APTA | Passenger Transport
August 30, 2010

In This Issue
» NEWS HEADLINES
» APTA NEWS
» AROUND THE INDUSTRY
» COMMENTARY
» PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

 
Two chief executive positions are among the 12 job opportunities offered in the classifieds!

NEWS HEADLINES

Biden: High-Speed Rail Among ARRA Tech Successes

High-speed rail is just one of the successes resulting from the investment of $100 billion in science, technology, and innovation projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), according to Vice President Joe Biden. On Aug. 24, Biden released a new report, The Recovery Act: Transforming the American Economy Through Innovation, which demonstrated how ARRA is helping accelerate significant advances that will cut costs for consumers, save lives, and help keep America competitive in the 21st-century economy. [More]

DOT Awards $13.8 Million for University Programs

DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) has awarded more than $13.8 million in grants to eight University Transportation Centers (UTC) located throughout the nation to advance research and education programs that address critical transportation challenges. [More]

‘Transit Score’ Just Launched; Explores Transportation Options

When people think about where they want to live, they usually look at schools, amenities (such as grocery stores), and services. Many also examine their transportation options. Can they take a bus or subway to work? Bike? Walk to public transportation? How long would that take, and what will it cost? [More]

South Carolina Welcomes New Facility, Fixed Route Service: Resource Center in Aiken

During Aug. 17 ceremonies attended by Peter Appel, administrator of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, the Lower Savannah Council of Governments opened its Aging, Disability & Transportation Resource Center in Aiken, SC—one of only three in the nation.  Federal support for this center came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and DOT’s United We Ride/Mobility Services for All Americans initiative. [More]

Pee Dee Serves Darlington

For the first time, residents of the small South Carolina town of Darlington have fixed route bus service, provided by the Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority (PDRTA) in Florence, SC. [More]

Michigan Report Shows Benefits of Transit

Public transportation agencies in Michigan provide both social and economic benefits to riders and non-riders alike, according to Economic and Community Benefits of Local Bus Transit Service, a new report prepared for Michigan DOT by HDR. [More]

Nations to Join St. Louis Metro as President and CEO

Metro in St. Louis announced Aug. 24 that John Nations will become its next president and chief executive officer when Robert Baer steps down in October. [More]

Robert Olmsted Dies; N.Y. Transportation Planner

Robert Amson Olmsted, P.E., F. ASCE, 85, former planning director for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and one of the leading transportation planners in New York City, died Aug. 16. [More]

Barnett Dies; Longtime WMATA Board Member

Cleatus E. Barnett, 83, a 32-year member of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Board of Directors who served five terms as its chairman, died Aug. 11 in Pensacola, FL. [More]
 
APTA NEWS

Five More Ways to Share APTA’s National Public Transit Petition

Increased federal investment in public transportation is greatly needed, and the American Public Transportation Association has created a National Public Transit Petition to present at a special event in Washington, DC, on Sept. 22.

If you’ve already signed the petition, you may wonder, now what? Here are five fantastic ways you can spread the word about the petition, and encourage your employees, riders, stakeholders, advocates and community members to sign. [More]

APTA Takes Steps Toward Creating Standards for Cyber Security
BY MARTIN P. SCHROEDER, P.E., APTA Chief Engineer

Statistics show that every six seconds a computer is hacked, and that such attacks can lead to devastating consequences—ranging from loss of important information to loss of control of the nation’s infrastructure. The problem is so serious that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has established working groups to define cyber security protection procedures for such areas as transportation, public water systems, and electrical power grid. APTA is working with DHS on further standards and has developed its own recommended practice specific to public transit train control systems. [More]

Building a Sustainable Public Transportation Workforce: The Blue Ribbon Panel’s Final Report on Critical Human Capital

APTA’s Executive Committee recently accepted the final report of its Workforce Development Blue Ribbon Panel, which affirmed that workforce and human capital issues are critical to the continuing success of the public transportation industry. [More]

NTI Plans Webinars, Classes on Narrowcasting for Radio Operation

The National Transit Institute (NTI) invites senior public transportation agency executives to participate in training webinars related to the narrowing of two-way UHF and VHF radio systems as required by the Federal Communications Committee by 2013. The webinars will take place on Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. and Nov. 4 at 5 p.m., both Eastern time.  APTA is one of the sponsors of this program. [More]

Eno Foundation Seminar Targets Mid-Level Transit Managers

The Eno Transportation Foundation’s Center for Transportation Leadership is seeking applications by Sept. 16 for its newest program: the Transit Mid-Manager Seminar, Nov. 15-19 in Baltimore. [More]
 
AROUND THE INDUSTRY

Delaware Sees Record Ridership on Summer Beach Resort Routes

DART First State, operated by the Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC), announced record-breaking ridership this summer on its Resort Transit service, including a huge increase in popularity of the Rehoboth Beach Park-and-Ride. The agency has operated the summer service annually since 1990, but this year’s ridership is almost 30 percent higher than the previous record holder, 2008. [More]

Knoxville Opens LEED-Certified Station

Dignitaries including Reps. James L. Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and committee member John Duncan Jr. (R-TN) attended Aug. 13 ribbon-cutting ceremonies for Knoxville Station, the first government building in Knoxville, TN, to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) began operations out of the station on Aug. 16. [More]

IndyGo to Expand Hybrid Bus Fleet

IndyGo in Indianapolis, IN, is preparing to integrate 22 new 40-foot low floor buses from Gillig—11 of which operate with hybrid-electric technology—into its fleet in January 2011. They will replace 25 Gillig 29-foot buses from 2000 that have met Federal Transit Administration retirement requirements. [More]

CATS Receives National Safe Place Award

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) in Charlotte, NC, recently received the 2010 National Safe Place Corporate Involvement Award for its support of The Relatives, a youth shelter in Charlotte. [More]

BART Police Join National Night Out

Members of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) Police, including members of the K9 team, distributed crime prevention tools at four BART stations during the evening commute Aug. 3 as part of the 2010 National Night Out observance. [More]

‘Ride for a Can’ and Feed 3,000

Following the response of its riders to “Ride for a Can Day” on Aug. 5, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) packed one of its buses with 1.9 tons of donated food—enough for almost 3,000 meals—and delivered the contents to the Tarrant Area Food Bank. [More]
 
COMMENTARY

Forward-Thinking Transportation Policy to Drive National Prosperity
BY CATHY CALFO, Executive Director, The Apollo Alliance

The oil-slicked beaches, out-of-work fishermen and devastated local economies along the Gulf Coast are a stark reminder of our nation’s costly addiction to oil. While the Gulf States are now experiencing the most disastrous consequences, Americans nationwide bear the costs of this addiction. Each day, we send more than $1 billion overseas to purchase oil, and the clean-up to oil spills like the BP disaster is an added financial burden to the American people. [More]
 
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

People on the Move

Passenger Transport announces the following hirings and promotions in public transportation agencies and suppliers. Items appear in People on the Move in the order in which they are received.

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