More than 700 people participated in APTA’s 35th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, on March 14-16, many of whom urged Congress to increase investment in public transit and approve a multi-year authorization bill.

Presentation Themes
Common themes among the presentations included the success and importance of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; the need for a surface transportation authorization bill; the role of public transit in economic growth and environmental awareness efforts; and such safety efforts as the proposed federal rail transit safety measure and the implementation of positive train control.

In addition to featuring Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, the administrators of the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Railroad Administration respectively—Peter Rogoff and Joseph Szabo—and members of Congress (see related stories), the conference program showcased Congressional staffers, researchers from think tanks, and representatives of other members of the transportation coalition.

Many of the sessions were highly interactive, with long lines forming at the microphones. Some sessions even ran beyond their scheduled close because the interest in the answers from the panelists was so strong.

What follows is coverage of several of the sessions.

All conference photos by Steve Barrett.

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