SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) Illinois Transportation Department officials are highlighting environmental efforts as they mark Earth Week.
Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider said Friday the agencys goal is to build environmental awareness, save money and use the states natural resources wisely.
FILE – This Jan. 10, 2007 file photo shows Transportation Security Officer Juan Morales at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles. Two former and current Transportation Security Administration employees have been arrested and indicted on drug conspiracy charges for allegedly allowing large amounts of cocaine and other drugs to pass through security screening at Los Angeles International Airport last year. Seven people face drug-related charges in a 22-count indictment unsealed Wednesday April 25, 2012, in Los Angeles federal court.
(Ann Johansson / AP)
And we dont even want to think about the things we cant see and feel – like the steel holding up bridges.
But anyone who didnt see this coming wasnt paying attention. Welcome to the end game of the anti-government, anti-tax, anti-spending movement. Government has become so strapped at all levels – and politicians have become so afraid of taking the brave steps to raise necessary revenue – that apparently no one has the money to keep up with the needed paving anymore.
When Chris Christie was running for governor in 2009, he ruled out raising the gas tax – or any other tax – to fund transportation infrastructure repairs. How would he pull that off? Simple, he said: New Jersey would fund a lot fewer projects.
So here we are. On our way back to a Third World transportation grid.
And the problem didnt just start with Christie.
Years ago, the Transportation Trust Fund, which pays for road and bridge repairs (or used to), began seeing more and more of its revenue being used to pay the debt service from previous borrowing.
Then, all of the trust funds revenue was going toward debt service.
And now – for the first time – the $895 million in gas, sales and other taxes earmarked for the Transportation Trust Fund is not even enough to cover the annual debt service – forcing the state to take money from the general fund to cover transportation debt, according to a new report by the Office of Legislative Services.
Talk about being in a (pot)hole.
Christie has a plan. Hes calling for approximately $8 billion in spending on transportation projects over the next five years, with $4.3 billion coming from yet more borrowing, $1.8 billion in pay-as-you-go funds and an additional $1.8 billion freed up by the governors decision to cancel a new New Jersey-to-New York rail tunnel.
The key part there – to us, anyway – is the $4.3 billion in new borrowing that Christie would rather undertake than simply raising the gas tax – a tax that out-of-state motorists using New Jerseys roads help pay.
But as has become so common, from Washington to the smallest New Jersey burg, politics beats sound policy these days.
Its a political time bomb. Nobody wants to touch it. The minute anybody talks about a solution that involves an increase in revenue, theyre immediately branded as wanting to increase taxes and not caring about ordinary people, and the discussion runs off the rails, said Democratic Assemblyman John Wisniewski, chairman of the Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee.
So here we are, folks. You wanted smaller government? You got it. Enjoy the ride.
AUSTIN, TX (News Release) – In a unanimous decision Thursday, the Texas Transportation Commission voted to revise the 2012 Unified Transportation Plan (UTP), formally allocating approximately $1.6 billion to communities across the state using existing funding formulas. The remaining $400 million will be allocated to transportation projects selected by the Transportation Commission focusing on strategic partnerships and statewide connectivity.
The Transportation Commission and Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) leadership are encouraging partners to select projects that meet important local needs, while leveraging the states limited resources with other available funds or opportunities to achieve the greatest benefit possible for each community.
These funds will help local leaders throughout the state address local transportation priorities, while also addressing our concerns about safety and traffic congestion, said Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Ted Houghton. Thanks to early coordination with our local partners, the states Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and TxDOTs districts will be able to put these dollars to work on important projects quickly.
The $2 billion in allocations are comprised of Texas Mobility Fund bond proceeds, anticipated federal funding and savings on construction projects currently under way. TxDOT will work in partnership with Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and districts to identify projects that focus on safety, congestion, maintenance and statewide connectivity in the coming months.
Together with our public and private sector partners, the department has previously leveraged investments of limited state resources to advance more than $10 billion in North Texas transportation improvements, added Bill Meadows, a Texas Transportation Commission member from Fort Worth. It is my hope that our local partners will realize the opportunity here to leverage this $2 billion into a much greater impact for Texas communities.
Our $2 billion is expected to deliver more than $4 billion in projects, plus additional opportunities beyond this, said Phil Wilson, TxDOT executive director. This is a tremendous opportunity for TxDOT to work with our partners in a way that has a significant impact on our states mobility challenges.
For example, TxDOT intends to partner with local MPOs and regional transportation agencies to accelerate and build projects such as Sections 3A/3B of the North Tarrant Express, I-35E in Dallas and US 290 in Houston. Moreover, $300 million from TxDOT will leverage a $1.2 billion project for I-35E. For sections 3A and 3B of the NTE, a $100 million TxDOT investment leverages a $1.3 billion project. And $400 million in TxDOT funding leverages $1.4 billion for US 290 in Houston.
Across the state, $800 million of the funds will go toward addressing metropolitan congestion, nearly $650 million toward MPOs and rural connectivity, $150 million to strategic projects identified by TxDOT districts, more than $200 million to statewide connectivity, and $200 million to strategic partnerships.
TxDOT announced the availability of approximately $2 billion in funds in February and immediately began work with local transportation leaders to receive input on options for allocating the funds and collect ideas for potential priority projects that could move forward quickly. Meanwhile, TxDOT gathered public comments on the proposed UTP revision, capped off by a public hearing on April 19.
Continued coordination between TxDOT, local and federal officials is necessary before projects can begin. Public involvement activities related to these funds are ongoing and specific projects will be identified by local partners and approved by the Commission by late summer.
April 28, 2012
Transportation organization updating long-range plan
First stage: Ask for public input
By BRADEN LAMMERS
braden.lammers@newsandtribune.com
The News and Tribune
Sat Apr 28, 2012, 09:31 AM EDT
Funding bills
The Senate bill, which passed that chamber, would:
? Spend $109 billion over the next two years on transportation programs.
? Consolidate or eliminate about 60 federal transportation programs that critics say are duplicative or ineffective.
? Expand a program that uses federal dollars to leverage private investment in infrastructure.
The House bill, which remains in committee, would:
? Spend $260 billion over about five years on transportation programs.
? Expand oil and gas drilling, with new revenue going to supplement gas tax revenue in the Highway Trust Fund.
? Eliminate a dedicated stream of funding from the Highway Trust Fund to transit projects.
The federal Highway Trust Fund?s finances:
? In the current fiscal year, the Highway Trust Fund is projected to bring in about $32 billion. To maintain current federal surface transportation programs would cost nearly $42 billion, according to the Transportation Transformation Group, an alliance of business and government groups.
? Even as revenue from the gas tax has dropped over the past six years, Congress has increased federal highway and transit spending, draining the Highway Trust Fund. Since 2008, Congress has taken nearly $35 billion from general revenues to keep the trust fund solvent.
? The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has projected that the Highway Trust Fund will run out of highway dollars in 2013 and transit funds in 2014.
Missouri transportation funding:
? State revenue used to fund transportation programs, generated from fuel and vehicle fees and taxes, has dropped from $267 million in 2005 to $247 million last year.
Photo illustration
Area schools expect to receive money to help combat rising fuel costs and cushion the blows to their respective district transportation budgets following a recent announcement from Gov. Jay Nixons office.
CHAPEL HILL – Orange County residents caught more than 7 million bus rides last year #x2013; almost double the trips reported in 2002, the first year Chapel Hill Transit became a fare-free system.
In Chapel Hill and Carrboro, riders can take the bus to most local destinations, transfer to a Triangle Transit bus to visit Durham or Raleigh, or travel to Hillsborough on the Hill-to-Hill route. In Hillsborough, Orange Public Transportation operates the in-town circulator route.
But how do residents get around when age or health problems limit their access to transportation?
Paratransit is a #x201C;safety net#x201D; of alternative but equal transportation operated under guidelines in the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. However, having a disability does not automatically qualify someone for paratransit services.
ADA rules require agencies operating fixed-route bus systems to provide paratransit services to residents with physical, visual or cognitive disabilities severe enough to keep them from boarding, riding or disembarking from a regular bus route. Not every disability is covered.
Chapel Hill Transit#x2019;s EZ Rider paratransit service has 1,200 active customers and last year made roughly 62,000 trips. Other town and county residents rely on Orange Public Transportation, which last year took roughly 13,000 riders on 113,000 trips.
Each agency has its own funding and level of service. EZ Rider picks up riders within 3/4-mile of a Chapel Hill Transit bus route and goes anywhere fixed-route buses go, including University Mall, grocery stores, and medical and recreation destinations. Since the county doesn#x2019;t operate a fixed route, seniors and people with disabilities are largely limited to taking OPT#x2019;s Orange Bus to medical appointments.
Shrinking budgets
No one feels the differences more acutely than town residents who can#x2019;t access EZ Rider, says Nancy Watkins, who lives in southern Chapel Hill just over a mile outside EZ Rider#x2019;s service area.
The county#x2019;s system can be isolating, and you don#x2019;t want to lean on friends and family too much, she says. Sometimes she#x2019;ll try to grab a few things while waiting for the bus home from the doctor#x2019;s office.
#x201C;I have, at times, lacked basic groceries and household goods, or been unable to pick up a prescription on time,#x201D; Watkins says.
For more than 30 years, EZ Rider served every Chapel Hill and Carrboro resident with a qualifying disability. However, shrinking budgets, rising costs and a growing number of riders are draining available funds, officials say.
In August, Chapel Hill Transit started selling ad space on transit buses to help cover a $2.3 million budget shortfall. Early morning and late evening service on multiple routes was cancelled or reduced. EZ Rider#x2019;s service area was cut to the ADA-required 3/4-mile minimum.
Watkins and others say they don#x2019;t understand why EZ Rider was cut at all.
Town Manager Roger Stancil says the EZ Rider service changes were small compared to fixed-route cuts #x2013; 3,000 service hours vs. 14,000 service hours. The town held five public forums and received more than 300 comments before making the changes, he says.
A slippery slope
Other cities adopted the ADA minimum service area for paratransit years ago, Chapel Hill Transit assistant director Brian Litchfield says.
#x201C;We were fortunate enough in this area to be able to ride it as long as we could without making this change. The unfortunate reality was it was necessary not only to continue to meet ADA requirements but to make our system sustainable for the future,#x201D; he says.
Although local systems can choose whether to help individuals outside the requirements, Litchfield says it#x2019;s a slippery slope.
#x201C;Once you push it beyond the three-quarters of a mile #x2013; just here and there #x2013; then you#x2019;re that much closer to somebody else that you need to push the line to,#x201D; he says.
According to Chapel Hill Transit documents, systemwide expenses rose 54 percent since 2009, while state and federal funding fell 7 percent and 18 percent, respectively. CHT#x2019;s local partners #x2013; Chapel Hill, Carrboro and UNC #x2013; are paying roughly 58 percent of this year#x2019;s $17.7 million budget; UNC pays $5.9 million of that. The rest comes from state and federal funding and fees.
EZ Rider gets roughly $2 million.
Looking for answers
Meanwhile, Orange County budgeted roughly $900,000 this year for transportation. The county provides about 44 percent, with the rest from revenues, fees, partner payments, and state and federal grants.
Director Al Terry says OPT#x2019;s focus is on #x201C;life-enriching and life-sustaining#x201D; services. Most riders traveled to medical and dialysis appointments last year. Partner agencies funded other, pre-approved trips to senior centers, Department of Social Services and Orange Enterprises work programs, and SportsPlex afterschool activities, among others.
Terry said Medicaid-funded services are becoming more strictly regulated because of cost cutting and #x201C;quite a bit of fraud.#x201D; In recent years, regulators have uncovered companies billing the state for services that were unnecessary or never delivered.
This year, the state overspent its Medicaid allotment by $150 million, leaving lawmakers scrambling for money to sustain the Division of Medical Assistance, which runs the program. The state could lose $414 million in federal funding if differences over regulations aren#x2019;t resolved.
Terry said the county must follow Medicaid rules to receive that money. One such rule is that Medicaid clients now need a doctor#x2019;s note to schedule a ride. Another is that OPT drivers must be certified through background checks every quarter instead of once a year.
Assistant manager Pearl Waite said OPT#x2019;s service area #x2013; Orange and parts of Durham, Caswell and Alamance counties #x2013; also remains a major challenge, although the agency has become more efficient at grouping people headed to similar destinations.
#x201C;Transportation#x2019;s big thing is trying to pick people up and drop them off as quickly and efficiently as possible, and with the distance that we travel, that#x2019;s not always possible,#x201D; Waite says.
OPT and CHT officials say they know riders aren#x2019;t happy about changes and the level of service each system offers.
#x201C;It#x2019;s something that we#x2019;re looking at finding ways to try to help, but we have no good answers for it now,#x201D; Litchfield says.
One of this year’s partners in the Empty Stocking Fund is an organization with 14 centers located around the Texas Panhandle to help those in need.
Panhandle Community Services, a private nonprofit agency, provides Texas Panhandle residents with a number of transportation, educational, housing, utility and financial assistance opportunities in an effort to help improve lives.
One service the agency provides is Panhandle Transit, a fleet of vehicles that rural Panhandle residents can use to take in-town or out-of-town trips for a small fee with a 24-hour notice.
Panhandle Transit makes thousands of one-way trips every year and is the primary Medicaid-approved transportation provider for the Panhandle area.
Panhandle Community Services began the Families in Training Program in the 1980s with funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The program issues loans to qualifying families, helps them pay rent, offers career counseling to help parents complete post-secondary education.
Qualifying households must meet HUD income requirements, have at least one child in the household and have at least one parent enrolled in post-secondary training to be completed in a two-to-four-year period.
The program sends out the PCS Express Fleet to centralized locations around the Texas Panhandle to let residents know what services Panhandle Community Services offer.
The buses advertise program services and make home visits to seniors, disabled and homebound.
To donate to the Empty Stocking Fund and help this and other organizations make
Christmas brighter for area residents in need, please make checks payable to the Empty Stocking Fund. Checks can be mailed to:
Empty Stocking Fund
PO Box 2091
Amarillo, TX 79166
Donations may be made in memory of individuals or in honor of individuals and the Globe-News will mail letters of acknowledgement on request.
The Empty Stocking Fund is a 501c3 organization and donations are tax deductible.
The Empty Stocking Fund is teaming up this year with the Center City Electric Light Parade to present its yearly Christmas concert.
This year, the concert is scheduled at 8:30 pm Dec. 2 at the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, following the Electric Light Parade and the lighting of the city’s new Christmas tree.
Free tickets are available at the Globe-News offices at 900 S. Harrison St. Offices are open 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. Donations for the Empty Stocking Fund will be accepted at the concert. For more information, call 806-345-3363.
Alameda Countys transportation commission has proposed asking voters in November 2012 to double the county sales tax for transportation — from a half cent to one cent.
The money would be used to fix potholes, build trails and boost public transit.
If the measure wins by the required two-thirds margin, Alameda would become only the second county in California to raise its transportation sales tax to a penny. Los Angeles County was the first.
Top managers at the Alameda County Transportation Commission said they propose to extend and increase the sales tax because stagnant or reduced funding has eroded road conditions and public transit services for years.
The measure would raise some $7.7 billion in new funds over 30 years, including a proposal that has roiled debate about allocating $400 million to partially fund a BART rail extension to Livermore.
Our roads will deteriorate and our congestion will worsen if we dont act, said Tess Lengyel, a deputy director for policy for the commission.
The agency is overseen by a 22-member board of elected city, county and transit district board members.
We also are planning improvements to serve a population expected to grow by 500,000 people, Lengyel said.
According to a poll done for the commission in early October, some 69 percent of Alameda County residents would support the tax measure.
Unless voters approved a ballot measure, the countys current half-cent