Recently in Transportation Category

Source: Ethan Pollack, Issue Brief #280, June 24, 2010

From the summary:
America continues to reel from the worst recession in 75 years, with nationwide unemployment above 9% for the past 12 months. While the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act successfully mitigated the severity and length of the downturn, robust economic recovery, though hoped for, is far from guaranteed.

Transportation investments represent an opportunity for Congress to kick the economy into a higher gear by creating millions of well-paying jobs while simultaneously addressing the backlog of repair and maintenance in transportation that has been growing for decades. The average rush hour commuter has seen annual delays nearly triple since 1982, wasting billions of gallons of gasoline that pollute our air and threaten our national security through our dependence on foreign oil. This increased traffic congestion--along with deep cuts in transit service across the country -- reduces mobility, which leads to segmented labor markets (thus hurting businesses) and exacerbated poverty.
See also:
Press Release

Source: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, April 2010

From the press release:
Congestion, growth, and improved safety are three reasons state departments of transportation say they need to increase highway and bridge capacity in their communities. Transportation Reboot: Unlocking Gridlock offers a state-by-state rundown of the most urgent transportation projects needed in urban areas to meet these challenges as well as to address projected increases in population and freight.

Unlocking Gridlock is the first in a series of reports issued by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), offering new research and data on why states need the ability to increase capacity in their transportation system. Some advocacy groups in Washington are hoping to persuade Congress to adopt a "fix-it first" approach that would steer transportation funds into system preservation alone.

Source: David Koffman, Richard Weiner, Amy Pfeiffer, Scott Chapman, American Public Transportation Association, March 2010

From the press release:
To serve the rapidly growing portion of Americans older than 65, public transportation will incur increased operating and capital costs on the order of another $3.9 billion annually by 2030, according to a new study conducted for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

The study highlights the need for increased operational needs to address the growing senior population. This includes more bus operator training, incorporating travel needs of older people in route planning and stop placement, and coordination with other agencies and transportation providers. Increased capital needs include more low-floor and kneeling buses, improved interior circulation, additional stanchions and grab bars, and other accessibility features, according to the study, Funding the Public Transportation Needs of an Aging Population.

Source: Travis Madsen, Benjamin Davis, Phineas Baxandall, U.S. PIRG Education Fund, April 2010

From the summary:
Over the last 50 years, America has built roads and bridges at a pace and scale that dwarfs most of the rest of the world. We've built a national highway network like no other, with more than 45,000 miles of interstate highway and 575,000 highway bridges.

Now, much of that system is showing its age - and as maintenance needs continue to grow, we are falling farther behind.

Across the nation, drivers face more than 90,000 miles of crumbling highways and more than 70,000 structurally deficient bridges. Neglected maintenance of roads and bridges acts as a constant drain on our economy and a scourge on our quality of life. Rough and rutted roads cause accidents, damage vehicles, trigger traffic jams that lead to countless hours of delay, and waste money Americans need for other expenses. On some occasions - such as the 2007 collapse of the I-35 bridge connecting Minneapolis - it can lead to profound tragedy.

Why are America's roads and bridges in such terrible shape? And who or what is to blame?

The deterioration of our roads and bridges is no accident. Rather, it is the direct result of countless policy decisions that put other considerations ahead of the pressing need to preserve our investment in the highway system.

Source: John Neff, Matthew Dickens, American Public Transportation Association, April 2010

From the summary:
The Public Transportation Fact Book, published annually, contains national aggregate statistical data covering all aspects of the transit industry in the United States and Canada. Two appendices, also available below, provide additional in-depth information that supplements the data in the Fact Book.

Major sections include an overview of U.S. transit facts, transit finances and operating statistics by modes of travel, transit vehicle characteristics and deliveries, facts and numbers relating to federal grants and the Federal Transit Act, and statistical trends of Canadian transit operations.
See also:
- Glossary
- Fact Book Appendix A: Historical Tables
- Fact Book Appendix B: Operating Statistics
- Appendix B tables in Excel format
- 2009 Fact Book
- 2009 Fact Book Appendix B
- 2009 Fact Book Appendix B Excel (2007 NTD Data)
- 2008 Fact Book
- 2008 Fact Book Appendix B
- 2008 Fact Book Appendix B Excel (2006 NTD Data)
- Fact Book 2007
- Fact Book 2006
- Fact Book 2005
- Fact Book 2004
- Fact Book 2003

Source: American Public Transportation Association, March 2010

From the press release:
Public transportation systems are facing unprecedented funding challenges due to widespread declining state and local revenues, and have been forced to take a number of critical actions including: raising fares, cutting service, and laying off employees, according to a new survey released today by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

This report, Impacts of the Recession on Public Transportation Agencies, shows that since January 1, 2009, 84 percent of public transit systems have raised fares, cut service or are considering either of those actions. Fifty nine percent of public transit systems reported that they have already cut service or raised fares.

Service cuts that have been either implemented or will be considered for future action include: reductions in rush hour service (56%), reductions in off-peak service (62%), and reductions in geographic coverage (40%).

The severity of the funding situation is evident with seven out of ten public transit systems (69%) projecting budget shortfalls in their next fiscal year. According to the report, public transit systems have taken significant personnel actions to reduce spending. A total of 68 percent of public transportation systems have eliminated positions or are considering doing so in the future. Nearly half (47%) of public transit systems have laid off employees or are considering layoffs in the future.

In addition, more than half (54%) of public transportation systems responding have transferred funds from capital use to operations, thus aggravating efforts to keep systems in a state of good repair.

Source: American City and County, February 18, 2010

Through the end of 2009, investments by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in public transportation have created almost twice as many jobs per dollar as investments in highways, according to an analysis of federal data by Washington-based Smart Growth America (SGA) and other groups. The most recent data from states shows that every billion dollars spent on public transportation produced 19,299 job-months, compared to 10,493 job-months for every billion spent on highway infrastructure, according to the analysis.

Source: American City and County, January 14, 2010

Several states dropped in their safety ratings in the Washington-based Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety's (Advocates) 2010 Roadmap Report on State Highway Safety Laws. The safety rating decreases were a result of the Advocates' inclusion of text messaging restrictions, graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs and ignition‐interlock laws for drunk driving offenders in the report's analysis. Six states that last year earned Green ratings, the highest grade for model performance, this year fell to Yellow ratings, and an additional six states fell from Yellow to the worst‐performing Red rating.

Source: David T. Hartgen, Ravi K. Karanam and M. Gregory Fields, Reason Foundation, December 2009

From the summary:
North Dakota continues to have the nation's most efficient state-owned highway system, according to Reason Foundation's 18th Annual Highway Report.

The study finds over half of all state-owned highways across the country are congested and 25 percent of bridges are deficient or functionally obsolete.

Since 1984, per-mile total disbursements on state highways have increased by 262 percent. In 2007, U.S. states spent over $109 billion on state-owned highways, a 10 percent increase over 2006. But not everyone is getting their money's worth. Taxpayers in New York, Hawaii, New Jersey, California, Rhode Island and Alaska have the worst-performing highway systems in the nation.

The Reason Foundation study examines state highway systems in 11 categories, including congestion, pavement condition, fatalities, deficient bridges and total spending. The annual report is based on information that each state reported for the year 2007.
See also:
- Press Release
- View Data With Google Maps
- View Data in Spreadsheet

Source: Paul Coussan, Matthew Hicks, Association County Commissioners of Georgia, Fall 2009

Most states are wrestling with how to close a growing gap between transportation infrastructure
investment needs and available resources. This report seeks to inventory the successes and failures of states to increase transportation funding since 2000, more closely examine the level - local, regional or statewide - at which the revenue sources are enacted, and study the method - either referenda-based or legislative - used.