Do You Have SOV Disorder?

H/T Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

State of NC Stepping Up

Today in the Charlotte Observer there was an article about a $1.6 Billion in State Funds to match local transportation efforts. It also authorizes all of the large regions to pass a sales tax if they so choose similar to the 1/2 cent sales tax that exists in Charlotte. But the best part about this is that it leaves decisions up to the localities.

The bill doesn't appropriate any money. It simply authorizes urban counties to adopt local taxes for transportation projects and authorizes creation of the Congestion Relief and Intermodal Transportation 21st Century Fund to provide money for an array of transportation uses. How it would be funded would be decided in another legislative session. But the bill offers Wake, Durham and Orange counties in the Triangle and Forsyth and Guilford in the Triad the opportunity to do what Charlotte has done.

"I just think it starts the framework for a comprehensive transportation plan for North Carolinians, giving them options for getting to work, shopping and recreation," said Carney. "It broadens our thinking for the 21st and 22nd century transportation options."

There's one other thing. Because the bill doesn't appropriate money, it leaves decision-making to local voters, Carney said. "This is about the public, not the legislature, deciding what is best.

This means we could see more money in North Carolina for transit options. With the Triangle looking at an intermodal plan, this could push money their way. And with improved federal funding hopefully under a new administration, Charlotte might be able to speed up their expansion given the extra availability of funds. Currently they are trying to move up the streetcar to 2013 from 2018.

CATS officials also have intentions of extending the light rail to University City by 2015 at an estimated cost of $750 million and building commuter rail to the Lake Norman area by 2012 for an estimated $261 million.
...

CATS chief executive Keith Parker said in March that CATS can't do all three projects at once without a new funding source.

Muni LRT to be Powered by the Sun

Calgary powers its light rail with wind, Seattle with hydro and Muni which was partial hydro, will now be solar. So much for those coal fired power plant arguments against light rail and future energy.

The photovoltaic systems at the two facilities and the solar energy they generate will be developed and operated under a "Power Purchase Agreement" between the SFPUC and Recurrent Energy. Under the agreement, which the SFPUC members authorized SFPUC staff to negotiate today, Recurrent will finance, design, build and operate the solar energy projects and provide all the energy generated to the SFPUC for a period of 25 years. The five megawatts generated between the two facilities will be used to help power other San Francisco public services and buildings, including streetlights, San Francisco General Hospital, Muni light rail and city schools.

Who Knew Part 2: Buy Poor People Cars

This is what our buddy Wendell Cox said in an interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune. Wow. Read it for yourself:

Q: What would you do if you got to run the Port Authority?

A: If I were given dictatorial powers to go into a place like Pittsburgh and not have to deal with the feds and everything, I would propose that what we do is first offer a program of leased cars to our low-income riders and basically try to move all of our low-income drivers who can drive to cars. And by the way, the mathematics work very well.

Secondly, I would strengthen dial-a-ride (Access) programs to help those people we can't help with cars. And thirdly, I would provide whatever service can be provided by bus or rail profitably. That means that people who work downtown are going to have to start paying their share. Maybe that hurts downtown. But the fact is, there's no reason why a downtown employee should not be paying the full cost of his transit ride to downtown.

Wendell and other able bodied people don't really care about kids or older folks that can't drive. Those dial a ride programs are expensive and aren't very reliable. Imagine how much more expensive they would be if they were flushed with all the new traffic after bus routes were shut down. Basically buy people cars and provide taxis. Real good idea Wendell. Lets not get into "the math" either. You always forget to add in the taxpayer cost of local streets, health implications of higher pollution, cost of parking spaces, loss of property tax from highways not to mention the massive taxpayer cost of highway expansion that would have to take place to accommodate all those new cars you bought people.

There are a lot more gems of half truths and bs in this column, but I thought I would share more. I think its safe to say that Wendell just hates transit and loves cars. He loves the way of life that costs most Americans 19% of their income right off the bat.

Q: What's the best transit system in the United States -- or is there one?

A: Boy.... Oh, San Diego. I would not call it the best. I'd call it the least worst. San Diego has done some wonderful things. They started contracting out transit service in 1979. Their costs are much lower than other systems as a result. More than 40 percent of their system is contracted out now. They carry a huge increase in ridership compared to what they had in 1980 -- a ridership increase that's far greater than the population increase. Everybody likes to talk about the San Diego Trolley, the light rail line. It is, again, the least worst trolley in the country. It is less unsuccessful as a result of its first line that went to the Mexican border. For example, if those Port Authority tunnels under the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh were ending up at the Mexican border, they might make some sense. But in the early years, this San Diego line covered 90 percent of its operating cost; it never covered any capital. As the system has expanded, it's been decimated. There's no other destination like the Mexican border. When you talk about transit in the United States, you have to be talking about best prisoner awards. These systems are a scourge on taxpayers. There are some that do some wonderful things, but nobody does it all right.

There's a bit of race baiting in here mixed with some good ole misleading information. Nothing new from people like Wendell. First off, the San Diego Trolley is the most efficient light rail system in the United States. It operates at 20 cents per passenger mile. Give any other mode outside of bicycles and walking that operate at that low cost. This is saving taxpayers money. Don't give me this bs Wendell about decimation. Your twisted logic has led the United States into this mess we are in today with people dependent on the oil god. Consume all you want and pay later. Well that bill is going to come due soon and the tax payers are going to front it. That will be decimation. It would have been better off in the long run if you and your ilk weren't so busy promoting wasteful living arrangements and solutions that would create more carbon expulsion.

It also seems like Wendell also has a hate for downtowns. I'm not sure why. Perhaps he believes that people should be isolated from each other and knowledge agglomeration should be limited. It's funny to think that Randall and Wendell attack San Jose for its planning, when in reality its much of their thinking that has gone into what created that place. More roads, less downtown, more driving.

We'll get to those privatization arguments later when we have more time.

Cargo Trams 2

Back in April of 07 we covered Cargo Trams, specifically the City Cargo operation in Amsterdam. Well there's an article on how it all works in Material Handling Magazine. It's a fascinating read about how the city uses streetcars to take deliveries into the city during the day and distribute it using small electric delivery vehicles. This allows for more deliveries during the day since Amsterdam is closed to delivery trucks during the day.

"The ultimate goal is Green sustainability, reduction of pollution and truck traffic," says Bonkenburg. "We wanted an approach that was efficient and effective for moving goods into the system for an indefinite period without having a negative impact on the environment. By reducing traffic congestion, you immediately reduce pollution, noise levels and have less damage to roads."

Using trams to carry goods into the city also provides awider window for deliveries, according to Bonkenburg. Amsterdam restricts truck traffic during certain hours, but with a tram and e-car combination, the system allows smaller deliveries throughout the day.

You can find a video here that shows how it works.

The Gasoline Conundrum

For every one of these stories...

When does the price of gasoline get so painful that drivers park their cars and look for the nearest bus stop or rail station? Many in North Texas say that time has arrived. And a new study of driver attitudes – plus increasingly crowded buses, trains and station parking lots – suggests they may be right.

There is one of these...

High gas prices are pushing more people onto buses and subways, straining transit agencies trying to meet the demand.

Like other consumers, the agencies are also paying more for fuel — 44% more this year than last, according to a survey of 96 transit agencies to be released Friday by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).That double hit means bus and train operators are raising fares, cutting services and delaying improvements. Almost half of bus operators and more than two-thirds of rail operators have increased fares. About a fifth are cutting service.

These aren't choices we should have to make and its unfortunate that our the majority of our transportation system is tied up in oil. It'll be interesting to see how resources shift as prices go up. Will fund transit with higher fares as some have already started to or will it come out of a budget for new roads. The paradigms are shifting, but perhaps not that much.

For the future, when the grid starts to get changed into alternative energy like solar, part of the capital program for smaller cities might include provisions for electrification of heavier ridership bus lines. Now that oil and diesel prices are so high, it's possible to pay off some of the capital cost over time of this incremental improvement. Since this would include some smaller cities, it would be a great opportunity to include more areas into capital funding programs. It certainly would make more lawmakers happy that they are serving their constituents and make available funding from a carbon economy.

No Transportation Blogs at the Democratic Convention

Not gonna lie, I was a bit disappointed when I got the email today saying that TOW would not be blogging from the democratic national convention. We made it past the first round and I was looking forward to being able to get questions from you all to ask party leaders and get some answers on transportation issues.

Alas it wasn't to be. So we'll have to get some info from other transportation blogs that will be... oh wait. There aren't any transportation blogs credentialed at the convention. However there is a Silver Lining. I imagine David Roberts and Crew at Gristmill will cover some of these issues. So we'll be living vicariously through them during the convention. Congrats guys, and ask some good questions!

Update: We'll also be living vicariously through Robert who writes at CAHSR and Calitics. :)

Denver Bill Could Allow Public Bonds and Joint Development

The Denver Transit Stop has a post up alerting folks to a new bill passed by a house committee in the Colorado legislature that would allow the Regional Transit District to sell tax exempt bonds and loan the money to contractors building PPPs.

Another twist is that the bill would allow the private entities to use the money to develop at the stations. I'm not sure if this includes eminent domain but it does allow joint development which would be a way to offset some of the costs of the overall project.

The bill language states:

...political subdivision may, in connection with a mass transportation system project financed by private activity or exempt facility bonds issued by the district, lend or grant money or any other form of real, personal, or mixed property directly to a private business developing or operating the project or indirectly to such a private business through the district and may enter into contracts to make such loans and grants, all upon terms and conditions the district or private business and the state, state agency, county, municipality, (etc)...

Very interesting.

Worried About Aesthetics?

Now this is a doozy. The University of Minnesota continued its obstructionism today by being the lone no vote on the alignment decision. After being given an extra week and much deference, they continued to play the opposition. However it seems that its possible that it could be something other than the well being of students or worries about damaging medical equipment.

Hausman described the U's continued opposition as the "ultimate in carelessness and possibly arrogance." She went on to say the U might face ramifications at the Capitol when seeking funding from lawmakers in the future. "The sense of many is the U is simply accustomed to getting their own way," she said.

She related a conversation with University President Robert Bruininks in which he expressed concerns about the "aesthetics" of the light rail line through campus.

"It's an insult to Minneapolis and St. Paul to assume only the university cares about aesthetics," Hausman said.

Wow. After all that and even now hiring a $500,000 a year lobbyist I hope they come up with a better reason than aesthetics to oppose it. I can kind of understand the sensitive equipment argument, but I think its grasping at straws since they haven't really given anything specific. The Portland Aerial Tram had to be cantilevered off of the cliff side because of the sensitive microsurgeries that take place at OHSU.

But then again, Houston's light rail runs straight through the largest medical center in the world. And I'm sure subways in Boston and New York as well as transit around the world runs by similarly sensitive equipment. In Oakland people and heavy buses drive about 40 feet away from the MRI machine located in a trailer. In any event, it seems like blatant obstructionism. But it also seems like its about to come to an end.

A Bad Day in Rail Transit

Update 10:28pm PT: Unfortunate news, the Green Line Operator Injured in the accident has died. My thoughts are with the family.

I'm not gonna sugar coat the day today, it was just bad all around. First there was a horrific crash of two Green Line Streetcars in Boston. Switchback has the coverage along with the AP.

A two-car train slammed into the back of another two-car train approaching Woodland Station, said Pesaturo, adding that the trains were probably packed with commuters. "The first one was stopped at a red signal and was ready to proceed to the station when it was struck," he said.

In Chicago, an EL train derailed due to operator error, injuring passengers.

In Chicago, authorities said a train operator apparently made two key errors in quick succession to cause a derailment that left passengers perched more than 20 feet above the ground and sent several to hospitals. The operator failed to heed a red signal ordering him to stop, Chicago Transit Authority spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney said. After the four-car train went through the signal, it automatically activated a trip, which stopped the train.

But the operator moved the train forward again at a spot where the tracks split before they were switched into proper position, causing the rear end of the front car and the second car to derail but remain standing, with the other two cars still on the tracks, Gaffney said.

And lastly, in Mississippi, an Amtrak train hit a garbage truck causing serious injuries to some passengers. This all points to the importance of safety in operations as well as from bystanders along the tracks. It was a scary day. Hopefully no one has been seriously injured.