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2014: YEAR IN REVIEW |
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| CLASSIFIEDS |
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| » Connecticut DOT has issued an RFP for a ticket vending machine system. [More] |
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APTA Milestones Focus on Member Services: Advocacy, Research, Conferences, Standards
January
APTA announced the 100th anniversary of its Bus and Rail Safety & Security Excellence Awards with plans to acknowledge 100 years of safety and security innovations throughout the year, including developing an online timeline of the industry’s most notable achievements.
February
Public transportation agency chiefs and deputies discussed management, policy, and funding issues at APTA’s Transit CEOs Seminar hosted by the Regional Transit Authority, New Orleans.
March
APTA conducted its 39th annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, during which top policy makers shared their views of the next authorization bill. Speakers included conference keynoter DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx, Reps. Bill Shuster (R-PA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), FTA Deputy Administrator Therese McMillan, FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo, and APTA leaders.
APTA announced its blueprint to authorize the next surface transportation bill, calling for recommendations on tax incentives, credit assistance, secured loans, and other financing mechanisms to federal programs; formula, capital investment, and state of good repair grants; and workforce development and training, among other issues. The recommendations urge Congress to authorize $100.4 billion from FY 2015 to FY 2020 to fund public transportation and to increase the current annual funding level of $10.7 billion to $22.2 billion. The consensus recommendations were the result of a year-long process led by the 125-member Authorization Task Force and its five co-chairs working under the guidance of the Legislative Committee.
APTA and its Marketing & Communications Committee launched “Where Public Transportation Goes, Community Grows,” an awareness and advocacy campaign to highlight the value of public transportation and help create a favorable environment for increased investment in public transportation.
APTA issued APTA-RT-OP-S-019-14 Rail Transit Standard for Operations Supervisors Program Requirements, which establishes the responsibilities of rail operating supervisors or supervisory programs, and APTA-RT-OP-S-020-14 Rail Transit Standard for Track Allocation Program Requirements, which establishes a program to formalize the core requirements of allocating access to the track and guideway.
April
APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy and then-ITS America President Scott Belcher signed a three-year memo of agreement to collaborate on several areas, including advocacy outreach, best practices, and program support.
May
APTA’s 2014 Bus & Paratransit Conference in Kansas City, MO, was attended by nearly 760 bus and paratransit professionals, more than 300 vendors and exhibitors, and 340 participants for the International Bus Roadeo. The conference was hosted by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority.
June
More than 150 public transportation leaders from nine countries attended the association’s first International Practicum on Innovative Transit Funding & Financing. The program, held in Montréal before the annual Rail Conference, was co-hosted with the Canadian Urban Transit Association, with support from the International Association of Public Transport (UITP).
More than 1,200 rail industry leaders attended the Rail Conference and International Rail Rodeo in Montréal. Host agencies were Société de transport de Montréal and Agence métropolitaine de transport.
APTA issued Economic Impact of Public Transportation, a research report that demonstrates the value of investing in public transportation in terms of local economic development.
APTA and its members conducted the annual National Dump the Pump Day.
July
APTA marked the 50th anniversary of the Urban Mass Transportation Act (UMTA) of 1964 by noting the achievements of public transportation and encouraging Congress to act on long-term transportation investment needs. UMTA, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, created the program for federal investment in public transportation systems and established an oversight agency that became FTA.
Joseph Calabrese, chief executive officer and general manager, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, and Lee Gibson, executive director, Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (NV) testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development, recounting the positive impact of public transit on economic development in their communities.
August
APTA recognized seven members who achieved higher recognition in its Sustainability Commitment at the annual Sustainability and Public Transportation Workshop. Achieving Gold level are the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (IL), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Metro Transit (MN), and Société de transport de Montréal. Lane Transit District (OR) achieved Silver level, and Bronze level recipients were Toronto’s GO Transit and Stacy and Witbeck, Portland, OR.
September
Almost 68 percent of Americans support increasing federal public transportation investment levels, an increase from last year, according to What Do Americans Think About Federal Tax Options to Support Public Transit, Highways, and Local Streets and Roads?, a study conducted by the Mineta Transportation Institute for APTA.
Patrick McLoughlin, secretary of state for transport in the United Kingdom and a member of Parliament, and guests from the U.K. Department of Transport and the British Embassy visited APTA to share best practices and discuss funding structures. Attending were APTA members Jeffrey Wharton, president, IMPulse NC LLC, and chair of the Business Member Board of Governors Business Development Committee, and Nick Donohue, director, Virginia Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment and Virginia deputy secretary of transportation.
October
APTA welcomed more than 12,000 attendees from 65 countries to Houston for the 2014 Annual Meeting & EXPO. The EXPO, held once every three years, attracted more than 800 exhibitors who filled 270,000 square feet of space. The host system, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, conducted several technical tours of its facilities and operations in conjunction with the Annual Meeting portion of the four-day event.
November
APTA launched the Transit Virtual Career Network, a web portal that promotes career opportunities in the industry, creating a robust tool for job seekers, employers, educators, and related industry professionals. Go to www.vcn.org/transit/.
December
APTA issued Celebrating 100 Years of Safety and Security, a special publication to recognize the 100th anniversary of its Bus and Rail Safety & Security Excellence Awards. The publication tracks the development of safety innovations from the closed track circuit in 1872 to the successful unveiling of PTC at Metrolink in Los Angeles in 2014.
For details about these and other APTA initiatives, go to www.apta.com and search on 2014 Annual Report.
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