LaHood: Compromise Possible on Transportation Bill

According to the political reporting web site Politico, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made positive comments this week about the bipartisan efforts in the Senate regarding a surface transportation authorization bill. He recognized the work of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee—specifically Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK)—in moving toward a two-year bill. [More]

Sun Tran Opens New Bus Facility

Sun Tran in Tucson, AZ, celebrated the grand opening of its Northwest Bus Facility on Jan 26. [More]

NEWS HEADLINES

NPRM Proposes Changes to New Starts and Small Starts

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Jan. 25, 2012, Federal Register that proposes a new framework for how FTA will evaluate and rate major new transit investments in the New Starts and Small Starts programs. [More]

Obama: Increase Infrastructure Investment

President Obama emphasized the need for increased U.S. infrastructure investment as part of the Jan. 24 2012 State of the Union Address. [More]

APTA Members Attend White House Roundtable on Transit Technology

Representatives from public transportation systems and businesses participated in a Jan. 19 White House Roundtable on Real Time Transit Applications in Washington, DC. APTA helped organize the meeting, aimed at discussing ways to advance the implementation of real-time public transit information in communities across the nation, leading to greater convenience and ease of use. [More]

Barker Honored with TRB Sharon Banks Award

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) presented J. Barry Barker, executive director of the Transit Authority of River City (TARC) in Louisville, KY, with the Sharon D. Banks Award for Humanitarian Leadership in Transportation at the Jan. 25 Chairman’s Luncheon during its 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. [More]

INIT Opens New Business Venture in Chesapeake, VA

INIT Innovations in Transportation Inc. has partnered with Simtech LLC, a supplier of customized electronic products to launch a new business venture: Superior Quality Manufacturing (SQM), which opened its facility in Chesapeake, VA, on Jan. 18. [More]

Turkmenistan Transportation Officials Visit Dayton

 The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (GDRTA) in Dayton, OH, recently hosted a high-level delegation of transportation officials from Turkmenistan, arranged through Wright State University’s International Visitors Leadership Program and the U.S. Department of State. [More]

COTA Promotes Stitt to President/CEO

The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) Board of Trustees has appointed W. Curtis Stitt as the agency’s president/chief executive officer effective Feb. 1. Stitt joined COTA in 1999, serving as legislative and government affairs counsel, vice president of legal and government affairs/general counsel, and most recently as senior vice president and chief operating officer. [More]

Rep. Stutzman Attends Vehicle Dedication in Fort Wayne, IN

Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN), left, recently visited Citilink in Fort Wayne, IN, for the dedication of eight new Glaval Titan II buses manufactured by Glaval Corporation in Elkhart, IN. [More]

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

DCTA Showcases New Rail Facility, Next Generation Diesel Railcar

The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) in Lewisville, TX, held an open house in January for local and regional officials to mark the opening of its 47,000-square-foot rail operations and maintenance facility and to introduce its new generation Stadler GTW 2-6 Diesel Multiple Unit rail vehicles. [More]

BART Offers ‘Freedom Passes’ on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

In conjunction with its efforts to transport riders to events Jan. 16 commemorating the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) in Oakland, CA, made available 5,000 special commemorative flash passes to the event’s organizing committee for free distribution to groups or individuals who made advance reservations. [More]

SFMTA Installs 15 New Bike Corrals

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which oversees all surface transportation in the city, has increased the number of on-street bicycle parking corrals in the city to 24 with the completion of 15 new corrals over the past year. At the same time, the agency unveiled a new standard bike rack with a circular profile, which will be used in place of the previous standard inverted U rack. [More]

Cubic Announces More than One Million Clipper Cards in Service in 18 Months

Cubic Transportation Systems, has announced that more than one million of its Clipper® contactless regional smart cards are in circulation in the San Francisco Bay area 18 months since it rebranded the card from its previous name, TransLink. The Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) in Oakland, CA, administers the card. [More]

Temple Owls Ride SEPTA to Big Win

En route to its upset 78-73 victory over the number 5-rated Duke Blue Devils in early January, the Temple University Owls basketball team used the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) Broad Street Line subway for the trip to the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia. [More]

APTA MEMBER PROFILE

Meet Meg Kester!

This is the second in a series of columns showcasing APTA members. The subject of this profile is Meg Kester, marketing and communications manager, Intercity Transit, Olympia, WA. [More]

MEET THE APTA STAFF

Meet Clarissa Peterson!

This is the second in a series of stories showcasing members of the APTA staff. The subject of this profile is Clarissa Peterson, web manager, Information Technology Department. [More]

COMMENTARY

Why Buckhead and the Balance of Its 10-County Region Should Support the Transportation Tax
BY SAM MASSELL

Transportation is more than a dollars and cents proposition, and is more than a statistic on a graph. It is mobility—this fifth freedom—a social concept, if you wish, for which the benefits cannot be measured with numbers. They must be personally evaluated—by people. The greater the growth and prosperity of a city, the greater the deprivation imposed upon those who are without satisfactory means of transportation. As a community expands geographically and as society expands culturally—as more and more facilities are provided by government and private enterprise to the benefit of the general public, the more absolute is the imprisonment of those who lack mobility. [More]

APTA NEWS

Award Programs Offer Opportunities to Excel

APTA wants all its members to excel and be recognized—and that’s why the association offers a variety of award and competition programs. From safety and customer service to vehicle safety and maintenance skills, APTA provides numerous opportunities for its individual and organizational members to shine. [More]

APTA Marketing Workshop to be Held Feb. 26-29 in Miami

The 2012 APTA Marketing & Communications Workshop, Feb. 26-29 at the Marriott Biscayne Bay Hotel in Miami, FL, will consider a number of timely and important topics for public transit marketing and communications professionals. [More]

Heads of municipal public transportation agencies in the Los Angeles area gathered recently for a general managers’ meeting at Los Angeles Metro. [More]

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Passenger Transport announces the following hirings and promotions in public transportation agencies and business members. Items appear in People on the Move in the order in which they are received. [More]