Metro Jacksonville

The bad news is they didn't really add anything, but the good news is they did fund transportation at the current levels, promising to streamline some of the details. If Jacksonville self funds a starter streetcar line between Bay & Newnan and Park & King, it would put us in a catbird seat to scoop some federal grants to expand the system. Overall it's a 'ho-hum' bill that neither side will really be happy about.

OCKLAWAHA

QuoteFrom the Seattle Transit Blog


Reauthorization Passes: No Big Changes for Transit
June 29, 2012 at 1:31 pm
by Adam Bejan Parast
After expiring over 1,000 days ago, Congress has finally passed a new surface transportation bill. The bill revises federal highway funding streams but does little to change the status qou for transit, maintaining current funding levels. At the beginning hopes were high that a new surface transportation bill would be a bold and progressive vision to build a transportation system for the 21st century. That didn’t happen. The final bill does little to lead the nation in the direction we need to go. The only real win is that the bill isn’t worse than the existing bill. Streetblogs reports:

The best thing one can say about the bill issued by the conference committee last night is that it doesn’t include that draconian measure. But it sure doesn’t do anything to move transit forward in this country.

The bill maintains current funding levels at a time when more Americans are turning to transit but cities can barely maintain their existing services. Ridership has been growing steadily for countless economic and social reasons. But transit agency budgets haven’t grown with it, and Congress, with this bill, is surrendering its chance to help struggling cities and move toward a future where Americans have more transportation options.

The New Starts grant program for transit agencies is maintained. New Starts funding helps build new rail lines and busways. This is where the money to expand transit systems comes from, and it stays flat in this bill. A new subcategory of New Starts will help agencies maintain their existing stock of buses, trains, track, and other capital assets, as long as a 10 percent capacity increase will result from the investment, so there will be some added flexibility in the new bill. But that’s hardly what you’d call progress in an era of rising gas prices and intensifying demand for walkable, transit-oriented places.

QuoteHouse hikes Amtrak, community development budget


Posted: Jun 29, 2012 1:25 PM EDT
Updated: Jun 29, 2012 2:35 PM EDT
National NewsMore>>
By ANDREW TAYLOR
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - The GOP-controlled House on Friday passed legislation boosting Amtrak's budget for updating rail lines and increasing funding for community development grants to local governments.

The $107 billion measure passed easily on a 261-163 vote, its momentum helped by increases for some programs favored by Democrats. But most Democrats still oppose the measure.

Overall, the measure cuts slightly below current levels, blending cuts to transit programs with the increases for Amtrak.

It is the sixth of the 12 annual appropriations bills to pass the House. The Senate has yet to pass any of the annual measures, which set the day-to-day budgets of federal agencies.

Friday's measure would award a $384 million increase to Amtrak that boosts its funding to $1.8 billion. Included is a new $500 million bridge and tunnel repair program. Amtrak operating subsidies would be cut more modestly than in recent years, from Obama's $466 million request to $350 million. Republicans noted that Amtrak's operating loss for the current budget year is projected to drop to $345 million, $100 million below last year's loss.

The White House has threatened a veto of the measure as part of its opposition to all 12 GOP-drafted spending bills. The administration complains that House Republicans aren't living up to last summer's budget pact by forcing cuts from domestic agency budgets deeper than called for in the hard-fought budget agreement.

Seventy-nine Democrats voted for the measure Friday; 55 conservative Republicans opposed it.

SOURCE: http://www.wset.com/story/18916326/house-hikes-amtrak-community-development-budget

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/06/how-transportation-bill-failed-america/2431/