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Senate Transportation Bill Offers Steps Forward for Transit in the Region

The federal House-Senate conference committee negotiating the details of the federal transportation bill is “making very good progress,” conference chair Sen. Barbara Boxer said at a Washington press conference this week. But this optimism could prove unfounded if talks break down over pedestrian and bicycle safety funding, the Keystone XL pipeline, or any number of other issues — related to or unrelated to transportation.

But there’s no reason for this to happen. As editorial boards and advocates across the country have said, the Senate’s MAP-21 bill already represents a bipartisan compromise that would provide stable funding and reform the transportation system. This is particularly true in the bill’s approach to funding public transportation projects. Here’s a closer look at how the federal bill could affect expansion projects, operating budgets, transit riders, and planning, and the benefits these reforms could provide to the region.

A new look at New Starts

The Senate’s bill would reform New Starts, the grant program which funds major expansion projects like the Second Avenue Subway. While the majority of federal highway funding is simply given to states according to formulas, transit expansion projects go through a lengthy federal review process. MAP-21 would speed things up by eliminating some of the duplicative steps that delay project delivery. For example, unlike virtually all other transportation projects, New Starts projects must complete two “alternatives analysis” studies which compare different alignments and transit modes (one is required in the New Starts process; the other is required by the National Environmental Policy Act.) MAP-21 would eliminate one of them. In addition, reviews would be further streamlined for projects costing less than $100 million (these “Small Starts” projects include, in our region, NYC’s Nostrand Avenue Select Bus Service).

Notably, the Senate bill would create a new category of “core capacity” New Starts grants that can fund improvements to existing transit corridors. Core capacity grants would be judged using the same criteria (new ridership, travel time savings, etc.) as expansion projects. This new program could provide a new funding option for improvements that aren’t presently eligible for New Starts funding, like an overhaul of signals on an entire subway line, or the double-tracking of the LIRR between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma.

Flexibility for transit agencies

The Senate’s bill would also give transit agencies “temporary and targeted” flexibility to use a portion of their federal funds for operating expenses when unemployment is high (currently, all but the smallest transit agencies are barred from using federal funds for operating expenses). In recent years, the economic downturn has put enormous strain on transit systems, creating pressure to raise fares and cut service just as the need for public transportation is highest. For example, Albany’s Capital District Transportation Authority raised fares by 50% in 2009, while the Central NY Regional Transportation Authority raised fares by 60% in Syracuse last year. Substantial fare hikes also took place on the MTA and Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority in New York, and in 2010, NJ Transit enacted the largest fare hike in a generation. In Connecticut, Metro-North fares will increase by over 15% over the next three years.

Restoring the commuter benefit

Rail commuters throughout Long Island (as well as in NJ, CT, the Hudson Valley, and NYC) were impacted when the transit commuter benefit was slashed at the beginning of the year.

The Senate bill would increase the transit commuter tax benefit to $240/month, making it equal to the benefit offered for parking. In 2009, the transit benefit was made equal to the parking benefit, but it fell to $125/month this past January 1st after Congress failed to renew it. If it is not fixed, the financial impact on LIRR, Metro-North, NJ Transit, and New York City Transit express bus commuters could be hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year. By embedding this provision in the base transportation law, it would become much less likely to expire than in the past.

Helping municipalities prepare for transit

The Senate bill would also create a $20 million transit-oriented development (TOD) planning program for municipalities near New Starts funded projects. Getting TOD done right is often a lengthy, challenging task for short-staffed local governments. These projects must contend with outdated zoning requirements, build community consensus around what type of development is appropriate, and ensure that new development maximizes the benefits of transit. The Senate bill’s program would help municipalities through that process, and complement existing programs, like the New Jersey Transit Village initiative, which have been providing technical assistance and guidance for years. Possible beneficiaries in our region include towns on Long Island that will see expanded LIRR service due to East Side Access, and Connecticut municipalities that will be served by the CTfastrak bus rapid transit system.

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Al
Al
12 years ago

TALK, TALK< TALK that all these useless paper pushers can do!!!! Meanwhile commuters pay over 300 USD per month on month passes out of pocket!!!! Surely great way to support public transportation and people who travel over 50 miles per day to work ( as locally NO JOBS are available anywhere). Thank you for your concern!

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[…] How the Senate Transpo Bill Would Benefit Transit in the NYC Region (MTR) […]

orbit7er
orbit7er
12 years ago

We need a plan to get out of Auto Addiction as quickly as possible to deal with Peak Oil, Climate Change and the huge wastes of Auto Addiction.
Auto Addiction is a major cause of the $500 Billion increasing amount we spend on foreign oil, 30,000 deaths and trillions in costs for personal car ownership, 10 lanes highways, and football fields of parking for cars.

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/energy-futurist/reframing-the-transportation-debate/128
Here are some of the costs of our current Auto Addiction gridlock:
1)Surface maintenance $5.4 Trillion through 2035 (note asphalt has quadrupled in price as oil prices have risen
2)Liquid fuels for cars and trucks – $660 Billion per year and rising
3)Gridlock – $100 Billion in wasted time
4)Personal cars and trucks ownership, insurance and maintenance – $450 billion per year
5)Oil Wars – $200 Billion per year, annual costs of War all told $1 Trillion per year (not all directly related of course to Auto Addiction)

Green Transit advocates are not being bold enough!
We need a lot more than incremental change, we need concrete goals to REDUCE cars and their mileage and increase alternatives like Rail, lightrail, biking and walking.

Clark Morris
Clark Morris
12 years ago

Maybe we should eliminate all transportation subsidies. A 40 mile commute by train uses more energy than a 10 mile commute by car. This includes all tax credits for any mode.

patrick
patrick
12 years ago

Excellent article. thank you!

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[…] addition, important transit reforms from the Senate’s bill survived the negotations, […]

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