PTP Digest 2003

=PTP= http://www.dailyvanguard.com/vnews/display.vART/2003/07/16/3f14ade99 1f0c Portland State University Vanguard July 16, 2003 Light rail coming to PSU University may contribute several million dollars Jacob Fenton Light rail is coming to Portland State - probably. For $150 million, TriMet could build a rail line on Fifth and Sixth avenues between PSU and Union Station as early as 2007. A cheaper option, however, would cut PSU out of the loop. For $100 million, TriMet would run light rail from Union Station to Main Street, and back stopping roughly six blocks north of PSU's Urban Plaza. The rail line is just one piece of the $450 million South Corridor Project, which aims to bring light rail to Clackamas as well as downtown. Project planners expect the federal government to pay for 60 percent of the total cost. At a public meeting in PSU's College of Urban and Public Affairs building last Thursday, TriMet presented three plans for building the rail. With dramatic "fly-through" video simulations, TriMet representatives showcased options for running light rail on the left side of the street, and down the middle of the street. A third option would run rail down the right side of the street, but a video depicting this was not completed in time for the meeting. Both TriMet representatives and PSU administrators agree that bringing light rail all the way to the university, the single largest user of public transit in Portland, is a better option. "it's essential that light rail come to PSU in order for us to meet the transportation needs of our students," said Jay Kenton, vice president of finance and administration. Transportation surveys have shown that 40 percent of PSU students, faculty and staff use public transit on a regular basis, Kenton said. As TriMet seeks to put together funding sources, there is an expectation that PSU will be footing part of the bill. This is fairly common practice, said Robert Bertini, a professor in the civil and environmental engineering department at PSU. "Generally, projects around the country have been implemented where adjacent property owners somehow contribute to the project." Trimet's conceptual design report lists PSU as providing $5 million to $10 million of local funding to help pay for the rail extension, an amount that planners hope would be matched by the state funds. State legislators' willingness to provide these funds in the current fiscal condition is doubtful. TriMet "wanted us to approach the Legislature (about matching funds) - and we told them that given our budget it would be better for them to approach them," Kenton said. Kenton is serving on the project's steering committee, along with Portland Mayor Vera Katz and Metro President David Bragdon. The project, officially the Portland Transit Mall Revitalization, seeks to do more than provide greater access to downtown. Spurred on in part by business owners who believe in severely restricting car traffic on Fifth and Sixth avenues, city planners hope the plan will increase development along the rail lines. "The current transit mall has been around for 25 years and it's showing its age," said TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetsch. Besides replacing bus shelters and sidewalks that are starting to fall apart, the plan would establish distinct "urban rooms," which would respect the character of the neighborhoods while breaking up what the report terms "the monolithic character of the Mall's design."

=PTP= Gazette.Net July 16, 2003 Council decries busway by Catherine Dolinski Staff Writer The Montgomery County Council sped up its own pace Tuesday to urge state officials to stop studying a plan to build a rapid busway on Jones Bridge Road and start making progress toward building the Purple Line. Hours after the council's Transportation and Environment Committee met with officials from the Maryland Transit Administration and county Planning Board, the council voted unanimously to suspend its usual procedures and immediately pass a resolution opposing the creation of a rapid busway on Jones Bridge Road from Bethesda to Chevy Chase. "There's a state budget deficit out there," said Councilman Thomas E. Perez (D-Dist. 5) of Takoma Park. "The state shouldn't waste money on an approach that nobody wants, not the business community, not the neighborhoods, and not county residents who desperately need more transportation options." The rapid busway option surfaced in March when state transportation Secretary Robert L. Flanagan announced his department would study Jones Bridge Road as a route for a rapid busway. The busway would serve as part of the Purple Line, a transit connection that would link Bethesda and Silver Spring to communities in Prince George's County. Based on a 2000 proposal by state Del. John A. Hurson (D-Dist. 18) of Chevy Chase, the Jones Bridge busway would effectively replace the inner Purple Line, a light-rail system advocated by the County Council and former Gov. Parris N. Glendening. The inner Purple Line would run inside the Beltway alongside the interim Georgetown Branch hiker/biker trail. Pointing to a study from the county planning staff, Councilman George L. Leventhal (D-At large) of Takoma Park said a busway would threaten the safety and property values for Jones Bridge Road residents, some of whom might have to be displaced, without solving the area's transit problems. It would also violate master plans, he said, and pose access problems for North Chevy Chase Elementary School. Belaboring the busway issue buys time for state officials to stall the Purple Line, he said, to the point of effectively killing the entire project. "The priority of this governor is roads," said Leventhal, who advocates building the inner Purple Line. "The priority of this governor is not transit ... The goal of further study, it's clear to me, is to do nothing." One study or two Under the Glendening administration, state transportation officials had divided the Purple Line project into two studies: one of the portion east of Silver Spring and one of the western portion. The state completed a study of the western portion, designed as a light-rail system, and had arranged for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to study the eastern portion. This year, Flanagan reneged on that agreement and announced his department would analyze the remaining portion instead. About the same time, Flanagan also announced the state would study the possibility of using buses and existing roads instead of light rail, effectively reopening the entire project for reexamination. During the committee meeting, Leventhal and Perez grilled Henry Kay, planning director of the Maryland Transit Administration, on the new timeframe for the state study. "I heard the state say in December that you could begin construction on the Bi-County Transitway in 2005," Perez said. "Today you are talking about the end of 2007 before you have a final draft of the environmental impact statement. So let's assume we start construction in 2008. ... That means it's not built until 2011, under your best-case scenario. A year ago, the state of Maryland told people we would be addressing gridlock along a choked corridor by 2008." Kay said Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s administration supports the Bi- County Transitway (the name state officials are using to refer to the Purple Line) and has recommended it to federal officials for design and construction funding. But given the state's expanded look at the plan since Ehrlich's election, he agreed the transitway might not be built until 2011. "The secretary would like to find a project that is less controversial and less expensive [than the inner Purple Line]," Kay said. "He recognizes it may not be out there, bit he thinks we should be looking for it." Perez challenged Kay's statements about controversy, noting that more County Council members in Montgomery and Prince George's counties support the inner Purple Line than support the intercounty Connector, a highway project that Ehrlich has vowed to begin construction on within his first term. "If we're not going to build a project because the politicians can't get their house in order, I think the ICC should come to a screeching halt." Whose right of way? it remained unclear at the end of the day how far the state could pursue the busway option without the county's cooperation, since Jones Bridge Road is a county road. Kay said he thought the state would have to pursue the project in conjunction with the county. But Glenn Orlin, deputy council staff director, noted that the intersections along the route are state right of ways. If the state did not choose to alter Jones Bridge Road and limited its busway plan to intersection improvements, such as queue jumpers and grade separations, the busway option might be possible even if the county objects. Leventhal blasted Hurson, who was not present during the council meetings, for persuading state officials to consider the busway option in the first place, saying the proposal will harm Hurson's Chevy Chase constituency. "Residents' property values are dropping, and they have Bob Flanagan and John Hurson to thank," Leventhal said. Reached by phone Tuesday, Hurson rejected the notion that his busway proposal harms his constituents, and defended the state for taking time to combine the eastern and western portion of the Purple Line studies. "The whole idea of a building an east-west connection doesn't makes any sense until we do a study of the entire connection between Bethesda and New Carrollton," he said. "I think they will eventually realize the property values along the entire route will go down ... If they build light rail." Hurson has also done his own share of criticizing the county recently. On June 26, he sent a letter to Planning Board Chairman Derick P. Berlage accusing the planning staff of "obfuscation and intellectual dishonesty" in analyzing the busway plan this spring, at the request of the County Council. "I am shocked and disappointed at the biased and intellectually dishonest nature of the Jones Bridge-Purple Line Study," the delegate wrote. "I believe the [Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission] no longer has the ability to assist our community in finding a compromise to the very divisive problem of determining the future use of the Georgetown Branch." The entire council voted to support the anti-busway resolution; Councilwoman Marilyn J. Praisner (D-Dist. 4) of Calverton was absent. While siding with the council on the busway, Councilman Howard A. Denis (R-Dist. 1) of Chevy Chase renewed his objections to the inner Purple Line, saying that neither plan amounts to the kind of transportation "vision" the area needs. The real solution, he said, lies in expanding Metro.

=PTP= While new light rail projects have garnered much attention in the North American rail transit industry recently, there has also been development in "heavy" rail rapid transit (RRT) systems. New expansions of 2 major RRT systems - BART in the San Francisco/Bay Area and Metrorail in Miami/Dade County - have been completed and opened in the last couple of months, as the following articles detail. Rail transit continues to demonstrate its crucial role in the viability, livability, and mobility of great American cities. =Public Transport Progress= ******************************************** Passenger Transport June 25, 2003 BART Opens Long-Awaited Direct Service to SFO Airport After 30 years of planning and five and a half years of construction, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District reached the end of its marathon run to San Francisco international Airport with the June 22 opening of its four-station extension along the San Francisco Peninsula and into the airport's new international Terminal. The $1.45 billion project, funded in part by the Federal Transit Administration, provides a link between existing 95-mile system, which serves the business centers of downtown San Francisco and downtown Oakland, to one of the busiest airports in the nation and the world. With the opening of the airport extension, BART now serves four counties with a total population base of nearly four million people. The four new stations are located at South San Francisco; San Bruno; the airport; and Millbrae, an intermodal station where passengers can transfer seamlessly to Caltrain commuter rail or local buses operated by the San Mateo County Transit District. Prior to ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the airport station and the introduction of revenue service on June 22, BART opened the new extension for free excursion rides on June 21. ********************************* =PTP= Passenger Transport June 2, 2003 Miami-Dade Transit Opens Palmetto Metrorail Station The Miami-Dade Transit Agency celebrated the opening of the Palmetto Metrorail Station the morning of May 30, officially marking the completion of the Palmetto Extension Project. Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas joined other dignitaries at the dedication ceremony, followed by the inaugural Metrorail trip from the new station. The station opened for regular passenger service in the afternoon; parking and rail service originating at the Palmetto Station will be free from opening day through June 29, with regular Metrorail fares for boarding passengers to begin on June 30. The Miami-Dade Office of Public Transportation Management called the completion of the Palmetto Extension Project a transportation milestone for the county. The Palmetto Station, located in the town of Medley, is the twenty-second in the Metrorail system, and the first new station to open since 1989. The 1.4-mile Palmetto Metrorail Extension is the system's first project linking the rapid transportation system to a major state roadway. It consists of 0.7 miles of elevated guideways, 0.7 miles of on-grade track, one passenger station, and a parking lot designed to accommodate 710 cars. Florida DOT has projected weekday ridership at 2,000 daily boardings. =PTP= Much criticism has been directed recently at the financial travails of San Jose's Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), which has been struggling with mounting budget deficits and dropping ridership in the context of a severe economic downturn. Opponents have particularly attempted to blame VTA's light rail transit (LRT) system for the agency's problems. However, as the following two articles (focusing on Oakland's AC Transit all-bus operation) underscore, similar problems are besetting most of the public transport services in California, as the state grapples with a massive $38 billion deficit and Depression-era economic conditions: Thus, "Nearly every public transit organization in California is facing a budget crisis." AC Transit's bus system, certainly one of the largest in the state, is facing "its worst fiscal crisis in decades." This is noted by the agency's head himself: "The financial crisis started to hit AC Transit hard following Sept. 11, 2001, when the economy also started facing a recession, said AC Transit General Manager Rick Fernandez." Public transit proponents must clearly weather a "perfect storm" of catastrophic economic crisis, post-Sept. 11th budget restructuring, and apparent indifference from Washington to the dire needs of public transport. Meanwhile, the campaign of transit and rail opponents to stymie public transport improvements by capitalizing on transit's misfortunes in the current situation must be combatted with the truth. =PTP= ******************************* [From BATN List] Friday, July 4, 2003, in the San Francisco Chronicle AC Transit cuts tough on riders East Bay commuters scramble to figure out new routes with longer commutes By Rick DelVecchio The deepest commuter bus cutbacks in decades are due to hit the East Bay, and Daniel Ruiz has already added up the impact on his commute time: a six-block walk going to work and a half-hour wait going home. Ruiz lives in East Oakland and works at the Federal Building downtown as a management assistant for the Department of Energy. The rollbacks approved by AC Transit this week have caused a stir in his neighborhood and in his workplace, he said Thursday. "We're kind of in shock right now," he said. The AC Transit district board voted 6-0 on Wednesday to slash weekday bus service by more than 11 percent. The district says the cuts, which are scheduled to take effect in mid-December, will save $12.5 million and ease its worst fiscal crisis in decades. "In the mid-'90s we did cut night and weekend service but mostly left the commute-hour service intact," district spokesman Mike Mills said. "These cuts are more severe in the respect that they affect daytime services." The transit district board is trying to ease the impact on the public by trimming feeder routes and leaving trunk lines intact. But that's no consolation to Ruiz. The bus that stops in front of his house, the 44 line, will be eliminated, one of 49 lines local and transbay lines from Richmond to Hayward due to be wholly or partly scuttled. One of the east-west lines linking his neighborhood and downtown, the 58 line, also will become extinct, although most commuters will be able to shift to other routes without much trouble. Ruiz figures on a six-block walk to catch the next-closest bus to the 44. His backup plan is to bike to the Fruitvale BART station and take the train to work. Ruiz said many other commuters in his neighborhood were going to have to hoof it -- some of them up and down hills -- or get a ride to another stop when the 44 dries up. "Who it's really going to affect is elderly people," he said. "They can't walk those blocks." A rerouted N line will cover the 58 line's leg from the Grand Lake Theater to 20th Street in downtown Oakland. But the 400 to 500 riders who rely on the 58 to get to the government complexes farther downtown or to the waterfront will have to transfer to another line or walk. A lot of Ruiz's co-workers who live in the MacArthur corridor are angry because they'll have to catch two buses to get home, he said. His homeward trip now takes over an hour. Asked how much more time he figures a two-bus ride home will run, he shook his head. "I'm predicting an hour-and-a-half," he said. AC Transit, which carries 225,000 passengers each weekday, maintains that it must eliminate duplicate service in the MacArthur corridor in order to allow for future growth on promising lines. Also, the district argues that it cannot afford to run transbay service and a separate line to downtown Oakland. More bad news is in store for AC Transit riders. Price hikes for 15- and 31-day bus passes are scheduled for board action on July 18 and service cuts in Newark and Fremont on July 30. But the district is improving service on some of its main routes, including the new 72R on San Pablo Avenue between Oakland and Richmond. High-tech traffic controls and limited stops on the route are expected to cut the trip time by 20 to 25 percent. For more information on bus service changes, go to . E-mail Rick DelVecchio at rdelvecchio@sfchronicle.com ******************************* =PTP= [From BATN List] AC Transit proposed cuts blasted at public meeting UC Berkeley Daily Cal June 13, 2003 AC Transit service-cuts proposals draw fire at public hearing By Paul Thornton Daily Cal Staff Writer OAKLAND -- A vocal and sometimes angry crowd packed an AC Transit public hearing yesterday to oppose proposed widespread cuts to bus lines and services. AC Transit held the public hearings at the Scottish Rite Center in Downtown Oakland yesterday in response to growing concerns about scaling back bus services Alameda County residents have come to rely on. UC Berkeley's Class Pass is not up for elimination as part of AC Transit's cost-cutting proposals. The only Berkeley route facing elimination is line 17, which runs east on University Avenue and south on Shattuck Avenue, past the Downtown Berkeley BART station. Currently experiencing a budget deficit of about $30 million for the 2002- 03 fiscal year, AC Transit officials project next fiscal year's revenue shortfall to climb to $50 million, or about 20 percent of its total operating budget. The financial crisis started to hit AC Transit hard following Sept. 11, 2001, when the economy also started facing a recession, said AC Transit General Manager Rick Fernandez. "We all know it's more than raining right now—it's pouring," Fernandez said. One of the cost-cutting proposals on the table right now is for AC Transit to lower fares, but cut all special discount passes. Under this plan, regular adult bus fares would be reduced from $1.50 to $1. All 25-cent transfer passes, however, would be eliminated. The plan would shift all bus passes to a strictly cash-based system. The greatest controversy in this plan surrounds eliminating the annual youth pass, which provides free AC Transit service to about 25,000 low- income K-12 students in Alameda County. Several elementary school students spoke out against the possible cut, most saying they rely on the annual pass to attend school. Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, who helped broker the student pass deal with AC Transit in 2001, offered to work with the board to retain the pass. "The youths stood by us then, and we must stand by them now," Carson said to the board. A UC Berkeley study that looks at how the availability of transit affects access to education for low-income students is expected to be released in a few months. The other cost-cutting proposal up for consideration is to keep all fares at their current prices while modifying the bus transfer rules. The annual youth pass, however, would still be eliminated under the plan. Fernandez projected that proposals should bring in an additional $6 to $8 million is in fares and save AC Transit about $20 million. That projection, however, still leaves the projected budget shortfall at around $25 million for the next fiscal year. Some AC Transit riders who attended the public hearings expressed outrage that the board was considering cutting services at all. "I cannot afford a car, but I can afford AC Transit," an Oakland resident said. One attendee suggested that the board members all take pay cuts as a means to alleviate AC Transit's multi-million dollar budget deficit. "We should have the board out there getting people to ride the bus instead of saying to people, 'You can't ride the bus,'" another Oakland resident said. Nearly every public transit organization in California is facing a budget crisis. BART announced last month that it will raise all fares 10 percent to help offset its projected $38 million revenue shortfall. =PTP= Seattle Times Wednesday, July 02, 2003 Monorail planners seek height easements By Chris Maag Seattle Times staff reporter in some places, the new Seattle monorail will need to rise above the height limits set by current zoning rules, perhaps soaring to 65 feet above the ground. Three weeks from now, monorail planners will ask the City Council for variances to build parts of the monorail as much as twice the height of surrounding buildings in some neighborhoods, representatives of the Seattle Monorail Project announced yesterday. "This is a very common-sense, basic package of code changes," said Anne Levinson, director of strategic planning, government and media relations. "You can't have a monorail that goes up and down like a roller coaster, and it can't interfere with vehicular truck passage. So you have to go up higher." The guideway has to be high enough to allow trucks and boats to pass underneath but can't drop too steeply from bridges to a lower level. So monorail planners have identified eight places along the Green Line route where they may need to build the structure as tall as 65 feet, equivalent to about six stories high. Some critics say the proposed changes go too far. "The thought of the monorail going that high brings about a lot of problems," said Geof Logan, a Fremont resident and monorail opponent. "We were promised a monorail that would be minimally intrusive. This doesn't sound like it." The height variances are part of a larger package of amendments to the zoning code. Monorail backers say they are needed to build the system. The changes include giving the monorail more flexibility on landscaping, setbacks and the distance between the stations and the street. The proposal will go first to the City Council's Neighborhoods Committee, which will hold a public hearing on the issue on July 22. "My basic concern is whether this is something that's really consistent with the vision of the neighborhoods for how they want to develop," said City Councilman Richard Conlin, who sits on the committee and also chairs the transportation committee. "I don't have a position one way or another. I think we need to look at the whole ordinance pretty carefully." Project planners say the zoning code was not written with a monorail in mind. "The current land-use code deals with individual buildings," said Diane Sugimora, director of the city's Department of Design, Construction and Land Use (DCLU), at a monorail meeting yesterday. "But the monorail is a continuous system, so everything has to work together." The changes also would simplify the permitting process. When Sound Transit was planning the route for its light-rail line, some sections needed overlapping permits from both DCLU and the Seattle Department of Transportation. That slowed the process down, Levinson said. This time around, the two city agencies and the monorail project say they are trying to simplify the process. Under the proposal, the Transportation Department would handle all the permits for the monorail's concrete guideway, except on the route near shorelines. The DCLU would be responsible for guideway permits in those sections, as well as permits for all of the monorail's 19 proposed stations along its 14-mile route. The DCLU will hold a public meeting to discuss the zoning changes Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. In the Fidalgo Room at Seattle Center. Chris Maag: 206-464-8450 or cmaag@seattletimes.com =PTP= http://www.tribnet.com/news/story/3399624p-3430439c.html News Tribune - Tacoma July 3rd, 2003 Federal report will support Sound Transit LES BLUMENTHAL; The News Tribune WASHINGTON - Sound Transit's light-rail program is expected to receive a vote of confidence in a long-awaited federal report headed to Capitol Hill next week. Though the report by the U.S. Department of Transportation's inspector general identifies potential problems that need to be closely monitored, it concludes that the three-county transit agency has turned the corner since new management took over more than two years ago, sources said. The inspector general also concluded that the main obstacle to the 14- mile light-rail project from Seattle to near Sea-Tac Airport is local politics and the seemingly endless fight between supporters and opponents of the line. The report will arrive as Sound Transit approaches a critical crossroads. The Bush administration is close to a decision on a $500 million funding agreement for the Central Link light-rail line. And a House appropriations subcommittee, with a skeptical chairman, will decide next week whether to provide $75 million for the project. Opponents of the $2.5 billion line have picked up an important ally in Congress - Rep. Jennifer Dunn (R-Bellevue). "I think this is the type of project that still needs a huge amount of vetting," said Dunn, who said she isn't convinced Link will relieve traffic congestion on interstate 5. Dunn also said she is increasingly worried the project would eventually "suck up" money residents of Bellevue and other areas east of Lake Washington have been promised to relieve their traffic problems. "We cannot undervalue the needs of people who live on the Eastside," Dunn said. "That's why we need to continue to fight this." Dunn has previously questioned Sound Transit's light-rail program, but her opposition has hardened over the past month. Among those she has talked to is Rep. Ernest Istook (R-Okla.), chairman of the House transportation appropriations subcommittee. The subcommittee has jurisdiction over Sound Transit funding. Istook has raised concerns about Sound Transit and other transit systems seeking federal money. "I don't know if he will put Sound Transit in his budget or not," Dunn said. As the state's senior Republican, and with Republicans in control of Congress and the White House, Dunn is considered a pivotal player in the fight over the Link light-rail line. "I think we have a very strong case, but we need Jennifer's support," said Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Belfair), a proponent of light rail. "Without her support it will be difficult to accomplish." The Transportation Department inspector general's first report on Sound Transit in April 2001 sharply criticized the agency for fiscal mismanagement and called a last-minute decision by the Clinton administration to provide $500 million in funding a mistake. The so-called full funding agreement was put on hold as Sound Transit sought to improve its management and shorten the Link line from 21 miles to 14. The latest inspector general report is expected to find Sound Transit has overcome its management and financial problems; the cost estimates for the southern Link route are acceptable; and design is 70 percent complete, according to sources familiar with the report. The inspector general also was satisfied with Sound Transit's 15 percent contingency fund, concluded the Seattle downtown bus terminal can safely handle both bus and rail traffic, and determined the southern Link route qualified as a "stand alone" system under federal guidelines. But the inspector general's report also contains some cautions and a recommendation that the line must eventually reach the airport. The inspector general raised concerns that Sound Transit has acquired only 10 percent of the right-of-way properties it needs, and that the cost of the tunnel under Seattle's Beacon Hill could escalate. The inspector general also is worried that Sound Transit has not reached agreement with Tukwila over the route, and that the cost of crossing I-5, railroad tracks and the Duwamish River could increase. Other concerns include the fate of I-776, an initiative approved by Washington voters capping annual car registration fees at $30. The initiative is being challenged in court. Rick ilginfritz, a Sound Transit spokesman, said the agency had not seen the report. "We are confident about what it will say, but I don't want to prejudge anything," he said. Opponents of the light-rail project said they wouldn't be surprised if the inspector general's report were favorable. "They had a fairly narrow scope," said King County Councilman Rob McKenna (R-Bellevue). "The inspector general wasn't asked to look at the bigger concerns." Les Blumenthal: 1-202-383-0008 lblumenthal@mcclatchydc.com =PTP= http://citypaper.net/articles/current/cityspace.shtml Philadelphia City Paper June 26-July 2, 2003 A Trolley Good System Public transit is the way to go. by Joanne Aitken Kudos to the Center City District for its new production, the Read and Ride Transit Book Club. Free membership promotes reading with benefits like discounts on books, but this campaign is a true gem because it links public transit with the idea of pleasure. It's about time. Arguments in support of public transit are typically of the eat-your-spinach variety: Ride transit to curtail dependency on foreign oil, improve air quality, stop sprawl. True, but not enough. If we want a sea change in public perception, we need to sell the pleasurable lifestyle that good public transit makes possible. So those of you who squander your time and elevate your blood pressure on the roadways, consider this: Every workday for the last 20 years I've been picked up a block from my house and deposited almost at my office door. Though my chauffeur is SEPTA, it's hard to view this as anything but a luxury. My transit -- the Green Line or subway surface but known to its users as the trolley -- is, in my view, the premiere component of the SEPTA system. Transit-oriented development may be the current buzz among planners, but our West Philadelphia Streetcar Suburb is the real McCoy, offering 100 years of proof that the idea of linking housing, shopping, recreation and work by public transit is a winner. Close at hand. Several trolley lines thread their way through this walkable neighborhood, stopping at every block. Inbound I catch the 13 one block -- or the 34 two blocks -- from home. Outbound I take whichever comes first. Frequent and quick. I don't worry about schedule. Both run every four minutes at rush hour, about every 10 minutes midday and about every 20 minutes late at night. Since neighborhood traffic is light, surface travel is speedy even with stops at each block, and the trolley ducks underground where the traffic gets thick. The trip takes 15 minutes one way, faster than I can drive it, and there's no parking to find -- or pay for -- at the other end. Dependable. I remember only one day ever when the trolley didn't run -- a terrible ice storm -- and snow storms that fill the roads with fender benders have little effect on its schedule. On the rare occasion that service is disrupted, I'm never left stranded. My total yearly delay is nothing compared to what drivers face weekly in traffic snarls. Attractive and well-maintained. Trolleys are cute: A single car with a quiet engine and no diesel fumes, which communicates by ringing its bell, the trolley is a vehicle with appealing personality. The ride is smooth since it glides on tracks. The windows are large, the interiors light and airy, the heat and air-conditioning dependable, the cars clean and the drivers generally friendly. More than can be said for most cars on the road. Reading time. Among the high points of my day is reading on the trolley -- a treasured way to begin and end the workday. How much would you pay for a bit of quiet, uninterrupted time alone, with no demands? it costs me $1.30. Neighbors and friends. Several times a week I find myself sharing one leg of the commute with a friend or neighbor and get the chance to catch up. The serendipity never fails to remind me how much I enjoy living in the community I do. Scenic view. If I return from work too tired to lift a finger, I needn't. I sit back and enjoy the view of soccer players and dogs in the park, flowering front yards, new paint jobs, Christmas lights or whatever the season brings. Shopping and dining. Need milk for breakfast? Something for dinner? By boarding or alighting a block or two from my regular stop I can get coffee at the Green Line Cafe ("No. 34 Trolley to 43rd -- Arrive at our front door!"), buy directly from the farmers in Clark Park from June through November, pick up more substantial fare at the Fire House Market (a mini Reading Terminal) or patronize a range of venues in between, including a hardware store and several quirky, locally owned restaurants. Car-free option. Possibly the greatest luxury of all. I've been involuntarily without a car for six months. Life is possible and not too inconvenient. Should I be surprised? I can name several neighbors who have been car- free for years, if not decades, though (only!) one car per family is the norm. These are not people who need to go without but working professionals who can -- because of public transit -- choose to shed the expense and bother of car ownership and still maintain a "normal" life. How many places in the U.S. is this possible? Only a special few. That's the lifestyle in a well-planned, transit-oriented development. All these benefits and guilt-free, too! We should all be so lucky. Joanne Aitken, AIA, is an associate at Dagit/Saylor Architects and a member of the Design Advocacy Group. TRAINING DAY: Think public next time you have to go somewhere. Photo By: Michael T. Regan =PTP= http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=1340906 KOLD-TV News - Tucson June 30, 2003 Light Rail in Tucson Closer To Reality You may get to vote on a light rail system for Tucson this fall. Citizens For Sensible Transportation says they've collected nearly 14,000 signatures -- more than enough to put their transportation plan on the November ballot. The city must now verify the signatures. Earlier this month the group brought a light rail car to Tucson as part of its drive for a 13- mile light rail system and expanded bus service. Federal money and tax increases would pay for the plan. ---------------------------------------- http://cgi.azstarnet.com/cgi-bin/print/print.cgi ARIZONA DAILY STAR Tuesday, 1 July 2003 Signatures necessary to force light-rail vote By Joe Burchell The City Council rejected a request by backers of a light-rail system to put their proposal on the November ballot without requiring them to get their petition signatures verified. Joy Herr-Cardillo, a spokeswoman for Citizens for a Sensible Transportation Solution, said the group is confident it will have 15,000 petition signatures required before Thursday's deadline. The signatures are needed to put the proposal to increase the city's sales tax by 0.3 percent to help pay for a light-rail system and other public transit programs on the ballot. The group needs 12,777 valid signatures to force a vote. But she said if the council would call an election, the city could save the time and cost of verifying the signatures, and the council would be able to add a requirement that Tucson firms be given preference when it comes to spending money from the tax. City officials, however, quickly pointed out that the Tucson preference would probably be illegal on any project that gets federal money, which would include virtually every city transit program. Republican council members Kathleen Dunbar and Fred Ronstadt and Mayor Bob Walkup, and Democrat Shirley Scott opposed the request. Democrats Steve Leal, Jose ibarra and Carol West supported it. Scott said if the council agreed to bypass the petition validation process for this group, how could it say no to future groups. Ronstadt said if the group actually has the signatures it claims, it doesn't need the council to put the issue on the ballot. The proposed rail system would run mostly along East Broadway, through Downtown and along South Sixth Avenue, with a loop through the University of Arizona. =PTP= http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20030605- 9999_1mc5rail.html Rail car seen as front-runner NCTD choice looms for east-west line By Michael Burge UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER June 5, 2003 The local transit district probably will choose a railroad vehicle built by Siemens Transportation Systems for its Oceanside-to-Escondido passenger line, according to several sources. The vehicle, a Siemens VT 642, would be making its North American debut if the North County Transit District board approves the contract. It already operates in Germany and Denmark, said a spokesman for Siemens, a German company. The vehicles that would operate on the 22-mile track between Oceanside and Escondido are known as diesel multiple units. The cars, introduced in 2000, have a tapered, futuristic appearance and differ from the diesel locomotives used by the Coaster in that each car is a self-propelled unit that can run separately or link up to form a train. The cars are about 125 feet long and have two diesel engines linked to an electrical generator. Diesel multiple units are common in Europe but are little used in North America. Asked if his company was the front-runner in NCTD's bidding process, spokesman Jeff Puma in Siemens' Sacramento office said, "We'd like to think we are." NCTD officials would neither confirm nor deny that Siemens was the preferred manufacturer. "We are negotiating, and during that process we don't make a public comment," said Peter Aadland, NCTD'S interim director of development and communications. However, NCTD officials have said the district was choosing between two companies for the east-west line, to be called "The Sprinter." "There's always a chance we may have to go to the secondary," said Michael Boraks, an NCTD engineer. The board is scheduled to vote June 19 on the $41 million contract for 12 vehicles. The other contender was Bombardier, said a spokesman for that company. "We were not selected," said J. Gary Hallman, Bombardier's director of business development and sales for the western United States. Hallman said Bombardier proposed to sell a German-built vehicle called the "Talent" to NCTD, the same vehicle that is operating in Ottawa. The company also has the contract to supply 20 diesel multiple units to the Southern New Jersey Light Rail Transit System, a 34-mile system between Trenton and Camden that is scheduled to begin operating this fall. Siemens previously built a diesel multiple unit called the "Regio Sprinter," which is no longer in production. Siemens also builds cars for the San Diego Trolley, which uses vehicles that derive power from overhead electric lines, a different technology from what the Sprinter will use. Peter Tereschuck, president and general manager of the trolley system, said in an interview that Siemens was likely to be selected for the NCTD contract. Siemens spokesman Puma said the company builds car shells in Carson and Sacramento and other components in Europe, then assembles the vehicles for its Canadian and U.S. customers in one of its California plants. Siemens is one of a handful of companies that build diesel multiple units and is one of the leading manufacturers of light rail vehicles worldwide. Puma said about one-third of the 725 light-rail vehicles on order or in service in the United States and Canada are built by Siemens. The track between Oceanside and Escondido currently is used at night by four freight trains a week. NCTD plans to convert the track to operate passenger trains during the day and freights at night by December 2005. The cost of the project is $351.5 million, with the Federal Transit Administration paying $152.1 million and state and local funds covering $199.4 million. NCTD plans to operate two trains an hour in each direction between about 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. on weekdays, with less-frequent service on weekends. Siemens A Siemens diesel-powered VT-642 -- like the one above but probably colored differently -- is considered the likely choice for the Oceanside- Escondido rail line. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Burge: (760) 476-8230; michael.burge@uniontrib.com ------------------------------------------ Yahoo! News Tue Jun 3 Oceanside-Escondido light rail still moving along The North County Transit Development Board said it will begin advertising bids in July for the first leg of the 22-mile Oceanside-Escondido rail line known as the Sprinter. While the money isn't actually in hand, Don Bullock, NCTD manager of capital projects, said the state of California has set aside $80 million for the project. NCTD is hosting a contractors' forum on June 23 to inform prospective bidders about the rail line. The NCTD, which reaffirmed the project late last month, needs the state money to leverage $152 million from the federal government. Those funds, said Bullock, have also been pledged. State and local funds are expected to cover $199.4 million of the $352 million projected cost. Transnet half cent sales tax funds and other sources will make up the rest of the funds. As the NCTD readies its project for construction before the end of the year, the cries of opposition to the proposal are getting louder. Late last month, the Vista council voted 2-1 to oppose any further funding or support for the Sprinter. The proposed rail line also has endured significant opposition from many in San Marcos who feel the line is a boondoggle for the taxpayers. "it's a lot of money for very little effect," said Mike Preston, San Marcos vice- mayor. "They (NCTD) have underestimated the cost, overestimated the ridership and underestimated the safety concerns," he said. Preston said rather than carrying 100,000 cars per day as on Highway 78, the Sprinter is only projected to carry 10,300 daily riders. The route is expected to carry 12,000 daily passengers by the end of 2006, growing to 19,000 daily passengers by 2020. Vista resident Leslie Jantz, who said his city would be impacted more than any other by the line, said he is worried that bus routes will be impacted by the plan. He also believes the state will yank its funds. And then there is the efficiency issue. The San Diego Association of Governments has placed the cost of adding a lane of traffic on Highway 78 that carries about 2,500 cars an hour, at about $500 million. That may be expensive, but the highway would carry significantly more than the 350 riders per hour expected to ride the rail. "Even if these numbers are correct, they're only going to represent 3 percent of the growth of the commuters in that (Highway 78) corridor," Preston said. What concerns Preston the most are the safety issues. He noted that about 60 people have been killed in accidents since Los Angeles' blue line was instituted about 12 years ago. Preston said to make the Sprinter crossings safer, the transit district would need to spend another $570 million. "But they are going to wait until people get killed before they spend this money. They are doing it on the cheap," he said. Bullock said that while there will be 37 at-grade crossings on the line, nothing is being done cheaply. He says the safety features will be state of the art and that mile-for-mile, a lot more people are killed in automobile- related accidents than those with trains. Preston said the trains will be generating noise of about 82 decibels as they whiz by. "It will go through a lot of communities like Vista and San Marcos, 72 times a day," he said. Bullock said places where the train noise is a problem will be fitted with sound walls. Preston argues that the Sprinter would not be cost effective. He said when amortized over time, the per-person cost would equate to $4,500 annually. Putting this in perspective, he said the annual cost for leasing a new Ford Taurus would be about $4,000 a year. Bullock countered that within a few years, Highway 78 will be at maximum capacity, and that even buses will be stuck in the same traffic jams because there is only so much that Highway 78 can be widened. What's more, the Sprinter will "pre-empt" traffic signals so people can easily get to their destination. One destination that has come under particular scrutiny by critics, is the 1.7-mile loop that goes to California State University, San Marcos. With six grade separations and a new at-grade crossing, this will be among the most challenging and expensive legs of the entire route. Preston wonders if the loop will see enough demand to warrant its existence. Bullock countered that as the university's parking is maximized, the Sprinter will become a more viable option. Bullock likened CSUSM to San Diego State University, which has had a parking problem for the past two decades. Construction is continuing there for a light rail station, expected to be completed within the next couple of years. That project, which is approaching $500 million, is $65 million over budget, due in part to a 4,000-foot-long tunnel being bored beneath the campus. With fewer grade separations and no such tunnel projects, NTCD officials intend to keep this project a lot closer to its proposed bottom line. The San Diego Association of Governments first identified the Sprinter project in the late 1980s as being worthy of consideration to relieve congestion in the Highway 78 corridor. The highway carries more than 100,000 trips per day and is projected to carry 150,000 trips per day by 2020 -- even with rail service. ------------------------------------------------------ North County Times 5/29/03 SM rail opponent preaches to choir KATHERINE MARKS Staff Writer SAN MARCOS ---- Hired gun Wendell Cox took aim at the Sprinter on Wednesday in his third presentation in two days and residents who brought him to town pledged to continue fighting the commuter line. Cox, who was hired by rail opponents in San Marcos, spoke for more than an hour about the Sprinter, calling it the "nation's worst rail line" and saying it will waste millions in taxpayer dollars. The $352 million light-rail passenger line, a North County Transit District project, is expected to open in late 2005. in recent months, as houses have been razed and ground cleared to make way for the line and its stations, criticism of the project has mounted. Among the most vocal opponents have been residents along the path of a 1.7-mile loop to Cal State San Marcos, the only new track that will be laid in the project. On Wednesday, Cox told residents that the area would not be served by the line. The area would be better served by widening Highway 78 and improving Highway 76 and busy roads, he said. in an expanded version of a presentation he delivered to the San Marcos and Vista city councils the day before, Cox said the only regions that benefit from new transit lines are those in densely populated downtowns. Cox also alluded to his critics, who dismiss him as being tied to highway interests. A number of transit Web sites claim Cox as misconstruing data about rail projects. "I'm not an opponent of rail. I'm an opponent of waste," he said. "When you don't have the facts you attack," Cox told the audience, dismissing such criticism "anti-automobile ideology." Vista resident Peter Linden said after Wednesday's meeting that Cox "presented a lot of evidence." Linden, who lives just two blocks from the proposed line said "Bottom line, it's a waste of money. People will not use it, it's inconvenient." San Marcos Vice Mayor Mike Preston kicked off the community forum at City Hall on Wednesday by telling the crowd of about 50 that it wasn't too late to derail the project. He urged residents to sign petitions and volunteer sheets at the back of the room. He also outlined the strategy of the coalition fighting the rail project. The main aim is to try to get the cash-strapped state to scuttle an agreement to give NCTD $80 million for the line, Preston said. NCTD officials have said the money isn't in the bank yet, but that they have assurances from the state it is safe. "That's where we'll be attacking in Sacramento and eventually we'll be attacking in D.C.," Preston said of the state funding. At the local level, Councilman Lee Thibadeau will represent the city on the North County Transit District board. Council member Pia Harris, a staunch rail supporter, had held the position for more than a decade. Thibadeau said he hopes to gain more access to information about the project and to board members by serving on the board. The change was announced at Tuesday's San Marcos City Council meeting. Harris-Ebert, reached at her home after the meeting, said that she requested the change because the NCTD position was too time- consuming. She'll assume Thibadeau's former position as the city's alternate to the San Diego Association of Governments. She said there's been a change of direction on the Sprinter and that Thibadeau had expressed interest in the seat. But she said she'd contemplated the change for a while. Preston told the crowd that Cox, a St. Louis resident who has fought transit projects around the world for two decades, may be enlisted to speak individually to NCTD board members or make other pitches in the future. Preston has declined to say how much he and other rail opponents paid to bring Cox to town. According to Cox's Web site, his standard speaking fee is $2,500 plus travel expenses. Contact staff writer Katherine Marks at (760) 761-4411 or kmarks@nctimes.com. Weyrich: Federal Anti-Rail Promotion of "BRT" is "Dead Wrong" The Third Alternative http://community.webtv.net/RIO_GRANDE_ITHACA/Thethirdalternative "People don't want to ride buses" – Certainly, there is a widespread public aversion to bus service, but we see evidence of that being overcome, particularly through the introduction of Quality Bus service (a term we prefer to the confusing and somewhat oxymoronic "BRT"). Quality Bus, including busways, and bus ridership in general, have thrived most impressively precisely in those areas which have good rail transit as part of their total, multi-modal transit mix – places like Miami, Pittsburgh, Washington, and Los Angeles. Quality Bus works best as an adjunct of rail transit, not in competition with it. We also note that Ottawa (virtually the Mecca of North American "BRT") has introduced experimental rail transit, to great success, and is now on course to install a more extensive light rail transit (LRT) system. Weyrich: Federal Anti-Rail Promotion of "BRT" is "Dead Wrong"