Alaskan Marine Highway System, Alaska

For Alaska, the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is as important as traditional Interstate highways for connecting isolated Alaskan communities with centers of economic opportunity. The mission of the AMHS is to provide for the safe and efficient transportation of people and goods between the continental United States, Alaska and Canada, while providing opportunities to enhance economic development, improve quality of life and provide access to health, welfare and social services. One regular use of the AMHS is the shipment of container vans. These vans carry time sensitive cargo such as fresh fruits and vegetables to rural communities within the system. Local businesses, such as grocery stores and restaurants, have contracted with the AMHS to make scheduled deliveries of these important products. 
Although the service has been available for more than 40 years, the 1990s have seen critical improvements. For example, in 1996, the Alaska Marine Highway began "whistle-stop" service to the small communities of Tatitlek and Chenega Bay, made possible by the construction of new docks that provide staging areas for oil spill response capabilities in Prince William Sound.

More Info: www.dot.state.ak.us

Bicycle Racks on Buses, California

Studies show that people are most likely to use public transit when it is within a quarter-mile walking distance or when it's within a three-mile biking distance. Making it easier for bike riders to take their vehicles along on public transit opens up a wider area for bus systems to attract riders, and can make the difference for workers using the bus to reach suburban jobs some distance from the nearest bus stop. Transit agencies around the country recognize this fact and have installed bike racks on buses at a record pace - in fact, more than 21,000 racks are installed nationwide. Los Angeles County is one of the most recent transit agencies to support this approach, using Transportation Improvement Project funds to purchase and install 700 new racks on buses. The most common response to the bicycle-friendly fleet enhancement is overwhelming increases in ridership. Sunline Transit in Thousand Palms, California actually canceled their bicycle rack marketing campaign due to the overwhelming response as soon as the bike racks appeared. Up the coast, the Seattle Metro system is recording more than 40,000 uses per month on its rack-equipped fleet.

More Info: www.sportsworks.com and www.mta.net

Bank of America's Commuter Cash, California

More and more employers are recognizing the value of offering their employees a cash alternative equal to the value of a parking place if they commute by other modes. This typically reduces driving by 10-30 percent, and promotes equity by giving non-drivers a benefit comparable in value to what drivers receive. Bank of America's non-driving commuters in the Los Angeles basin are rewarded with cash payments that vary according to the approximate environmental benefit of their modal choices. For example, a telecommuter gets $1.00/day, a carpooler between $1.75 and $2.25, a mass transit rider $2.75 and a walker or biker $3.00. These are paid out in 25- dollar increments with a B of A Debit Card, and can be applied to TransitChecks. The program is simple to administer since employees report their commutes monthly.

More Info: www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/transportation/commute.asp

Transportation Funding for Livable Communities (TLC), California

The nine-county SF Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission decided to use the flexibility of federal TEA- 21 funds to experiment with an innovative, community-based transportation funding program. Created in 1997 under the banner of "Transportation for Livable Communities" (TLC), the program consists of two pots of money: one for neighborhood planning grants and a second for community capital improvements. Neighborhoods, civic groups and local businesses are asked to envision low-cost projects that can improve livability, safety, and access for the disabled, and local economic development. Main street revitalizations, neighborhood bus shelters, pedestrian bridges, business district improvements, bicycle trails, safe walking and bicycling routes to schools and many other types of projects are then eligible for the capital funding program. 
The $9 million a year program has proven so popular among local governments and the public that the Commission recently agreed to triple its size to $27 million a year. The Sacramento and Los Angeles regions are now also considering similar TLC-type programs. Agency staff and commissioners note that it is one of the most publicly popular and visible programs ever undertaken by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in its 30-year history.

More info: www.mtc.ca.gov

Car Sharing, California

Think everyone in California has to own a car? Think again. In San Francisco and Oakland, residents can forgo the hassle and expense of actually owning a car through the San Francisco car-share program. Modeled on programs in European cities, those wishing to participate in the City CarShare program pay an up front deposit and monthly fee, and then pay $2.50 per hour and 45 cents per mile to rent one of three different types of cars, a VW bug, a VW Golf, or a VW Jetta. With pick-up and drop-off locations in 11 sites around the city, this service gives citizens the security of knowing they can use a car when they need it, but without sinking thousands of dollars into car ownership, maintenance, or insurance. Car-sharing programs like San Francisco's increase access to transportation for those who may be unable to afford a car, and also enables working families to devote more resources to other needs. Funded through a combination of public and private funds, including TEA-21 funds, this non-profit program serves the community in a way that expands mobility options and also enhances economic opportunity for everyone. Car sharing is available in nine cities in the United States, with more programs on the way.

More info www.carshare.net and www.sfcarshare.org

ElectroWave Shuttle, Florida

South Beach, the second largest tourist area in Florida is challenged by the same congestion and development problems as other popular areas of the country. The Miami Beach Transportation Management Association, Inc. (MBTMA) has sought to improve opportunities for businesses, tourists, and residents alike through the ElectroWave service, initiated in 1998. 
The circulator system of seven, 22-passenger, energy efficient electric buses operates 18 to 20 hours per day, 365 days per year, serving the hotels and attractions of this major tourist area. ElectroWave makes 29 stops and is close to more than 3,500 municipal parking spaces along the route. The brightly painted, low-floor buses run on a simple easy-to-understand route, and the fare is just 25 cents. The service has exceeded all ridership expectations, providing over 1.3 million trips to tourists and other travelers who would usually drive. 
The system was developed after extensive analysis of business activity, traffic patterns, parking availability, and resident and visitor activities and preferences. The MBTMA and the City of Miami Beach developed the ElectroWave through funding partnerships with the Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Power and Light, Florida Alliance for Clean Technologies, Clean Cities, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI).

More Info: www.commuterservices.com/electrowave.htm

Location Efficient Mortgages^SM, California

Location Efficient Mortgages^SM (LEMs) give more people more buying power when it comes to purchasing a home, particularly in urban areas that offer convenience and accessibility. Research by the Center for Neighborhood Technology, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and STPP has shown that households in "location-efficient" neighborhoods -pedestrian-friendly, compact areas with easy access to amenities and good transit service-own fewer cars per household and drive fewer miles annually than comparable households in many suburban or rural areas. This is because they don't need a car as often, given the broader range of transportation options that exists in these areas. A product that is purchased by Fannie Mae, a LEM^SM allows lenders to recognize the savings that result from reduced car use. Thus lenders can "stretch" their standard debt-to-income ratio, ensuring that more low- and moderate-income families, first time homeowners and dedicated transit users can qualify for mortgages, or larger mortgages than they otherwise could obtain. This recognition can increase credit availability by $36,000 to $48,000 for a first-time homebuyer with a household income of $50,000. LEMs are now available in the metropolitan regions of Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles; and should be available in Philadelphia and Atlanta in 2002.

More Info: www.locationefficiency.com and www.cnt.org/lem

RIDES Transit Program, Illinois

Meeting transportation needs is an important factor in providing economic opportunities to rural areas. The RIDES program in rural Illinois recognizes this fact, helping link rural area residents to jobs, services and training. RIDES coordinates more than 80 agencies to connect transportation needs with economic development and prosperity, including: the Departments of Aging and Mental Health, senior centers, colleges, job training, adult day care, childcare, and workforce development. Through cooperative agreements, these organizations come to RIDES to have their transportation needs met before they buy vehicles and try to provide their own service. Every RIDES route is open to the general public and clients from different agencies ride together on all vehicles. In providing service to a nine-county area, some of which have little or no transit funding of their own, the RIDES program seeks to provide rural citizens with the same economic opportunities as those living in more urban areas - without having to own or drive their own car.

More Info: www.ctaa.org

ARTIMIS, Kentucky

The Advanced Regional Traffic Management and Information System (ARTIMIS) is helping to manage congestion and help drivers in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area. 
The ARTIMIS system uses more than 80 cameras, 57 miles of fiber optic cable, and more than a thousand sensors to monitor 88 miles of freeway. When the control center receives word of a problem, motorists, transit drivers, law enforcement, and others can be notified via 43 changeable message signs, the ARTIMIS website, and through the SmarTraveler telephone advisory system. The Center can also dispatch up to five Freeway Service Patrol Vans to help clear crashes and perform other duties.

More Info: www.artimis.org

Strategic Passenger Transportation Plan, Maine

To boost Maine's tourism industry without overloading its transportation network, the Maine Department of Transportation created its Strategic Passenger Transportation Plan in 1996. Using funds from the Enhancements and CMAQ programs, this plan focuses on the creation of an integrated, multi-modal passenger transportation system that supports and promotes tourism. 
In combination with the recent return of passenger rail service between Boston and Portland, and the success of the high speed ferry service between key tourist destinations, the plan is expected to create 1,400 new full time jobs and provide $48 million per year in direct economic benefits. 
Perhaps the best-known outcome of this plan is the free Island Explorer. These low-floor, propane-fueled, bike rack-equipped buses provide free service to visitors to Maine's Acadia National Park from the island town of Bar Harbor. Launched in June 1999, the free Island Explorer was an immediate hit with both locals and tourists. Ridership was an astonishing 3,000 passengers a day, which equated a reduction of 1.3 million vehicle miles from the park's roads during its first summer in operation. In its second summer, Island Explorer more than doubled its fleet of buses (to 17 total). Despite a decline in park visitation, ridership on the Island Explorer increased 40 percent from the previous year.

More Info: www.exploreacadia.com/index.html

Commuter Choice, Maryland

Research shows that people care about having easy access to their workplace, whether it is through a short auto commute, access to public transportation, walking, or biking. Employers that recognize this fact are able to attract and retain highly skilled workers. The State of Maryland helps employers compete for these workers through the Commuter Choice program. The program extends tax credits to employers who pay for transit or vanpool benefits for employees or gives cash incentives to carpoolers, cyclists, walkers, or telecommuters. The largest incentive of its kind in America, this program picks up half of the cost of commuting through tax credits of up to $360/year per employee. The program was recently extended to include nonprofit organizations, and a "Cash in Lieu of Parking" program. Employers across the country are taking advantage of tax-law changes that encourage alternative community benefit.

More Info: www.commuterchoicemaryland.com/

SMART Transit Service, Michigan

Sometimes, it's the little things that count. The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation in Detroit, MI (SMART) clearly makes every effort to listen to community needs, and these efforts pay off. In one case, SMART learned from a chamber of commerce representative that if it would have one of its buses arrive at a shopping mall 15 minutes before the mall opened, more of the mall's employees would be able to take transit to work. After SMART redesigned its service to provide more access to suburban job centers and "reverse commute" services, these workers, as well as over 1 million others, had new or improved service. This reinvention took place in the mid-1990s as part of a larger effort to provide greater employment-related transportation services in response to the job growth in the suburban areas. 
In addition to reinventing the system, SMART also initiated a number of innovative marketing efforts, such as the "Get-A-Job, Get-A-Ride" program providing free monthly bus passes to new workers. One of SMART's most recent efforts is to initiate a computer system to help job developers locate jobs and daycare centers near transit services. As a result, SMART has had ridership increases for 29 consecutive months.

More Info: www.welfareinfo.org/suburbanmobility.htm

MetroLink Light Rail, Missouri

Within three days of its 1994 opening, the St. Louis MetroLink had over 180,000 passengers. Within two years MetroLink averaged 40,000 daily riders - twice what was projected and more than the year 2010 forecast. It serves many of the city's central attractions, including the historic riverfront district at Laclede's Landing, the Convention Center, Busch Stadium, the Kiel/Civic Center, Union Station (redeveloped as shops, restaurants, and a major hotel), Washington University Medical Center, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. 
According to ridership surveys, St. Louis residents use the system for both work and recreation, with 69 percent of total riders commuting to work, and approximately 15,000 fans using the trains to get to St. Louis Rams football games. Overall, light rail ridership remains high throughout the workday and on weekends. The region is currently working on an extensive expansion of the system connecting communities across the county, into Illinois, and providing linkages to the two major airports in the region.

More Info: www.bi-state.org/ and www.cmt-stl.org

Monorail, Nevada

Transportation needs do not always have to be met using government resources - the private sector can play an important role as well, especially when improved transportation can increase business and economic activity in a particular region. The Las Vegas Monorail is a perfect example. Linking seven stations over four miles to eight resorts and the Las Vegas Convention Center, the sleek, driverless monorail (think Disneyland for grownups) will provide a quick and comfortable ride through the heart of the resort corridor, currently gridlocked with commuters and tourists. The Las Vegas Monorail is scheduled to enter revenue service in early 2004. The system is expected to carry 19 million passengers in its first year of operation.

More Info: www.lvnvmonorail.com

The Kearney Connection, New Jersey

Sometimes, just a small amount of track can make all the difference. This one-half mile track connection linked New Jersey Transit's Morris & Essex (M&E) line with Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and permitted direct rail access for thousands of daily riders to New York's Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan. Previously, New York City-destined customers terminated their rail journeys in Hoboken and transferred to the PATH system or ferries. 
Opened in June 1996, the connection gave rise to NJT's enormously successful "Midtown Direct" Service. Ridership today is double the expectations made five years earlier at its initiation. Daily users of just this service are in excess of 10,000 and the connection has succeeded in removing many thousands of motor vehicles from the state's clogged highways along with attendant atmospheric emissions.

More Info: www.nj-arp.org/

Rocky Mount Train Station, North Carolina

Faced with increasing urban flight, the City of Rocky Mount, North Carolina undertook a radical, $9.5 million project to renovate its dilapidated railroad station into a stunning, state of the art multi-modal transportation complex. The new building has become an important stop for Amtrak, Greyhound, Carolina Trailways intercity bus, and the Rocky Mount city bus service. This center for regional commerce and transportation has been designed to revitalize downtown Rocky Mount, and was funded through TEA-21 Transportation Enhancements funds. The project was supported by the Great American Station Foundation, which is working to return historic rail stations all over the country to their status as vital transportation and economic hubs.

More Info: www.stationfoundation.org

Linden Transit Center, Ohio

The Linden Transit Center is the first of a number of similar transit centers being planned by the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA). The Center provides space for businesses and meets neighborhood needs while serving as a transportation hub. Most of the 20,500 square-foot, two story facility is occupied by a privately operated child-care center, a bank, and medical and other retail tenants, right alongside comfortable facilities for COTA bus patrons. Opened in fall 1999, the Linden Transit Center anchors the Four Corners project, which includes the new home of the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority and a Columbus Division of Police substation. 
The center was made possible through a number of public-private partnerships including a $2.1 million Federal Transit Administration Livable Communities Grant, which was matched with $270,000 from the Ohio Department of Transportation. 
The Linden Transit Center will be linked by express bus service to another transit center under development in the Easton community, about five miles away. The express connection to Easton is expected to eventually connect workers to about 40,000 jobs.

More Info: www.greaterlinden.org

"Ride Happy or Ride Free", Ohio

On January 2001, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) initiated the "Ride Happy or Ride Free" program, offering free rides to passengers not happy with their trips. Believed to be one of the few programs of its kind in the nation, it is similar to a "money-back guarantee" offered by many retailers in the private sector and represents consumer- oriented transit service. Transit authorities will use the information provided by customers to improve bus service in the Cuyahoga County region. According to George F. Dixon III, President of the RTA Board of Trustees, "this is the ultimate customer service program. RTA is putting its money where its mouth is. When you pay for a ride, we guarantee you that you will be pleased by our service. If you are not, we'll give you a free ride."

More Info: www.gcrta.org

Road to Work Oklahoma, Oklahoma

As is the case in rural communities across the country, residents of Talihina, a small town in Southeastern Oklahoma, lacked access to living-wage jobs. The community had a 15 percent unemployment rate. Sixty miles away in Fort Smith, Arkansas, poultry processing plants were in need of workers. In the mid-1990's, the KI BOIS Community Action Foundation worked with the Talihina transit agency and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services to develop a shuttle service to link people with these employment opportunities. Workers using the service were trained to drive the vehicles. 
With the help of Job Access funds from TEA-21, the Road to Work Oklahoma project has been expanded to more than 100 van and bus routes serving hundreds of workers through cooperation with 18 rural transit agencies. The vans and buses pick up low-income workers at their homes and deliver them to jobs at factories and plants often 30 to 40 miles away, for just a few dollars a day. The routes allow working families to maintain two incomes without the expense of owning two cars, and provide businesses with reliable workers. KI BOIS, a nonprofit group, is planning further expansion to serve workers in all 75 rural transit agencies in the state.

More Info: www.kibois.org

Bonds for Bikepaths, Rhode Island

Rhode Island is spending millions of dollars on a statewide system of bike trails-including about 50 miles of new bike paths. In November 1998, the voters of the state overwhelmingly approved bonds for bikeways. In 1999, the state's transportation department announced that instead of tearing down the beautiful and historic Old Jamestown Bridge, they would study its reuse for pedestrians and bicyclists. Perhaps one of the best examples of Rhode Island's support for bicycles is the East Bay bike path, a 14.5 mile, 10 foot wide, ribbon of asphalt that provides a safe place for unobstructed cycling. Users can enjoy the sights, sounds and smells as the path takes them by coves and marshes, over bridges, and through state parks from Providence to Bristol along the abandoned railroad line. For the greater part of its length, it passes along or near the shore of Narragansett Bay. With connections to B&Bs, restaurants, and other tourist amenities, the East Bay path, as well as the Bayside path, have proven to be excellent tourism draws for the area.

More Info: www.dot.state.ri.us/WebTran/bikeri.html

Pay-As-You-Drive Auto Insurance, Texas

Texas drivers may soon have a new way to save on the costs of car ownership: use-based or pay-as-you-drive auto insurance. For decades, car insurance has been an almost fixed cost for motorists. Whether you drive a little or a lot, you pay nearly the same premium. In 2001 the Texas legislature passed H.B.45, authorizing motor vehicle insurance to be offered by the mile, not just by the month. The change was inspired in part by a pilot program introduced by Progressive Insurance Corporation in 1998 that set auto insurance premiums based upon distances driven. Many Texas policyholders raved about the premium savings - an average of 25 percent over "traditional" insurance policies. 
The new law will allow drivers to buy insurance for units of 1,000 miles or more at a time, with proof of insurance validity shown by their odometer, rather than by the calendar. With a distance- based policy, people who drive less than average, including many women, urban residents, transit users, and older people, could save hundreds of dollars a year. The Federal Highway Administration is now conducting studies in Georgia and Massachusetts to measure the wider potential of pay-as-you-drive insurance.

More Info: www.insure.com/auto/progressive700.html

Main Street Station, Virginia

Richmond, Virginia has broken ground on the renovation of the Main Street Rail Station, designed to reintroduce rail service to downtown Richmond. Once the first phase of the project is complete, the way will be clear for improvements that will allow passenger rail service to begin and end at the station, and for other facilities to be constructed that will integrate bus/trolley, airport shuttle and taxi services. The goal is to establish Richmond as a major hub of a highspeed, Southeast Rail corridor connecting communities from Florida to New York and Boston. The project receives funding from the Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot Program (TCSP) as well as state and local funds.

More Info: www.richmondgov.com and www.transportation.org/community/preservation/doc/tcsp_va.pdf

Union Station Restoration, Washington

For decades, Seattle's great symbol of the railroad age stood barren amid the city's active aerospace and high-tech industries. Union Station, which reopened in October 1999 after 28 years of deterioration, has undergone a transformation that will help recapture its role at the heart of the city's transportation system. 
Several developers attempted unsuccessfully to restore the building before the Union Station Associates, a joint venture between Nitze-Stagen & Co., Inc. and Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, acquired the property in 1997. Later that year, they entered into a public-private partnership with Sound Transit, the regional transit authority, to restore the building. The building's systems were upgraded, original architecture was preserved and 90,000 square feet of office space was created. Nitze-Stagen also upgraded the building's air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems, as well as the unique arched window on the station's south wall. 
Union Station is now home to Sound Transit's headquarters. By 2006, the facility will be the hub for Seattle's light rail system. In November 2000, the restored station was honored with a National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

More Info: www.nthp.org

Park East Freeway Decommissioning, Wisconsin

The City of Milwaukee is using transportation dollars to spur economic development in a new way: by removing an un-needed highway to make room for development. The Park East Freeway spur was built as part of an abandoned plan to circle Milwaukee with freeways. Now, it provides access to the downtown at only three points, while cutting the city off from its waterfront. 
Studies show that its replacement with a surface street will not negatively impact traffic in the area. Redeveloping the vacant land under the freeway will result in hundreds of millions of dollars of investment, including the new Harley-Davidson Museum. The replacement will release a minimum of 20 acres for reinvestment, as much retail space as 8 WalMarts. This area is highly valuable for economic opportunity, given its proximity to the waterfront and the business district. The downtown plan developed by the city and local citizens calls for mixed-use development in the area, combining offices, shops, and housing.

More Info: www.mkedcd.org/pdfs/ParkEastNews1100.pdf