Passenger Transport Express - 04/08/2016 (Plain Text Version)HEADLINE NEWSAPTA Weighs In on FY 2017 Spending Bills
Congress has begun its work to fund federal programs for fiscal year 2017. The House Budget Committee has approved a Budget Resolution to fund all government programs, while House and Senate appropriations subcommittees will soon begin drafting individual spending bills for each federal agency. While the full House may consider the Budget Resolution, it is not clear that the Senate will take up the measure. Absent a Budget Resolution, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees will begin advancing bills in late April based on last year's budget agreement. FTA Seeks Comments on FAST Act's Buy America Provisions
FTA is soliciting comments on
its plans to implement the Buy America provisions in the FAST Act. This week, the agency published two proposed policy statements regarding the statutory increases in domestic content for rolling stock. Both notices can be viewed on the APTA website here. APTA Receives Sustainability Award
The
Los
Angeles Sustainability Coalition awarded APTA its
Outstanding Sustainability Program award at the 2016 Sustainable Infrastructure: The
Next Generation Forum. The event, which attracted transportation experts and business leaders
from throughout California and across the nation, was hosted by the coalition and the Los
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. APTA Comments on FTA's Proposed Safety Plans
After conference calls
with our members and discussions at APTA committee
meetings, we filed final comments this week on both FTA’s proposed National
Public Transportation Safety Plan and its proposed Public Transportation Agency
Safety Plan — two of the most significant public transit regulations in years. The
comments were thoroughly vetted among our members, with more than 100 participants
on the calls and extensive input from across our
membership. You can read APTA's submitted comments by clicking here. FTA To Support Communities with Transit-Oriented Development
FTA has
selected nine cities to receive technical assistance to encourage economic
development around local transit service. As part
of the
FTA’s transit-oriented development (TOD) initiative, this
assistance is intended to jumpstart local economies and
strengthen communities, with a focus on boosting disadvantaged areas. Tulsa Voters Approve Tax To Fund Transportation Needs
Voters
in Tulsa, OK, approved a package of initiatives on April 6 known as Vision Tulsa, which raises revenue for public safety,
transportation, infrastructure and economic development. The transportation
proposition (Proposition 2) of the package, passed with 75 percent support. It will create a permanent sales tax to support Tulsa's transportation
needs — with 56 percent of the tax revenue being used for public transit operations and capital investments. The remaining 44 percent will go toward street repair and maintenance. Bike Share Extends Public Transit's Reach
More than 86 percent of the nation's 2,655 bike share stations in 65 cities are located within one block of public transportation service, according to a new report "Bike-Share Stations in the U.S." released by DOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Bike share services extend the transportation network by offering a way to reach places with public transportation. In Case You Missed It ...
Perhaps you weren't able to attend APTA's 2016 Legislative Conference in mid-March ... or maybe you just want to experience again all the great content you heard. Now you can view videos of all the major speeches and presentations from the conference by clicking here. SAVE THE DATE
April 30 - May 3: Transit Board Members & Board Support Seminar IN THE MEDIA
Final Four a Win for Metro Train NOTABLE & QUOTABLE
"We must reinvent how we think about transportation. We need to aspire for more. We need a transportation system that connects a big missing dot in the line between income inequality and opportunity." |