KC Light Rail

New Chastain petition drive starts Monday

May 20th, 2009 | Category: Chastain, Events, Other Cities

After a failed attempt at working directly with the Parks Board, Clay Chastain is starting another light rail petition initiative. He will be gathering signatures from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at Union Station. Laugh if you must, but Chastain is the only person who's actually doing something about light rail right now. What better way to keep the city's feet to the fire than sign the petition again?

No gondolas this time — which we feel was a pretty good idea… ever walked from Union Station to Liberty Memorial? Yeah, didn't think so — but the electric buses are back, fueled this time by wind turbines on the riverfront. And if you think that's koo-koo, check out Oklahoma City's plan again.

And even though the Missouri Court of Appeals struck down Chastain's legal challenge from the last initiative, he's still threatening to take that one to the Missouri Supreme Court.

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Senate takes first step on transpo bill rewrite

May 14th, 2009 | Category: Funding, Other Cities

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (WV) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (NJ) have created a marker for the next federal transportation bill being drafted by Rep. Jim Oberstar (OR). The marker dictates that the next bill:

Reduce national per-capita motor vehicle miles traveled on an annual basis;
Cut national motor vehicle-related fatalities in half by 2030;
Cut national surface transportation-generated carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030;
Reduce surface transportation delays per capita on an annual basis;
Get 20 percent more critical surface-transportation assets into a state of good repair by 2030;
Increase the total usage of public transit, intercity passenger rail and non-motorized transport on an annual basis.

What affect does this have on Kansas City's chances for light rail? Any renewed emphasis on public transit usage, reducing VMT, or cutting carbon emissions would support an increase in funding for urban rail transit, which would in turn help KC's chances. Most vehicle trips are within cities, so that's where you get the most bang for the buck (second place would probably be high speed rail in popular 100-500 mile corridors). Current funding formulas would need to change dramatically since they are now focused more on commuting trips and the cost/benefit of serving them with a particular mode.

There have been rumblings, of course, that this is not a top legislative priority this session. We remain hopeful that will not be the case.

As a reminder, KC has a completed Alternatives Analysis for the "north-south" corridor along Main Street. All it takes now is the political will to go back to voters for a new, dedicated funding mechanism or the creation of a public-private partnership (see Portland Streetcar and Detroit M1-Rail).

Oh, and did we forget to mention that Oklahoma City is putting a light rail before voters in December? Yes, Oklahoma City.

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KCATA pleads case for emergency funding

April 09th, 2009 | Category: Bus/BRT, Funding, Missouri, Other Cities

The KCATA and St. Louis Metro transit systems asked a Missouri House committee yesterday for emergency funding to prevent impending service cuts.

KCATA is asking for $14 million to cover shortfalls from reduced sales tax revenues and diversion of transit funds to other uses — all in the face of increased ridership and a recently-enacted fare increase.

The article references a "Ken Kohler", but we're pretty sure that it was KCATA's Mark Huffer doing the legwork at the Capitol, according to information we received from Jeff City.

UPDATE: The article has been corrected and a commenter has confirmed that Bob Kohler was representing KCATA this week in Jefferson City. Also, the request is double the amount of this year's shortfall, so we're assuming the $14 million will cover two years of operating assistance, which is in line with most stimulus timelines.

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Could the state save us from the cuts?

April 02nd, 2009 | Category: Funding, Missouri, Other Cities

St. Louis beats us to the punch again. Short on operating funds? Ask the state government who sits at the bottom of the list for state support of local transit. While Missouri has a shortfall like everyone else, it's possible that money allocated from the stimulus package could free up some operating support (it would save jobs and continue getting people to jobs, after all).

City Manager Wayne Cauthen — the source of the recommendation for most of KCATA's funding cut — should contact KC's state delegation immediately to determine the feasibility of such a request.

Meanwhile, here's a confirmation from our new US DOT secretary that agencies should not expect operating support directly from the feds.

UPDATE: Response from State Senator Jolie Justus… "The KCATA just made a direct request for stimulus dollars from the state. The KCATA general manager was down here today lobbying for support. I'm hoping both cities will have their requests granted."

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“Our number one legislative initiative”

February 17th, 2009 | Category: Other Cities

Unfortunately, that isn't a quote from any local politician. Try Texas.

Monday morning, a group of lawmakers is expected to introduce the Texas Local Transportation Act. The act would create a transportation district made up of 12 counties, which would have the power to levy taxes and fees in order to fund the Rail North Texas project and other roadway improvements.

And still we wait for one (or many) voices to support a serious regional transit initiative. The specter of a failing economy doesn't seem to be holding people back elsewhere.

The transit "and other roadway improvements" approach has been used in several other metros, most notably LA and Seattle. The trick has always been to get the right mix of transit (more transit than roads usually wins at the ballot box, when they're combined). Could that be the right approach for the reportedly road-loving KC metro? And if we're really going to do a regional plan, is three counties enough?

UPDATE: Here's some editorial support for the Texas plan.

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