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To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA), predecessor organization to FTA, eight former FTA and UMTA administrators shared memories and reflections Jan. 15 during the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Peter Rogoff, FTA administrator since 2009 and newly appointed DOT acting undersecretary for policy, moderated the session.
“In 1962, President Kennedy noted that the U.S. public transportation situation was chaotic,” Rogoff said. “At the time, public transit was experiencing a steady decline in ridership and rising costs. Today, ridership levels are rising year after year.” He credited the beginning of the turnaround to the 1964 enactment of the Urban Mass Transportation Act.
Participants in the discussion were Frank Herringer, who served 1973-1975; Robert Patricelli, 1975-1977; Theodore Lutz, 1979-1981; Alfred DelliBovi, 1987-1989; Brian Clymer, 1989-1993; Gordon Linton, 1993-1999; Jennifer Dorn, 2001-2005; and James Simpson, 2006-2008. Richard Page, 1977-1979, was unable to attend but sent written comments.
In a roundtable format, Rogoff invited the administrators to share memorable moments during their tenures with the agency. A few highlights:
Herringer spoke about his Senate confirmation hearing when he was 30 and had no transportation experience, and warned that the years “from boy wonder to senior statesman” pass faster than anyone might expect.
Dorn recounted FTA’s role in restoring public transit operations following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, calling the situation her “baptism of fire” at the agency.
DelliBovi noted that, originally, UMTA focused specifically on urban transit, compared with the more general purviews of the Federal Aviation, Highway, and Railroad administrations. UMTA became FTA with its wider outlook during Clymer’s tenure.
Simpson cited “the wise investment in infrastructure” and the importance of State of Good Repair funding as major topics of his confirmation hearing.
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Photo by Susan Berlin
Past FTA and UMTA administrators, from left: Frank Herringer, Robert Patricelli, Theodore Lutz, Alfred DelliBovi, Brian Clymer, Gordon Linton, Jennifer Dorn, and James Simpson. | |
