FTA proposes funding toll lanes with mass transit dollars
Thanks to The Overhead Wire, we were alerted to a proposed change the Federal Transit Administration wants to make to New and Small Starts rules that would allow fixed guideway funding to be used for High Occupancy Toll lanes on highways. Yeah, highways. And even if you could claim this was a good idea, there is already funding for HOT lanes available through the Federal Highway Administration (and if you follow mass transit you know that the highway funding bucket is much larger). This change could directly affect Kansas City's chances for matching federal funds for light rail. Contact your senators and US representatives to tell them that you oppose this change!
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even if you support the change?
so you won’t be calling KS rep. dennis moore or MO sen. claire mccaskill — depending on which side of the state line you live — to voice your support for this change. it’s likely that both will vote against it. i’m sure they’d love to hear from you.
crasho: you can leave constructive comments that don’t attack the people who bring you this site or you can be banned. it’s your choice and this is the last warning.
take your time, craig.
when will the general public see the results of the ATA formus held august 20 & 21? there’s nothing at hntb and/or KCATA websites, and there hasn’t been squat in the star. inquiring minds want to knw.
crasho,
The next meeting of the Task Force is Tuesday September 25th, at the KC Downtown Library from 5:30 - 8:30PM. I’m told the preliminary routes from the ATA forums data will be available once again.
I don’t have any specifics about room size, agenda, etc. Unless someone tells me otherwise I’m going on the assumption that every Task Force meeting is open to the public and I will continue to share everything I know.
thanks, mark. my emails to ed ford and ATA personnel have gone unanswered.
according to communications from HNTB, all the data from both meetings, including the 12 yellow-dot route and stop maps created via public input are to be posted at the KCATA website. in fact, HNTB said they were trying to do that “by this (past) weekend.” perusal of the ATA website reveals nothing new has been added pertaining to those meetings. there is a link to the 3′ x 6′ map itself, sans dots, but nothing else. as excruciatingly careful exams of all 12 maps was done by people at both meetings, it will be interesting to see what shows up. there is no mention of the september 25th task force meeting, either.
crasho,
I’ll never understand web content from large organizations. It seems to take an executive act from the CEO to get a typo removed these days. My company is no different.
A twelve year old can do his homework, text his friends, IM his other friends, download MP3’s, check his Facebook and update his blog simultaneously, but large organizations can’t keep a single webpage current. It is frustrating.
that’s because most large corporations are run by stupid white men who aren’t as smart as the average 12-year-old, and who haven’t got a clue as to the power of the internet as a tool for communicating with their real or potential customers. ceo’s would rather post mindless drivel…consider sprint as an example…of how great they are instead of addressing real concerns from real people. that is precisely why companies like sprint won’t be around much longer.
update on the proposed FTA change referenced in this original post:
http://www.apta.com/government_affairs/washrep/2007sept17.cfm
“The first amendment, offered by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and THUD Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Patty Murray (D-WA), prohibits the FTA from implementing a final rule for the New Starts and Small Starts program. This amendment was added in response to dissatisfaction by Congress and transportation stakeholders that in developing the proposed rule the agency did not sufficiently follow guidance provided by SAFETEA-LU and other Congressional directives. For example, the proposed rule undervalues economic development and land use criteria in the rating of New Starts projects and it does not sufficiently simplify the Small Starts project development process. Prior to the bill’s passage, APTA urged Senators to adopt the Dodd-Murray amendment.”
looks like we’re in the clear so far…
in the clear for what? these people change the rules on the fly and to their whim. once more for clarity: light rail should not be built based on economic development or land use. it should be built on the ability to do the number one job of any transportation system, and that is to transport people. anything other than that is window dressing.