Two Peas in a University Pod

For the last few months while I've been watching the central corridor impasse between the University of Minnesota and everyone else , something was nagging me. And it finally clicked. U of M might as well be UT (Texas). Both are trying to reroute their respective lines around campus and near the football stadiums, both routes of which would not maximize ridership. Yet they press on with little care about their affect on the surrounding community.

Here is the U of M alternate route from the Pioneer Press.


Now here are the alternate Austin routes I drew up where the yellow is the better route, however the University continues to push the red route.



I believe what this shows is that Universities for one are scared of things they don't understand, and that they know nothing about transportation planning and so are trying to solve a problem that only exists 8 times a year. Football game and special event congestion. With Austin, they're running the line right past the performing arts center, the football stadium and the track and swim stadiums instead of by the main campus and the dense residential neighborhood to the west.

Another perceived problem is that light rail is dangerous to pedestrians. Unlike those extremely safe cars careening through and around campus driven by students. But it just goes to show that Universities shouldn't control regional decisions by throwing fits. If there were a real issue, regional planners would understand and back off, but planning so that cars can keep driving through campus and less trips on transit can be taken is unacceptable.

Bill Language Translation

As promised, an update on the Boxer amendment to the Lieberman Warner climate bill. The bill language in full can be found here. Here are the funding breakdowns for each program to be funded. Here is my translation of the language below for the transit section of the amendment:

Grants for Additional Public Transportation Service

65% of the funds will be put into the formula funding program for transit already set up under section 5307. 60% of these funds can go to capital and operations funds and will be appropriated according to the urbanized area population. 40% of these funds can be allocated based on growth in the state based on the census. Also, any capital project that receives federal funding will be eligible for the funding if it provides 20% of its own funding (See section e). Operating costs will only allow 50%

I worry that some of these funds might be eligible for transfer to freeways and roads. I can't tell for sure though if this is possible, but the rules set out below from the code make it possible.

1. In a Transportation Management Area (TMA), the MPO may elect to transfer portions of its FTA Section 5307 funds that cannot be used for operating assistance to FHWA for highway projects subject to the requirements of 49 U.S.C. §5307(b)(2).

Requirements:

(3) In a transportation management area designated under section 5305 (a) of this title,^[1] amounts that cannot be used to pay operating expenses under this section also are available for a highway project if—

(A) that use is approved, in writing, by the metropolitan planning organization under section 5303 of this title after appropriate notice and an opportunity for comment and appeal is provided to affected public transportation providers;

(B) the Secretary decides the amounts are not needed for investment required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.); and

(C) the metropolitan planning organization in approving the use under subparagraph (A) determines that the local transit needs are being addressed.

Grants for New Public Transit Projects

This is a really cool part. 30% of the $171 Billion expected would go to fixed guideway construction (Heavy Rail, Light Rail, Streetcar, Commuter Rail, and True BRT). It's subject to the same criteria as the new starts program. Now we have a little bit to worry about here if John McCain and Mary Peters stick around because they are going to water down fixed guideway as much as they can. Earlier this year they tried to make hot lanes eligible for new starts funding as "fixed guideway". This is also pennies. $1.026 Billion per year for fixed guideway projects is the basic idea.

Grants for Efficiency at Public Transit Agencies

5% of the funds will be allocated for reducing VMT, Bike and Ped infrastructure, carpool and telecommuting programs that don't include new road capacity. Funding will be distributed based on the total GHG reductions of the project applying for funding. This could include any of the following:

(A) improvements to lighting, heating, cooling, or ventilation systems in stations and other facilities that reduce direct or indirect greenhouse‐gas emissions;
(B) adjustments to signal timing or other vehicle controlling systems that reduce direct or indirect greenhouse‐gas emissions;
(C) purchasing or retrofitting rolling stock to improve efficiency or reduce greenhouse‐gas emissions; or
(D) improvements to energy distribution systems.

Like Ryan says, we can do better. But its a small start that could and should be expanded.

Bill Language Up for Boxer Amendment

The bill language in full can be found here. Specifically on the transit front, here is the language with links to the corresponding laws. Now I know this is a bit hard to get through but I'll try and translate and commentate in the next post up. So if you don't want to read lawyer speak, go up one post.

(f) GRANTS TO PROVIDE FOR ADDITIONAL AND IMPROVED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICE.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds deposited into the Transportation Sector Emission Reduction Fund each year pursuant to subsection (d), 65 percent shall be distributed to designated recipients as defined in section 5307 of Title 49, United States Code, to maintain or improve public transportation through activities eligible under that section.
(2) DISTRIBUTION.—Of the funds made available under paragraph (1)—
(A) 60 percent shall be distributed according to the formula in subsections (a) through (c) of section 5336 of Title 49, United States Code; and
(B) 40 percent shall be distributed according to the formula in section 5340 of Title 49, United States
Code.
(3) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—Any grant provided under this section shall be subject to the terms and conditions applicable to a grant made under section 5307 of Title 49, United States Code.
(4) COST SHARE.—The Federal government’s share of costs shall be as specified in section 5307(e) of Title 49, United States Code.

(g) GRANTS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF NEW PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds deposited into the Transportation Sector Emission Reduction Fund each year pursuant to subsection (d), 30 percent shall be distributed to State and local governmental authorities for design, engineering, and construction of new fixed guideway transit projects or extensions to existing fixed guideway transit systems.
(2) APPLICATIONS.—Applications for grants under this subsection shall be reviewed according to the process and criteria established in section 5309(d) of Title 49, United States Code, for major capital investments and section 5309(e) of Title 49, United states Code for other projects.
(3) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—Grant funds awarded under this subsection shall be subject to the terms and conditions applicable to a grant made under section 5309 of Title 49, United States Code.

(h) GRANTS FOR EFFICIENCY AT PUBLIC TRANSIT AGENCIES, TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES, AND
TRAVEL DEMAND REDUCTION PROJECTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.— Of the funds deposited into the Transportation Sector Emission Reduction Fund each year pursuant to subsection (d), 5 percent shall be awarded to State and local governmental authorities as defined in section 5307 of Title 49, United States Code, to assist in reducing the direct and indirect greenhouse‐gas emissions of their systems, through—
(A) programs to reduce vehicle miles traveled;
(B) bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, including trail networks integrated with transportation plans or bicycle mode‐share targets; and
(C) programs to establish or expand telecommuting or carpool projects that do not include new roadway capacity.
(2) ELIGIBLE USES OF FUNDS.—A recipient of funds under paragraph (1) shall use the funds for—
(A) improvements to lighting, heating, cooling, or ventilation systems in stations and other facilities that reduce direct or indirect greenhouse‐gas emissions;
(B) adjustments to signal timing or other vehicle controlling systems that reduce direct or indirect greenhouse‐gas emissions;
(C) purchasing or retrofitting rolling stock to improve efficiency or reduce greenhouse‐gas emissions; or
(D) improvements to energy distribution systems.
(3) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—In determining the recipients of grants under this subsection,
applications shall be evaluated based on the total direct and indirect greenhouse‐gas emissions
reductions that are projected to result from the project and projected reductions as a percentage of the entity’s total direct and indirect emissions.
(4) GOVERNMENT SHARE OF COSTS.—The Federal government’s share of the cost of an activity funded using amounts made available under this subsection may not exceed 80 percent of the cost of the activity.
(i) CONDITION FOR RECEIPT OF FUNDS.—To be eligible to receive funds under this section, projects or activities must be part of an integrated State‐wide transportation plan that shall‐‐
(1) include all modes of surface transportation;
(2) integrate transportation data collection, monitoring, planning, and modeling;
(3) report on estimated greenhouse‐gas emissions;
(4) be designed to reduce greenhouse‐gas emissions from the transportation sector; and
(5) be certified by the Administrator as consistent with the purposes of this Act.

LA Streetcar Workshop

Tomorrow is the LA Streetcar Workshop put on by Reconnecting America and the Seaside Institute. If you're in LA go and check it out. My colleagues Gloria Ohland and Natasha Daggs have been working really hard to put together a good program so if you get a chance say hi.

On a side note about Streetcars in LA, I was talking to my grandmother tonight and we started talking about LA. She lived there in the 20's from when she was 7 to about 17. Her grandmother lived on Pico and she said she and her siblings used to take safety pins and cross them to put on the tracks of the passing streetcar line. When they were run over, they would come out looking like scissors. Funny stuff kids do.

Gas Tax Losers

Wanna see if your region gets the short end of the stick? Check out Gas Tax Losers.

A few examples: for every gas tax dollar to the feds

Austin gets 76 cents
SF gets $1.44
LA gets 87 cents
Columbus OH 66 cents

It seems like if you have a transit system, you get real money back.

U of M Route Choice Crashes and Burns

Instead of going straight through campus, the University of Minnesota wanted the Central Corridor to go around. They even had Governor Pawlenty hold up State Funding for the project so they could study the route that would kill ridership. Well the study is back and like everyone said it would, it tanked:

The University of Minnesota's preferred route for the Central Corridor would fail to pass — big time — a key scoring index needed for federal approval, according to records obtained by the Pioneer Press today.

...

The Washington Avenue route, which would cost $909 million, is 23.80. The U's Dinkytown route, which would cost between $889 million and $894 million, would have a CEI of between 28.25 and 28.44, according to the U's study, which notes that 23.99 "is recommended by the FTA to be considered for federal funding.

The University is still going to try and lobby to change the CEI measures but good luck with that. How many other cities have tried to change it and failed. This is just another example of even smart people building for cars. And from now on, they will get much more pushback.

Possibly Billions for US Transit in Climate Bill

The word on the street is that an amendment will be introduced by Barbara Boxer to the Lieberman Warner Climate bill that would raise $171 billion dollars for transit (see title VI subtitle B). While this sounds good, it is only pennies. Over 50 years, thats only $3.42 billion per year which compared with the last transportation bill was $244 billion over 6 years, most of it for roads.

Now there is another pot of money that could possibly be used for transit. There will $544 billion available as energy block grants. The money is available for states that reduce GHG emissions. Some of that money could go to transit as well. Now this is just an amendment and while its got some support, it still needs votes.

We'll let you know more as it comes online.

Krugman on Living in a High Cost Oil World

I hope Mr. Krugman gets more folks to start talking about the changes we need to make in order to live a low oil lifestyle. And as he states, its not about prying cars away from Americans, but instead facilitating walking, biking, and transit. You know, what the transit blogosphere is talking about anyways.

To see what I’m talking about, consider where I am at the moment: in a pleasant, middle-class neighborhood consisting mainly of four- or five-story apartment buildings, with easy access to public transit and plenty of local shopping.

It’s the kind of neighborhood in which people don’t have to drive a lot, but it’s also a kind of neighborhood that barely exists in America, even in big metropolitan areas. Greater Atlanta has roughly the same population as Greater Berlin — but Berlin is a city of trains, buses and bikes, while Atlanta is a city of cars, cars and cars.

Central Corridor Alive

Governor, legislators make a deal.

Updated with better link. Thx Tedder.

Vulgar Libertarianism in Pittsburgh

I often wonder if libertarianism has a built in preference for getting around. Why do I wonder? Because it shouldn't. But that is how conversations about transport and libertarianism start out in this country. Basically most libertarians (I say most because there are some that understand history) use their libertarianism to declare that transit does not work. "Let the free market work" they say, without discussing the massive amount of subsidies that turned the United States into its car loving, wealth transferring, big business loving self.

In fact during the time at which most transit was built, it was during the most free market period in the history of this country and it was about the development of land. That development opportunity disappeared with the invention of the automobile and the road funding by the government. By that time zoning was implemented and separate districts mostly single family were created like they were on an assembly line.

So I'm not surprised when the assistant editor of the Pittsburgh Tribune started his column out like this without historical context:

It was no place for a lone libertarian. And it was certainly no friendly place for anyone who thinks wasteful government transportation monopolies like the Port Authority of Allegheny County are proof that America's 40-year-old experiment in socialized urban mass transit is a failure.

Just jump right into it Bill, leave no history forgetting opinion out. Then the preference issue:

In fact, anyone who openly prefers cars to buses would have found himself feeling very alone during a salon dinner discussion on "The Future of Urban Growth and Transportation" Tuesday night at the upscale restaurant Eleven in the Strip District.

Why is it that you prefer cars? Is it because we've made cars and oil pretty much the only game in town? This brings me to Vulgar Libertarianism. The Mutualist Blog lays it out:

The defining feature of vulgar political economy, as Marx described it, was that it had ceased to be an attempt at the scientific explication of the laws of economics, and had become a hired prize-fighter on behalf of plutocratic interests.

Interests like the automobile, at the cost of every other mode. But Japan can have free market transit! Why not be like them?

When the lone libertarian finally found the nerve, he did his uncomfortable best to politely shame his fellow salon-goers for their blind acceptance of our obviously third-rate mass-transit industrial complex. He pointed out that Tokyo's gargantuan transit system -- arguably the world's best -- was about 90 percent private and mostly profitable.

He tried to point out that in progressive Europe, governments are decentralizing control and funding of mass transit or privatizing its bus and rail lines, as Stockholm and London have done.

Remember earlier when we talked about land and our zoning. Well Japan's railroad owns land and that's where it makes most of its money. We don't let transit agencies become real estate companies either in this country. If we do, we often get into the whole eminent domain mess, which libertarians hate. In addition, London's privatization has been seen as a money sucking failure and the government in Denmark provides the best bike infrastructure in the world by which 24% of total trips are made.

So all of this points to hypocrisy and a misunderstanding of the past(or even the present) by the libertarian faction, one in which we subsidized cars and trucks so much, it killed the private railroads, passenger and freight. Now when are we going to talk about how much money we're sending overseas to fuel those cars? Is that the free market at work?