Bus Commute May Cross County Lines
Transit Agencies Weigh Mount Vernon-Bellingham Service
Transit Industry Launches Initiative To Help
Older Americans Stay Mobile
WORLD CAREFREE NEWS
*Cost Effectiveness of Cutting Car
Use
*Air Pollution Causes Early Deaths
*Ecologists to March Against Grand Prix
Free Parking Isn't (Related to Fairhaven Parking Discussion)
The Future Isn't What It Used To Be:
Changing Trends And Their
Implications For Transport Planning
Amtrak Cascades Ridership Grows in 2004
Daily News Urban Warrior | The
masses back transit
NEW POLL FINDS MUCH OF PA. WANTS FUNDING
Memo: Update on Intercounty Transit Committee (ITC)
2006 DOT BUDGET WILL ELIMINATE ALL INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE
Follow the Money: Uncovering and Reforming Michigan's Sprawl Subsidies
1/23/2005-
"The Future Isn't What It Used To Be:
Changing Trends And Their
Implications For Transport Planning," by Todd Litman, Victoria Transport
Policy Institute (http://www.vtpi.org/future.pdf)
New report indicates increasing importance of transportation system
diversity.
Abstract
This report examines demographic, economic and market trends that affect
travel demand, and their implications for transport planning. Motorized
mobility grew tremendously during the Twentieth Century due to favorable
demographic and economic conditions. But the factors that caused this
growth are unlikely to continue. Per capita vehicle ownership and
mileage have started to decline, while demand for alternatives such as walking,
cycling, public transit and telework is increasing. This indicates that
future transport demand will be increasingly diverse. Transport planning
can reflect these shifts by increasing support for alternative modes.
Study Conclusions
Between 1900 and 2000 per capita vehicle travel increased by an order of
magnitude due to favorable technical, demographic and economic trends.
However, this study indicates that these trends are beginning to change.
Toward the end of the Century per capita automobile travel stopped
growing in the U.S., and started to decline after 2000. This decline is likely
to continue due to factors discussed in this report.
An increasing portion of the population will need or prefer to rely on
alternative modes such as walking, cycling, ridesharing, public transit,
telework and delivery services. Automobile transport will continue to be
important, but the role of other modes will increase.
Transportation professionals should take these trends into account when
making strategic decisions. We should plan for a mature transport
system, with less emphasis on roadway system expansion and more emphasis on
improving transport system efficiency and diversity.
For example, if we start developing a new suburban highway now, it will
be completed about the time that most Baby Boomers retire, fuel prices rise
significantly, and consumers increasingly value walkable neighborhoods.
It may be better to anticipate these trends by investing resources in
alternative modes and creating less automobile-dependent communities.
Although this paper investigates transport patterns in wealthier,
developed countries, the analysis has important implications for lower-income,
developing countries.
Sincerely,
Todd Litman, Director
Victoria Transport Policy Institute
"Efficiency - Equity - Clarity"
1250 Rudlin Street
Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, Canada
Phone & Fax: 250-360-1560
Email:
litman@vtpi.org
Website: http://www.vtpi.org
TOP
1/22/2005-
Amtrak Cascades Ridership Grows in 2004
More riders for Amtrak Amtrak Cascades trains carried more than 603,000 passengers in 2004 - 2.3 percent more than the year before, according to the state Department of Transportation. This is the 10th consecutive year of increased ridership for the trains, which run between Vancouver, B.C., and Portland, Ore. The increase is largely due to strong ridership May through August, most notably between Bellingham, Seattle and Portland, the DOT said. Details: www.amtrakcascades.com or (800) USA-RAIL.
1/16/2005-
Daily News Urban Warrior | The masses back transit NEW POLL FINDS MUCH OF PA. WANTS FUNDING I'M STUNNED. According to a new poll, two-thirds of people who live in Pennsylvania say they want state government to put more money into mass transit. They are, predictably, less supportive of paying for it, through new sales or local real-estate taxes, for instance, or by hiking gas taxes or automobile registration fees. And it's also no surprise that support is highest in the Philadelphia region, where 76 percent of residents want new funding. But still. The number is huge. A full 60 percent of people living in rural areas of the state - which means everything outside the regions around Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton - say they favor new funding for mass transit. Add in these urban areas, and the overall number rises to 69 percent. So what if the ways we've talked about funding it face "significant opposition," as pollster Larry Hugick, chairman of Princeton Survey Research Associates International, has said? I say this poll, which is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Economy League and the Pew Charitable Trusts, is a serious blow to conventional wisdom. It suggests that Philadelphia mass-transit riders might have more allies than they realize. These new allies may never have stepped foot in Philadelphia, or even know how to find their local train station. They're people who live in this state's vast open stretches of working farms and wooded hillsides, and who hate watching their way of life being threatened by sprawl. And they're catching on to the idea that making urban life easier and more user-friendly is actually in their own best interest. Because the fact is, transportation has always shaped the way cities and their surroundings grow. And the lack of good mass transit is forcing a kind of growth onto the suburbs that residents there just hate. "I think we're at a unique point, where people who live outside the cities are getting more and more frustrated, and recognizing that they pay a price for not having good mass transit, even if they never use it," said Marc Stier, founder of a new grass-roots movement to get Philadelphia's mass-transit riders politically organized. "I got caught in rush-hour traffic on my way back to the city from Horsham the other day, and it was so terrible, and so maddening, I don't know how the people who live out there cope with it." Are you part of this majority? Are you sick of sprawl, parking-lot highways and crappy options for public transportation? Do you want more and better mass transit in this state? If the answer is yes, there's something you can do: Log on to www.SaveTransit. org and contact state government's political leadership in Harrisburg. Then log on to www.philly transit.com and join Marc Stier's effort to organize this region's 850,000 mass-transit riders so politicians in Harrisburg will be forced into listen. Got a city-dwellers' problem you can't solve? Call the Urban Warrior at 215-854-4810 or e-mail urbanwarrior @phillynews.com. TOP January 11, 2005- TO: Persons interested in the North Sound Connecting Communities Intercounty Transit Committee (NSCCP-ITC) FROM: Preston Schiller, ITC Coordinator RE: Update on Intercounty Transit Committee (ITC) It is now one year since the ITC was formed as a result of a Federal Transit Administration grant secured by Cong. Larsen and Sen. Patty Murray for the NSCCP to examine ways in which intercounty public transportation could be improved in North Sound--bus, rail, and ferry. The Intercounty Transit Committee focused on improved bus services and has accomplished much in that year. The 35 ITC members, representing all the North Sound’s transit agencies, several planning agencies, private transportation providers, and several major institutions and employers, as well as several citizens involved with transportation issues met 8 times during 2004. With help from Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment research assistants a Report and Recommendations (including substantial data about North Sound public transportation needs) was drafted and deliberated at the ITC’s Nov. 15, 2004, meeting. The major findings and recommendations were delivered at the NSCCP’s general meeting on Dec. 9, 2004, and a smaller “Demonstration Project” subcommittee on the ITC met following that meeting to develop guidelines for a funding proposal to be submitted to the Legislature’s 2005 session. The Draft Report & Recommendations is available at www.wwu/nsccp. A final revision is in process and should be completed within a few weeks. Between Xmas and New Year’s I drafted a Demonstration Project Proposal which summarized some of the ITC Report’s data and recommendations and submitted it to ITC Chair Martha Rose, Skagit Transit’s Dale O’Brien and Richard Walsh and Rick Nicholson of WTA. Martha Rose, Dale O’Brien and Richard Walsh also met in late December and early January to reach understandings about proposed intercounty transit services and to present their proposal to State Senator Mary Margaret Haugen. Service linking Mount Vernon-Burlington to Bellingham as well as a service linking Oak Harbor to Mount Vernon and down to the Stanwood Park & Ride (where it will connect with a Camano Island service) is proposed. While details will be worked out among the providers should funding materialize, it is proposed that each service would have several runs per day from early morning until early evening, and that the two services would pulse at the Mount Vernon Multi-Modal Station. Sen. Haugen seems very enthusiastic about this proposal, although the funding situation for the State, as we all know, is difficult. The price tag for these services is relatively small as transportation projects go; approximately $300,000 per annum will be sought for the Skagit-Whatcom connection and approximately $600,000 per annum will be sought for the Island-Skagit-Snohomish connection. Several major employers and institutions are very interested in promoting these services to their employees and students. I will keep you informed as this project proceeds in the Legislature, and, on behalf of the committee, hope you will be actively supporting these vital connections. If funded the services could be initiated as early as Summer or Fall, 2005. Many thanks are due to all ITC members, the NSCCP, and, especially, to Martha Rose, Dale O'Brien, and Richard Walsh for their efforts to push the Demonstration Project Proposal forward at a time of year when I'm sure they would have preferred to be doing something more recreational.
TOP
2/7/2005-
2006 DOT BUDGET WILL ELIMINATE ALL INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE For Immediate Release Monday, February 7, 2005 - #05-02 Contacts: Ross Capon, David Johnson The Administration's Fiscal 2006 Department of Transportation budget proposal eliminates all funding for Amtrak. The National Association of Railroad Passengers condemns this proposal as radical and irresponsible. It would end virtually all intercity rail passenger service in the nation, including through service on the Northeast Corridor between Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. This places the burden of funding intercity passenger rail entirely on states that do not have the financial resources to assume such an unfunded mandate. States with limited resources would place first priority on saving the commuter operations within their borders. The $360 million the Administration proposes to make available directly to states may not be sufficient to maintain even these operations much less through trains that cross state lines. Past experience demonstrates that any expectation of the states cooperating to fund such service is unwarranted and unrealistic. Administration claims that an Amtrak bankruptcy would eliminate "inefficient operations" and lead to the emergence of a "more rational" passenger rail system that served routes where there is "real ridership demand" and "support from local governments--such as the Northeast Corridor" are false. Clearly they are targeting Amtrak's long distance services and misrepresenting crucial facts. *Far from lacking demand, the long distance routes handle more travel volume each year than the Northeast Corridor (NEC) -- nearly 30% more than the conventional trains and five time more than Acela Express and Metroliner. *Far from being inefficient, the long distance network costs less per passenger mile to operate than either of the NEC services. It is a common misconception that the long distance trains are "money losers" while the NEC trains are "profitable." None of them is, including the new high speed Acela Express. *The amount of operating support needed to operate the long distance network is not significantly greater than it is for the NEC. The Bush Administration misleads the public when it states that a "restructuring" based on zero federal support "should lead to the development of short-corridor routes between major population centers." On the contrary, the existing system has provided the framework and infrastructure for the significant corridor development we have seen on the West Coast, the Midwest, and in upstate New York. Eliminating Amtrak would put in jeopardy many of the improvements we are seeing, and would preclude the possibility of improvements elsewhere. It completely disregards the nation's growing need for the rail travel alternative. NARP is a non-partisan organization funded by dues and contributions from approximately 16,000 individual members. We have worked since 1967 to support improvement and expansion of passenger rail, particularly intercity passenger rail. You can find more updates on our website. Go to http://www.narprail.org and click on the link at the very top of the page, under the heading banner. David R. Johnson Assistant Director National Association of Railroad Passengers National Association of Railroad Passengers 900 2nd St., N.E., Suite 308, Washington, DC 20002-3557 e-mail: narp@narprail.org web: www.narprail.org 202/408-8362, fax 202/408-8287
TOP
3/16/2005-
WORLD
CARFREE NEWS
Edition no. 18 - March 2005 - English version
COST EFFECTIVENESS OF CUTTING
CAR USE
[submitted by Anna Semlyen, York, UK]
New research commissioned by the UK's Department for Transport called "Smarter
Choices: Changing the Way We Travel" has found that 'soft transport measures'
give a fantastic rate of return - a benefit of more than 10 pounds (1 GBP equals
1.4 EUR) for every 1 pound spent. Soft measures aim at giving better
information and opportunities to
help drivers cut their car use while enhancing the appeal of alternatives.
These popular ideas include:
* workplace and school travel plans;
* personalised travel planning, travel awareness campaigns, and
public transport information;
* car clubs and car sharing schemes;
* teleworking, teleconferencing and home shopping.
The public cost of reducing traffic by soft measures is estimated at 1.5 pence
per car kilometre. The benefit of reduced traffic congestion is 15 pence per car
kilometre removed, and more than 45 pence in congested urban conditions. Every 1
pound spent on well-designed soft measures brings at least 10 pounds of benefit
in reduced congestion alone plus environmental improvements. Estimations
assume that no new vehicles use the road space created. Even if they do, a plan
with a 1,000-4,500% return is good enough to be worth backing.
Yet the City of York plans to axe its
travel awareness post, due to budget cuts.
AIR POLLUTION CAUSES EARLY DEATHS
[from BBC]
A study by the European Commission calculated that air pollution reduces life
expectancy by an average of almost nine months across the European Union. Poor
quality air is thought to result in more than 32,000 premature deaths in the UK
each year alone. Experts say many of these deaths could be avoided if measures
were put in place to cut pollution levels. The figures show every European takes
on average half a day off sick a year due to illnesses linked to air pollution -
costing the economy more than 80 billion euros.
The main threat to health is posed by tiny particles known as particulate
matter, which can penetrate deep into the respiratory tissue, and even directly
into the bloodstream. They are emitted by traffic (particularly diesel engines),
industry and domestic heating. Ozone produced when sunlight reacts with
pollutants emitted by vehicle exhausts is also a major cause of respiratory
disease.
There are major variations between member states in terms of air pollution. The
situation is the worst in Benelux area, Northern Italy, and new member states
such as Poland and Hungary. Lost life expectancy is worst in Belgium, where on
average people lose 13.6 months of life, and the Netherlands, at 12.7 months.
The Finns are the least affected, losing just 3.1 months on average, followed by
the Irish at 3.9 months. The European Commission is to try to reduce the threat
to health by adopting a new strategy on air pollution from May.
Barbara Helfferich, an environment spokesperson for the Commission, told the
BBC: "There are number of ways of doing this. "We can reduce burning of
fossil fuel, we can use alternative energy sources, we can restrict traffic in
inner cities."
Professor Andrew Peacock, of the British Thoracic Society, said: "We have
known for some time that high levels of air pollution have a direct link to
respiratory illnesses. We would urge for this subject area to be looked into
further and for the government to continue working with others to minimise
pollution levels in this country."
ECOLOGISTS TO MARCH AGAINST GRAND PRIX
Casseurs de Pub, a French nonprofit organisation, is organising a "Marche pour
la Décroissance" (March for Counter-Growth) June 6 to July 3 from Lyon to
Magny-Cours in the hopes of stopping the Formula 1 Grand Prix race. Organisers
expect several hundred marchers to participate.
"It's a matter of renewing the tradition of nonviolent mass marches," explained
Casseurs de Pub president Vincent Cheynet,
calling the Grand Prix "the ultimate symbol of wastefulness" as his organisation
launches its fifth annual campaign against the race.
After a big evening event "against the society of consumption and waste" on June
6 in Lyon, the marchers will take to the road, at the rate of 15 km per day, to
the rhythm of the steps of Francois Schneider and his donkey Jujube, who have
been traversing France for a year on an educational tour promoting alternatives
to economic growth.
During the march there will be conferences and meetings every weekend and will
terminate with a big demonstration on the edge of the Magny-Cours racetrack, on
the day of the Formula 1 Grand Prix races. Activists and several well-known
speakers will arrive from Paris or Lyon by bicycle, including Jose Bove and
Albert Jacquard.
For more information, see <www.decroissance.org/marche> (in French).
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TOP
Bus commute may cross county lines Transit agencies weigh Mount Vernon-Bellingham service AUBREY COHEN, THE BELLINGHAM HERALD http://news.bellinghamherald.com/stories/20050516/LocalState/ People who live in Bellingham and Mount Vernon would be able to commute by bus starting in September, under a plan that local transit agencies are considering. =-=-=-=-=-= Whatcom Transportation Authority board members will consider bus service to Mount Vernon during their Wednesday meeting, which starts at 8 a.m. in council chambers at the county Courthouse, 311 Grand Ave. To see copies of the new bus, rail and ferry studies, or for more details about the North Sound Connecting Communities Project, go to http://www.discovery. org/cascadia/ and click on "North Sound Project." =-=-=-=-=-=-= The buses would serve people who commute for work or classes at Western Washington University or Skagit Valley College, said Richard Walsh, Whatcom Transportation Authority general manager. Officials presented the plan, along with federally funded studies of possible commuter train and ferry service, at Friday's meeting of North Sound Connecting Communities Project - a group of officials from Whatcom, Skagit, Island and northern Snohomish counties. The state recently approved $2 million for the two-year bus demonstration project, which also includes runs between Oak Harbor and Stanwood via Mount Vernon. "We have an opportunity here to measure the demand for this service," Walsh said. A draft schedule has up to eight trips each direction Monday through Friday, possibly with some reduced service on Saturday. The WTA would contribute $50,000, while Skagit Transit would provide the buses and both agencies would both provide drivers. The WTA board will consider the plan Wednesday. The rail study looks at a possible commuter service from Bellingham to Everett, connecting to Sounder trains. The service would need $50.2 million to $57.1 million in track and station improvements, trains and other facilities, said Tom Jones of consultant Wilbur Smith Associates. The new state transportation budget has money for some of the work, bringing the cost down to about $40 million, Jones said. The study found the service would need an operating subsidy of about $4 million a year. Officials could seek federal funding as a congestion-easing measure during upcoming construction on Interstate 5 around Everett. The ferry study looked mainly at runs from Friday Harbor to Bellingham and from Bellingham to Seattle, with stops along the way. The service would take $12 million to $15 million in startup costs, with another $7 million to $10 million in capital costs within a few years. Operating costs would be $2.5 million and would need to be subsidized, the report says. Reach Aubrey Cohen at aubrey.cohen@bellinghamherald.com or 715-2289.