

Interesting articles from Bloomberg:

Why Does Transit Cost So Much to Build in the U.S.?

With Manhattan's new Second Avenue subway expected to cost five times as much as comparable projects in Europe and Asia, Stephen Smith looks to transit-construction practices from abroad for lessons on how to contain costs in America.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-26/u-s-taxpayers-are-gouged-on-mass-transit-costs.html

[KJP]

As fewer people can afford to drive and more people take to the rails, transit and bikes, those who seek to preserve the status quo feel threatened.....

8/29/2012
GOP platform calls for ending Amtrak subsidy, high-speed rail funding

Yesterday at their national convention in Tampa, Fla., Republicans approved a party platform that calls for ending federal funding for Amtrak  and high-speed rail, and allocating more federal transportation dollars for highway projects instead of other transportation options, such as public transit, bicycling and pedestrian programs, according to national news reports.

The platform includes many measures that Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee pushed for during negotiations on the new, two-year $105 billion transportation bill that was enacted earlier this summer, news reports stated.

READ MORE AT:
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/amtrak/news/GOP-platform-calls-for-ending-Amtrak-subsidy-highspeed-rail-funding--32233#

[BuckeyeB]

As fewer people can afford to drive and more people take to the rails, transit and bikes, those who seek to preserve the status quo feel threatened.....

8/29/2012
GOP platform calls for ending Amtrak subsidy, high-speed rail funding

Yesterday at their national convention in Tampa, Fla., Republicans approved a party platform that calls for ending federal funding for Amtrak  and high-speed rail, and allocating more federal transportation dollars for highway projects instead of other transportation options, such as public transit, bicycling and pedestrian programs, according to national news reports.

The platform includes many measures that Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee pushed for during negotiations on the new, two-year $105 billion transportation bill that was enacted earlier this summer, news reports stated.

READ MORE AT:
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/amtrak/news/GOP-platform-calls-for-ending-Amtrak-subsidy-highspeed-rail-funding--32233#

Well that ought to settle it for any urban transit users who were thinking about voting for Romney.