US DOT Gets Serious About TEA-21 Reauthorization

The US Department of Transportation is expected to draft its proposal for the reauthorization of the surface transportation program by this summer through a process that includes modal administrators, senior political appointees, and DOT staff serving on ten task forces assigned to developing themes ranging from environment to finance. Key target dates include September 2002, when the Administration's proposal is due at the Office of Management and Budget, and January 2003, when the Administration expects to send its proposal to Congress.

US DOT has indicated plans to conduct its outreach process primarily through individual modal administrations and through listening sessions held in conjunction with existing meetings, although some task forces are expected to gather additional input. The Administration's principles expected to frame its reauthorization proposal can be found here.

Senate Adopts Pro-Bike Ammendment 

In the midst of a debate on the energy bill, the US Senate adopted an amendment on August 11 promoting bicycling as a way to conserve energy. The amendment, introduced by Illinois Senator Richard Durbin and Maine Senator Susan Collins, established a new "Conserve By Bicycling" program within the US Department of Transportation. The new project will oversee pilot programs across the country that are designed to promote and document bicycling as a clean and responsible alternative to regional automotive travel. The program still needs approval by the US House and President Bush before it can be implemented.

“We have been spending a modest amount of federal, state and local funds on bicycle facilities since 1991," said Senator Durbin. "This amendment will leverage those investments and help people take advantage of the energy conservation choices they have in getting around their communities.”

For more information, click here.

"Segway Bill" Markup Delayed

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee's has postponed the planned markup of S. 2024, the "Segway Bill," (originally scheduled for April 11). The bill is designed to amend Title 23 to allow the new electric vehicle onto sidewalks and multi-use trails. The bill defines Segway as an "electric personal assistive mobility devices" or EPAMDs, and it is a product of Segway LLC's national lobbying effort to get state and national laws in support of their product. The speed with which legislation has been introduced across the country caught the bicycle, pedestrian, and injury prevention communities off guard, and many of these groups are asking that Congress and state legislatures slow down their efforts in order to give more time to fully consider the bills and to allow for public hearings. As of April 16, the hearing has not been rescheduled.

For more information on Segway's state legislation efforts, click here.

Amtrak's Northeast corridor is now carrying a higher share of commuters between Washington, DC and New York than their airline counterparts. In the immediate wake of Setpember 11, ridership on Amtrak's Acela lines in the Northeast corridor surged from 96,037 (or 218 passengers per train) in August, to 201,176 (or 340 per train) in October. Attributing the surge to panicked travelers, Amtrak skeptics predicted that the trend would not last long. However, recent numbers released by Amtrak show that ridership was back up over 200,000 again in February and, as of last report, stood at 219,917 (or about 300 per train). Amtrak's high speed "tilting" trains shave time off of commutes with speeds of up to 150 miles per hour (135 mph maximum between Washington and New York).

Additionally, Amtrak’s reservations system will now be synchronized with the existing on-line airline booking search engines used by more than 800 large corporations, so that travelers will be able to directly compare airline and Amtrak schedules and fares. Amtrak signed the deal with GetThere, a subsidiary of internet travel giant Sabre.

For more information on Amtrak's partnership with GetThere, click here.

For more information on Amtrak's increased ridership numbers, click here.

 
After almost five decades of existence, Boston's Central Artery is being torn down. The elevated highway, which snakes through downtown Boston, is being demolished as part of the city's $14.6-billion Big Dig project, with this part of the project continuing until 2005. The demolition will create more than 30 acres of open space stretching from Chinatown to Boston's North Station. Plans have yet to be finalized, but 75 percent of the area have been reserved as public open space.

For more information on the Big Dig, click here.

 
Anti-tax and anti-transit activist Tim Eyman has been accused by the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission of using campaign donations to pay himself a salary, support his private watch company, make repairs to his Lexus, and reimburse himself for a contribution to the Republican National Committee. Transfer reported on Eyman on September 5, 2000, for his referendum to reduce funding for public transportation and curtail efforts to manage growth in the state by requiring that 90% of all transportation funds, including local taxes now dedicated to transit, be spent on road building and maintenance. His current project, a bill that will appear on next fall's ballot, would abolish state and local fees on vehicle registration.

For more information, click here.

For the September 5, 2000 Transfer article, click here

 
Michigan Gov. John Engler has proposed the idea of a gondola that would link Detroit with Windsor, Ontario. A recent study predicted that such a project would create 5,200 area jobs and pump $481 million into the economy. The goal of the link is to lure more than 1 million new visitors to Detroit and to increase trade and transnational business between the two cities.

For more information, click here.

STPP, in cooperation with Google, has introduced a new search function for Transact.org. This feature will allow users to better search the site and STPP's publications archives. Visit Transact.org to try it out.

^{"Transportation at the Crossroads: TEA-21"
A presentation by STPP President David Burwell
April 19, 2002; City College of NY}

^{Transportation and University Communities Conference
     June 15-18, 2002: Amherst, MA} 

^{House Transportation Committee Schedule
       April. 17: Highways and Transit: How Transit Serves and Benefits US Communities} 

^{Senate EPW Hearings
       Date TBA: Operations and Security in Metropolitan Areas
     Date TBA: Rescheduled hearing, full committee business meeting} 

^{Transportation and University Communities Comference
     June 15-18, 2002: Amherst, MA}

^{BikeFest 2002
August 2-4, 2002; Amherst, MA}

"As an institution, charter (schools) are not working in our state. We treat them like road contractors - give them the money and God knows what they do with it."

- Rep. Jim Dunnam (D) of Waco, TX, as quoted in a New York Times article on Friday, April 5, 2002