News Clips 3-21-14

Today's Clips: 0 MARTA 1 Atlanta/Georgia Transit/Transportation 2 National !nternational Transit/Transportation

MARTA A"C# 03-21-14 Clayton residents will $e a$le to %ote on MARTA By Andria Simmons Residents of the only county in metro Atlanta without local public transportation could soon vote to remedy their transit deficit, thanks to legislation headed to the governors desk for signature. HB !!" allows #layton #ounty, which four years ago lost its bus service $#% &ran' because of cost, to hold a referendum in (ovember on whether to )oin *AR&A by levying a %cent sales ta+. #urrently the city of Atlanta, ,e-alb and .ulton are the only local governments that fund *AR&A with a penny sales ta+. &he referendum appears to have a good chance of passage / 01 percent of #layton voters approved of )oining *AR&A in a nonbinding referendum in 2! !. Brionte *c#orkle, chapter program assistant for the Sierra #lubs Regional Action to 3mprove 4ivability $or RA34' campaign, said that a penny sales ta+ could result in 56" million a year for #layton transit. 7&hat is more than enough to restore bus service and possibly even e+pand *AR&A rail into the county,8 *c#orkle told &he Atlanta 9ournal%#onstitution in September. Since #layton officials halted #%&ran service in *arch 2! !, :eorgia Regional &ransportation Authority ;press bus service is the only public transit in the county. But it only carries people from park%and%ride spots in 9onesboro and Riverdale to downtown and midtown Atlanta. 3t doesnt run within the county or take people to the airport, where many residents have )obs. 3ts unclear what form a revived transit system would take. 73 dont know if we ever got down the road, or down the track as it were, in terms of figuring out what service would look like in #layton,8 said *AR&A spokesman

4yle Harris. &he measure introduced by Rep. *ike :lanton, ,%9onesboro, passed the Senate &hursday with only two dissenting votes.

&A'( ) *0+1 ,M# 03-20-14 -enate Appro%es Two MARTA-related $ills By *artha ,alton 4ink to broadcast< http<==bit.ly= g>pH(?
Sen. Brandon Beach, R%Alpharetta, made headlines when he used public transit to get from -ennesaw State @niversity to :winnett Arena. 3t took him three and a half hours. Beach, a Republican from Alpharetta, has called for more continuity between transit systems. Beach said one *AR&A bill would give the transit agency more fle+ibility. 73tll increase the #A>s contract approval from 5 !!,!!! to 52!!,!!!,8 he said. 73t eliminates )urisdictional concurrence for bond transactions. 3t allows rail contracting services, and then it provides for the elimination of the B!=B! split of *AR&A sales ta+ for five years.8 State law reCuires *AR&A to spend B!D of the money it receives through sales ta+es on operations. &he other half must be used for capital pro)ects and maintenance. &hats been a sticking point between lawmakers. Some wanted strict oversightE others thought *AR&A should have more autonomy. &he restriction was temporarily lifted, but lawmakers failed to reach a compromise at the end of the 2! 2 session. So, the mandate stayed in place. Sen. Fincent .ort, ,%Atlanta, praised Beach for his efforts. 73 want to thank him not only for his carrying of this bill, but also on his interim study committee on public transit, which is a beginning toward making our public transit system rational,8 .ort said. Beach also said a piece of legislation the Senate passed &hursday would do two things related to *AR&A. 7(umber one, it staggers the *AR&A board terms,8 Beach said. 7&his will allow for continuity among the board members. And then number two, it allows the board chair to appoint a designee to represent the authority in an official capacity.8 Beach said assigning a designee will give *AR&A a 7seat at the table8 during important meetings. &he Senate passed two *AR&A bills today and sent them to the

House.

At.ens 'anner-/erald ) Asso0iated 1ress# 03-20-14 ,inal day o2 2014 session .e0ti0 2or Ga+ law3a4ers By Bill Barrow and Ray Henry A bill allowing sick patients to legally take a mari)uana derivative to ease their symptoms failed &hursday in the final hours of :eorgiaGs legislative session, stalling amid a dispute between :eorgia House and Senate lawmakers. By law, the :eneral Assembly meets )ust 6! working days annually. Any bills not approved by midnight &hursday do not become law. &hat fate awaited the so%called medical mari)uana initiative as legislators made last%day maneuvers in an election%year session that was otherwise generally tame. Hroponents pushed a program that would allow people suffering from the side effects of cancer treatment, glaucoma and some seiIure disorders to take oil derived from cannabis in the hope it might help their conditions. .ew lawmakers opposed the idea on principle, but senators used it as a last% minute bargaining chip. Sen. Renee @nterman, R%Buford, attached the legislation to a separate proposal that would reCuire insurance companies to cover behavioral therapy for :eorgia children 0 and under who have been diagnosed with autism. Republican House leaders balked at the insurance reCuirement because they are concerned it will raise costs for employers and workers. @nterman said she e+pected the differences to be worked out in a compromise committee of senators and representatives. 3t never happened. Rep. Allen Heake, R%*acon, chided the Senate for not Jbringing relief to hundreds of :eorgia families.J 3n the final hours, lawmakers passed a bill e+panding the places where people with a license to carry a weapon can bring their guns. @nder the plan, houses of worship will get to decide whether to allow firearms inside their sanctuaries. Residents will get to vote on whether to cap the stateGs top marginal income ta+ rate at 0 percent under a resolution approved &hursday. 4awmakers also voted to allow the government to drug test people who seek or get government assistance to buy food. &hose tests could be administered

if a state official has a Jreasonable suspicionJ that a person is using drugs. Sen. ,on Balfour, R%Snellville, said most residents would find the testing reCuirement reasonable. J&hey get drug tested when they go to work. &hey get drug tested if they are on the police force,J he said. J&hey are drug tested if they are on the :eorgia (ational :uard. &his )ust says if youGre getting ... benefits, we want to know if youGre clean or not.J >ther Republicans countered that :eorgia will wind up in court. J3 do not see how a state bureaucrat, not a law enforcement officer, is supposed to determine what the phrase Greasonable suspicionG means,J said Sen. 9oshua *c-oon, R%#olumbus. Republican leaders appeared to settle a contentious internal :>H debate, bypassing a push from some conservatives to block :eorgia from implementing education standards called #ommon #ore. &he curriculum guidelines were developed by education leaders and governors K including then%:eorgia :ov. Sonny Herdue K from both parties. &he business lobby backs the standards, while some archconservatives blast them as a takeover of local schools. House Speaker ,avid Ralston opted for a study committee, approved in a floor vote hours before final ad)ournment. &he panel of lawmakers, teachers and parents appointed by the speaker will be charged with e+ploring the origins of #ommon #ore and the federal governmentGs role in :eorgiaGs -% 2 education system. &hey will be asked to recommend any policy changes to state authorities. *eanwhile, a two%year struggle over changes to metropolitan AtlantaGs transit system came to a close. &he ma)or sticking point was whether to restructure the governing board. House Republicans were successful in shifting appointment power to the governor and mayors of Atlanta suburbs. 4awmakers in both chambers agreed generally on rela+ing rules that force *AR&A to spend half of its sales ta+ revenues on capital improvements and half on operations. *AR&A officials have sought that financial fle+ibility. &he two chambers also agreed not to reCuire privatiIation of any *AR&A operations. House &ransportation #hairman *ike 9acobs, R%Brookhaven, said *AR&AGs new administration has launched several such initiatives on its own. &he last day was devoid of visible financial wrangling, since lawmakers earlier this week approved a 562.6 billion operating budget for state government in fiscal 2! B. An upswing in state ta+ collections allowed :ov. (athan ,eal and lawmakers to substantially increase funding for schools and

other government programs after several years of lean budgets. ,eal noted the boon during a brief visit to the House floor &hursday, congratulating members K and indirectly making a re%election pitch for himself K for Jthe largest single increase $for schools' in seven years.J &hat includes hundreds of millions of dollars for classroom operations, employee insurance and construction. &he Republican governor didnGt mention the campaign specifically, but his likely ,emocratic opponent, state Sen. 9ason #arter, has accused him of shortchanging :eorgiaGs education system. Republicans, meanwhile, used the session to trumpet their opposition to Hresident Barack >bamaGs health care overhaul. &hey approved one bill that ensures only the Assembly has the authority to e+pand the *edicaid government insurance program. @nder a @.S. Supreme #ourt interpretation of the Affordable #are Act, states choose whether to e+tend *edicaid coverage to working households who make too much money to Cualify now but not enough to afford private insurance. :eorgia Republicans oppose *edicaid e+pansion, and some of them feared that a board of the governorGs appointees could broaden *edicaid without legislative approval. &he panel in Cuestion controls some state health care policy, including ta+es on :eorgia hospitals that help finance *edicaid. Separately, lawmakers approved restrictions on state offices helping citiIens use another aspect of the Affordable #are Act< the online insurance e+changes where some middle%income Americans can buy private insurance policies.

Atlanta/Georgia Transit/Transportation A"C# 03-21-14 Atlanta ,orward: New de$ate o%er 56nwoody 0ity.ood *oderated by &om Sabulis &he creation of new cities in metro Atlanta remains in the news. Afforts to carve cities out of 4akewood and &ucker died in the recent legislative session. &oday, a longtime resident of ,unwoody, which became a city five years ago, criticiIes leaders for an urban agenda that isolates voters. &he mayor says the city must look forward and take control of its growth. City.ood: 'e 0are26l w.at yo6 wis. 2or By 9im ,ickson *ore than five years ago, ,unwoody became a new city with the ob)ective of wresting control from ,e-alb #ounty and establishing a local government to better represent the interests of ,unwoody citiIens. 3t has not worked out that way. Le have been betrayed by politicians and associates who play inside political baseball. &he latest episode of this saga is recent legislation to change the ,unwoody city charter and eliminate the necessity for a citywide vote to fund the takeover of fire and ambulance services from ,e-albE instead, this decision now will be made by ma)ority vote of the seven%member #ity #ouncil. &his charter amendment removed the only right to vote that ,unwoody citiIens had regarding the takeover of services from ,e-alb. *ost important, this amended city charter does not have a guaranteed limit on the ma+imum ta+ rates to fund the operating costs needed to run fire and A*S services. And there is no limit to the high capital costs to acCuire fire stations, trucks and ambulances / especially since the city charter has no debt limits via indirect contractual obligations. (one. Since ,unwoody became a city, the #ity #ouncil has followed impractical urban planning agenda and master plans recommended by consultants and developers who contribute to certain political insiders. &his agenda completely changes the character of a community that has attracted individuals and businesses for many years. As a result, while police protection has improved somewhat, there have been many high%cost pro)ects opposed by an overwhelming ma)ority of residents, according to credible polls of more than ,6!! residents. >ne pro)ect cost 52.B

million for a half%mile stretch of parkway that goes from four lanes to two lanes and will undoubtedly increase traffic congestion in an area already burdened with traffic gridlock. Herhaps the worst pro)ect is the #hat#omm " service, which has not worked safely since its inception more than two years ago. &hese consultants are also the root cause of new layers of e+cessive fees and regulations, and very low budgets for residential road repaving that will result in many residents never having neighborhood streets repaved in their lifetimes, despite upgrading their homes and paying ta+es for years. A new organiIation called Save,unwoody was formed about ? months ago to oppose this impractical agenda. 3t hasgrown to more than ?B! members. #onversely, the ,unwoody Homeowners Association, with a declining membership, no longer independently represents the interests of homeowners the way it once did. Lhile ,unwoody is mostly Republican, the ,e-alb :>H is also a closed shop controlled by insider political appointeesE incredibly, the ,e-alb :>H chairman refuses to disclose names and contact information of members of the e+ecutive committee, even to bona fide members of that committee. &he bottom line is simple< :eorgia citiIens wishing to establish a city should be careful what they wish for. Beware of more political insider cronyism. Jim Dickson has lived in Dunwoody for 35 years. 56nwoody on road to i3pro%ed ser%i0es By *ike ,avis &he city of ,unwoody recently celebrated its fifth birthday. As mayor, 3 can say the milestone was less about celebration and more about the achievements weve made and what the future holds. 3n my recent State of the #ity address, the key messages delivered centered on e+citement and promise. 3 also spoke about the hard work weve done in the past five years< paving nearly B! lane miles of city streetsE upgrading and maintaining more than 0! acres of green space and city park amenities, and establishing a first%class police force that has helped reduce crime and kept our roads, homes and families safe. #oncentrating on the 7&hree Hs8 $paving, parks and police' was at the core of why we became a city through an overwhelming ?0 percent ma)ority vote. 4ooking back, 3m pleased we can stand behind those promises and continue to focus our funds and resources to address these critical areas. ,unwoody is a recogniIable business hub, as evidenced by its recent selection

by State .arm for a large, mi+ed%use comple+ to be the insurers future ma)or operations center. (ew and established businesses, hotels, restaurants and retailers are vying for space all over the city because of our business%friendly environment and easy access to ma)or interstates and *AR&A. >ur city, operating under a charter approved by the :eorgia :eneral Assembly, closely resembles a private%sector business. Le are a representative democracy where citiIens $shareholders' elect a board of directors and chairman $#ity #ouncil and mayor' who hire a city manager $#A>' who serves at the discretion of the board. >ur mission is to 7provide the highest Cuality of life for those who live, work or play in our community and to foster an environment where business can prosper.8 ,unwoody has achieved success following that mission and made real progress through local control and initiatives. Le also realiIe each of our citiIens has his or her favorite pro)ects and views on development and improvements. As leaders, we must address all these desires and balance our efforts so we in turn can show progress on all fronts. &he 7&hree Hs8 remain our focus, but balancing each one presents the challenge. &he citys charter clearly spells out which services the city must provide for the health and safety of our community. Among the services we provide directly are police, storm water, community development and parks. &he charter also includes services we contractually manage through intergovernmental agreements $3:As' with ,e-alb #ounty, such as sanitation, fire and emergency services. &he city seeks to improve overall service levels. 4ooking forward, we are e+ploring management of critical services integral to providing the highest Cuality of life for residents< schools and fire=emergency services. By e+ploring direct management of select services instead of through 3:As, we are pursuing better administration and oversight, all to increase service levels. As any successful corporation knows, to achieve this, we must commit to fiscal responsibility tied to a vision that addresses the needs of tomorrow. Mike Davis is mayor of Dunwoody.

National

!nternational Transit/Transportation

T6rlo04 "o6rnal# 03-20-14 -tanC7G de0ides against transportation ta8 By #ara Hallam After months of garnering local support for a countywide transportation ta+ initiative, the Stanislaus #ouncil of :overnments, the regional transportation planning agency, has decided against placing the measure on the (ovember ballot. &he une+pected decision came after a countywide poll showed disfavor for the ta+ initiative, with many residents e+pressing skepticism about the money staying locally. Although the poll conducted by A*# Research showed that 06 percent of residents called were in favor of the ta+, the initiative would take a two%thirds approval, or nearly 01 percent, to pass in the general election. Ruth Bernstein of A*# Research noted that even when told of the direct benefits of the transportation ta+, many of the over 0!! Stanislaus residents surveyed still e+pressed opposition. According to the e+penditure plan that had been approved by Stan#>: in 9anuary, the funds collected from the new countywide transportation half%cent sales ta+ would go directly towards highways and corridors of regional significance, local road maintenance throughout each of the nine cities in Stanislaus #ounty, and alternative modes of transportation such as rail, bicycle and pedestrian pro)ects, and mobility management for seniors and the disabled. Additionally, the countywide transportation ta+ would have Cualified Stanislaus #ounty as a self%help county, making the region eligible to use local dollars to leverage billions of federal and state dollars each year to dedicate towards transportation system improvements. Astimated to generate nearly 5"1! million over the span of 2B years, the approved e+penditure plan for the proposed countywide transportation ta+ had gained the support of each of the #ity #ouncils over the past few months. Although some of the cities such as &urlock and #eres had minor caveats included within their resolutions of support, the overall consensus had been in favor of seeing the proposed ta+ initiative go forward to Stanislaus #ounty voters on the (ovember ballot. Although several local officials believed Stan#>: would move forward with putting the initiative on the ballot due to the support from the local councils, Stan#>: ,irector #arlos MamIon had said in .ebruary that the Holicy Board

would only move forward with the measure should they feel there was enough regional support to carry the ta+. Lith two failed attempts in 2!!0 and 2!!? to pass the countywide transportation ta+, Stan#>: had hoped to garner enough regional support before placing the measure on the ballot as to avoid seeing it fail again. Since Stan#>: announced their decision to drop the initiative, many local officials are hoping to see the measure brought back in 2! 0, noting the possibility of the Hresidential election drawing in more voters. ,uring the &urlock :overnment (ight held on &hursday evening at #alifornia State @niversity, Stanislaus, *ayor 9ohn 4aIar mentioned Stan#>:s decision to not pursue the transportation ta+, noting his hope that &urlock will be able to place their own measure on the (ovember ballot in its place. 7Aven though 3 was upset to hear that Stan#>: would not be moving forward with the countywide transportation ta+, we need to keep roadway improvements and transportation a priority here in &urlock,8 said 4aIar. 7Hopefully the #ouncil can try to get something on the (ovember ballot, but without the ability to leverage state and federal dollars, many of &urlocks roadways cannot get the much%needed improvements.8 Fito #hiesa, who also participated in the &urlock :overnment (ight, said that he hopes the county commits to the countywide ta+ in 2! 0.

Atlantic #ities, !N%2!% 6 &he Hlan &hat #ould .inally .ree (ew Mork #ity .rom &raffic #ongestion By Aric 9affe &hereGs a reason for (ew Mork #ityGs ongoing flirtation with road pricing< the city is set up perfectly for it. 3t has a clear core business area $*anhattan' accessible by limited entryways $bridges and tunnels' that would be easy to price for traffic reductions $via tolls or cordons'. 3ts overwhelming traffic ooIes into and out of town each morning from all sides at the speed of O ooIe. 3ts e+pansive transit system is in perpetual need of revenue and further e+pansion. >h, and its current system of handling commuter traffic is completely busted. 3f you can even call it a system. &hree different entities manage the bridges and tunnels surrounding *anhattan K Hort Authority, the *etropolitan &ransportation Authority, and the city K with no concerted effort to reduce traffic. #ase in point< the four city%owned bridges over the Aast River are free, but the two *&A%owned tunnels beside them cost commuters 5 B cash round trip, leading to rampant Jbridge shopping.J J&he term 3Gd borrow from my father is that we have a cockamamie system of charging people that makes absolutely no sense,J says engineer and former city traffic commissionerJ:ridlockJ Sam SchwartI, Jand in fact encourages people to drive through our densest part of the city< *anhattan.J >n .riday SchwartI and the *ove (M group will launch a public campaign to rally support for what theyGre calling a JfairJ tolling plan for the city. &he fact that the new effort follows so closely behind the failed Bloomberg pricing plan suggests that (ew Mork has reached a natural breaking point with its traffic woes. J3 describe it as a vampire,J says finance scholar 9onathan Heters of the #ollege of Staten 3sland. JLhenever you put the stake in it, itGs going to come back to life, because nobody else has a better answer.J As with everything else related to vampires, the rest of the country will be keeping a close watch. #ongestion pricing K or whatever name youGd like to apply to a scheme for charging fees to reduce traffic congestion K has generally worked in the cities bold enough to adopt it<Stockholm, Singapore, and 4ondon being the standard e+amples. 3f (ew Mork buys into this new plan, some e+perts believe the path to road pricing could open for congested American cities to follow. J3 think in the grand scheme of things, we need something that works in (orth America for the idea to move forward,J says transport economist :illes

,uranton of Lharton. J3 think (ew Mork is about as good a place as it gets.J P P P P P

&he *ove (M plan remains in its formative stages and open to change, but some of the basics are in place. 3ts first goal will be to distribute bridge and tunnel traffic more evenly and dissuade bridge shopping on the Aast River. &o that end, all the eastern crossings, including the currently free bridges, will cost the same price< 5 !.00 round%trip for A%Q Hass users, 5 B cash. &hose increases will be counter% balanced with toll reductions on the outer bridges of as much as B! percent. &hat takes care of commuters entering the island from everywhere but the west. $&he outcome of Bridgegate aside, the plan does not involve the Hort Authority bridges and tunnels that carry travelers from 9ersey for various logistical reasons.' (e+t the plan takes aim at congestion in *anhattan itself. A toll cordon would be placed at 0!th Street to charge drivers heading into the part of the city with the greatest demand< the midtown business district.

Map by Mark Byrnes. &hose are the broad strokesE now for some of the finer details. ,rivers will be encouraged to pay with a transponder $like A%Q Hass'E those without one will be captured via license%plate cameras. #ars will pay the tolls each pass, but commercial vehicles will only have to pay once round%trip in a 26%hour period, to limit the burden on businesses. Mellow cabs will pay a surcharge south of "0th Street K the idea being that they contribute to congestion but in theirCuasi%transit role shouldnGt pay the full cordon price every time. All told the plan could generate up 5 .B billion in net revenue every year. &he

*&A would manage the money $under the terms of the plan, the agency would lease the four free Aast River bridges from the city, though the feds might have final say about that'. Hrecisely where the money will go is what SchwartI and *ove (M leaders hope to determine with public input awareness campaign. .or now, most of it $roughly a billion' is earmarked for transit< maintaining current service and e+panding into transit deserts, with anything e+tra stowed away for long%term capital pro)ects. &he rest would go toward the cityGs roads and bridges, as well as subsidies for suburban buses or rail commuters. &he revenue number might attract local eyes, but itGs the traffic improvement that will get the attention of other cities. SchwartI and *ove (M want traffic flows in the cordon area to improve by 2! percent. Right now the tolls are fi+ed, but SchwartI says theyGll be ad)usted on a Cuarterly basis to make sure that mark is being met. 3f traffic is flowing above e+pectations, it could be lowered. 3f itGs still ooIing like ooIe, the tolls might go up. P P P P P

&here are plenty of rumors and even some legitimate reasons as to why (ew MorkGs last pricing plan failed, but Sam SchwartI says what he hears most often, when speaking about his plan to residents in the outer parts of the city, was that they werenGt consulted. JLhat 3 find in going around K and 3Gve been traveling a good deal over three years around the city and suburbs K is each person wants to know whatGs in it for me,J he says. J&hat wasnGt well articulated in the past according to them. 3n many cases they felt there was nothing in it for them e+cept paying more.J SchwartI and Ale+ *atthiessen, head of *ove(M, are determined not to make the same mistake this time around. &heir Jpublic listening tour,J as *atthiessen calls it, is organiIed to make sure everyone from Rockefeller #enter to the Rockaways learns about the pricing plan and engages in a meaningful dialogue about how to shape it. &hey want to meet with elected officials and #hambers of #ommerce and labor unions and transit groups and environmental groups and so on. JAverybody we can possibly get a hold of we think would have an interest,J says *atthiessen. &hat includes past opponents. SchwartI and *atthiessen each say theyGve already had constructive talks with *ark Leprin, a city council member who was vocally opposed to the Bloomberg plan but seems now to be more receptive. &he same goes for AAA (ew Mork, which had gone so far as to sue past city administrations over previous toll hikes. JLeGve been preaching to the rebels,J says SchwartI. 3n a further attempt to distinguish itself, the plan isconspicuously not being referred to as Jcongestion pricing.J At the end of the day, *ove (M wants all parties to feel that even though theyGre

paying something, theyGre gaining something. Some drivers will pay higher tolls but get an easier trip. >ther commuters will be priced out of their cars but have their transit corridors improved. *anhattanites will pay higher cab fares but reach their destination CuickerE cabbies will owe the surcharge but pick up more passengers. &ransit riders may fight more crowds at first, but theyGll get better service over time. &he *&A has more things to manage but gains a stable funding source and new revenue from drivers%turned%straphangers. Anvironmental groups will see fewer cars on the road, and retailers should see an increase of people traveling into the city. J>ne of the things we really try to emphasiIe over and over is this is about fairness,J says *atthiessen. J&his isnGt about sticking people with new tolls. AverybodyGs paying their fair share, and everybodyGs getting something in return.J Anvisioning (ew Mork several years from now, if the plan works as he hopes, SchwartI says heGd e+pect to witness a much better transit system, much less traffic, far fewer car crashes, and millions fewer vehicle%miles traveled. J3tGll be a happier place,J he says. P P P P P

Happier from a traffic perspective, perhaps, but others arenGt so sure the city will be happier from an economic one. (ew Morkers already pay 52.B billion in tolls a year and about a Cuarter of the nation's annual tollsE boosting those figures with new tolls could tip the balance in a city already struggling with affordability. 9effrey Brinkman of the .ederal Reserve Bank of Hhiladelphia recently argued that the traffic advantages gained through road pricing could be offset by the loss of business agglomeration over the long%term. 3n non%economist speak< people and )obs might leave the city. (o population is left more e+posed in a road%pricing plan than low%income drivers. Any eCuitable parsing of the new toll revenue must provide vastly improved transit options in the tolled corridors K including hard to reach corners of the city like the eastern parts of Rueens and the Bron+, outer Brooklyn, and Staten 3sland. Hricing a low%income driver off the road from a 6!%minute car commute might be a win for traffic, but itGs a loss for society if that person now rides two hours to work. J3 think itGs a step in the right direction in terms of eCuity to talk about trying to deal with the transit deserts and look at it as a holistic mobility eCuation,J says Heters, the finance scholar at the #ollege of Staten 3sland. J3neCuity problems are most profound in a corridor that has poor transit alternatives. Because what do the poor people have as an optionS &he answer is nothing. &heyGre priced off the facility and they canGt shift.J Some transportation e+perts worry that a pricing plan wonGt even advance to the

point of debating the economic and eCuity Cuestions. >ver the years some notable pricing plans K Hong -ong in the "?!s, Adinburgh in 2!!B K failed to get off the ground because residents lacked faith in the funding agency to manage the new revenue. Scholars *ichael *anville of #ornell and ,avid -ing of #olumbia call this the Jcredible commitmentJ problem of congestion pricing. A few years back, *anville and -ing interviewed B!%some officials in 4os Angeles about road pricing. About a third e+plicitly said they would not support a congestion plan because they didnGt trust state officials to redistribute the toll revenue as promised, the same share who feared that pricing might be unfair to the poor. JLhat happens is, absent that trust, that sort of revenue promise doesnGt necessarily lead to the kind of political support you might think,J says *anville. J3n some ways, what people were saying is it would never get far enough for pricingGs regressivity to be a problem, because we would )ust never see this money.J #onsidering the emphasis *ove (MGs plan places on revenue redistribution, not to mention the *&AGs own mi+ed record of public promises, those findings give reason for pause. &he way around the commitment problem, says *anville, is to stress the traffic benefits that a strong pricing plan will bring, as opposed to the revenue gains. Some believe the best way forward is to run a pilot pro)ect first, as officials did in Stockholm. But thereGs no pilot pro)ect in the works at the moment, and convincing drivers of the traffic benefits is traditionally the hardest part of passing a road%pricing plan. &hatGs a bit odd, since they stand to benefit most. *anville compares the situation to patients whoGve suffered from an illness so long they canGt even conceive of a cure. P P P P P

3tGs not such a stretch to think of traffic as a disease. 4ong commutes pose well% documented harm to a personGs physical and mental health, something drivers in congested metro areas donGt need to lay eyes on a study to know. So if we accept traffic as a disease, the traditional treatment has been building roads. &hat does relieve the symptoms K for a time. But only for a time. &hen the fundamental law of highway congestion sets in. ,iscovered by Anthony ,owns in "02, and augmented by :illes ,uranton and *atthew &urner in 2! , this law says that any rush%hour space created on urban roads will Cuickly be filled. &he instinctual response is to up the treatment dosage, though all that really does is reCuire more treatment. &here are alternative therapies, such as transit improvements, but these too

mask the underlying cause of the disease< an insatiable demand for free roads. 3n that sense, the only true cure for city traffic is to reduce the demand through pricing. And since traffic is non%linear K meaning one less car opens up more than one space K a fee need only nudge a few drivers onto mass transit or off% hour trips to turn a terminal case of congestion into a healthy road. JLeGve been fed this stream of cures that go down easy for drivers< weGre going to improve transit, weGre going to have a bike plan. All these things that donGt reCuire any real change on driverGs behavior,J says *anville. JBut if the problem really is congestion, what should have happened a long time ago is the tough% talking doctor says< this isnGt going to go down easy K tolls K but itGs going to cure the disease.J *any patients )ust donGt want to hear it. &his isnGt a new problemE #olumbia economist Lilliam Fickrey, who won the (obel HriIe in ""0 for his idea on pricing $and tragically died of a car crash days later' felt perple+ed by opposition his whole career. JHeople see it as a ta+ increase, which 3 think is a gut reaction,J he once said. JLhen motoristsG time is considered, itGs really a savings.J 3t is, however, a persistent one. AnalyIing why pricing failed under Bloomberg, (ew Mork ,eputy #ommissioner for &raffic and Hlanning Bruce Schaller concluded that drivers perceived too little benefit for themselves. &hey felt transit was not a viable option and were unmoved by arguments of greater social benefits. $&hey also doubted the *&A would use the revenue as promised.' 3n a 2! ! paper, Schaller writes that H>& lanes, another pricing scheme, often gain support because they still offer a free alternative K whereas congestion pricing plans generally donGt. J&hese lessons from the (ew Mork #ity e+perience, supported by e+perience elsewhere, suggests that it will be very difficult to obtain approval of congestion pricing in @.S. cities,J he wrote. ,uranton remains hopeful the (ew Mork plan can break through and become that model other @.S. cities sorely need. ,espite seeing flaws in the (ew Mork plan K pricing should vary by time of day, he argues, and costly technology like license%plate readers should be scrapped for transponders and fines K heGs found that pricing can bring significant traffic benefits even when the plan is Jdeeply imperfect.J He also fails to see another option. J&he more 3 think about it,J he says, Jthe more 3 think that thereGs only one solution.J

&as.ington 1ost# 03-20-14 7pinion: 9se o2 p6$li0 transit isn:t s6rging By ,avid -ing, *ichael *anville and *ichael Smart David Kin is an assistant professor of urban plannin at !olumbia "niversity. Michael Manville is an assistant professor of city and re ional plannin at !ornell "niversity. Michael #mart is an assistant professor of city plannin at $ut ers "niversity. &he American Hublic &ransportation Association reported this month that @.S. transit ridership hit an all%time high last year. &he *arch ! report came with a caveat K 7all%time8 means 7after "B0,8 but the numbers nevertheless sound impressive. &ransit users took !.0B billion trips in 2! N, topping the previous record of !.B" billion trips in 2!!?. &hese numbers were widely reported in the media, including in &he Host, often with commentary suggesting a fundamental change in American travel behavior< a nation moving away from driving and toward more efficient and sustainable public transit. But the associations numbers are deceptive, and this interpretation is wrong. Le are strong supporters of public transportation, but misguided optimism about transits resurgence helps neither transit users nor the larger traveling public. &ransit trips did rise between 2!!? and 2! N. But so did the @.S. population, from N!6 million to N 0 million , as did the total number of trips made. Simple division suggests that, if anything, transit use fell between 2!!? and 2! N, from about NB trips per person annually to N6. *any numbers look impressive without denominators, but anyone who e+amines transit use as a rate K whether as trips per person or share of total travel K will find that transit is a small and stagnant part of the transportation system. &ransit receives about 2! percent of @.S. surface transportation funding but accounts for 2 percent to N percent of all @.S. passenger trips and 2 percent to N percent of all @.S. passenger miles. 3n fact, use of mass transportation has remained remarkably steady, and low, since about "1!. &here is nothing e+ceptional about last years numbersE they represent a depressing norm.

&his is not to say that public transportation is unimportant. *ost @.S. transit use occurs in a handful of dense cities, and in these cities transit provides vital mobility, especially for poorer people $particularly immigrants' who dont own cars. (ew Mork alone accounts for a third of all transit travel. A close look at the report shows that while @.S. transit trips increased by B million from 2! 2 to 2! N, trips on (ew Morks *etropolitan &ransportation Authority rose by 2N million. 3n other words, transit use outside (ew Mork declined in absolute terms last year. &his fact shows how crucial public transportation is to our largest city and how small a role it plays in most other Americans lives. So there is no national transit boom. Lhy does this matterS &he @.S. transportation system is deeply troubled. &he country has difficulty financing improvements to its aging infrastructure, and heavy reliance on driving creates congestion, increases carbon emissions, pollutes our communities, and is a leading cause of in)ury and death. (o one should pretend these problems are spontaneously solving themselves because Americans have decided en masse to ride transit instead of driving. (or should we misdiagnose problems caused by too much driving as problems caused by too little transit. Building transit systems is not the same as having people ride them, and people riding transit more is not the same as people driving less $plenty of transit riders are people who used to walk'. Additionally, transit is not the only viable alternative to using a car. &he environment is helped when drivers switch to buses but also when drivers switch to bikes. Resting our hopes on a transit comeback distracts from our real transportation problem, which can be summariIed in four words< ,riving is too cheap. ,rivers impose costs on society K in delay, in pollution, in carbon, in wear and tear on our roads K that they dont pay for. As a result, many of us drive more than we otherwise would. Anding this underpriced driving K through higher fuel ta+es, parking and congestion charges and insurance premiums based on miles driven K is a central challenge for local, state and federal transportation officials. #harging the right price for driving would give drivers a better%performing system, both by reducing congestion and raising revenue to help repair roads. 3t would help communities and the planet by reducing pollution. And, not least, it would

help public transportation by leveling the playing field between transit and private vehicles. 3ncreased subsidies for public transportation have neither reduced driving nor increased transit use. But ending subsidies to driving probably would do both. Anding these subsidies will be hard work, politically. Met we will have no incentive to do this work if Americans continue to believe that transit is making a comeback on its own. 3t isnt. &ransit, like the rest of our transportation system, is in trouble. Le need to act Cuickly to save it.

T.e ,resno 'ee# 03-20-14 ,resno City Co6n0il 7;s <1+= 3illion $6s rapid transit plan By :eorge Hostetter &he approval of .resnoGs newest public transportation system had all the e+citement of an empty bus stop. &he #ity #ouncil on &hursday voted 0% to embrace a modified bus rapid transit pro)ect that promises faster service but in some ways looks nothing like the original plan. #ouncil Hresident Steve Brandau was part of an in%house panel that came up with the new plan, then cast the lone no vote. Lith a sheepish smile, he said heGs not convinced thereGs sufficient demand for BR&. &he councilGs action was administrative %% the hiring of a firm for 5 .B million to provide pro)ect management services. But the symbolism %% thereGs no going back now %% was not lost on anyone. J&his is going to be a great benefit to the people of this community,J #ouncil *ember #lint >livier said. Lith BR&, #ouncil *ember 4ee Brand said, JyouGre moving people faster to places they want to go.J #ouncil *ember Haul #aprioglio said the revised plan protects ta+payers. #ouncil *embers Blong ;iong, Sal Ruintero and >liver Baines smiled at this praise. 3t was only seven weeks ago that Brandau, #aprioglio, >livier and Brand concluded a sometimes emotional seven%hour hearing by voting to kill the pro)ect on a 6%N tally. &he four had many beefs. BR& was too ambitious. &he federal government, which is footing much of the bill, is too oppressive. &he tried%and%true .resno Area A+press service is treated like an orphan. Fiews changed. J3 canGt believe all the love coming from the dais,J Ruintero said. BR& calls for an 4%shaped route that starts on Blackstone Avenue near the River Hark shopping centers, goes to downtownGs #ourthouse Hark, then heads into southeast .resno via Fentura Avenue=-ings #anyon Road. .ares are to be the

same as on .A;. &here will be !%minute waits during peak hours of demand. Buses in the new plan will be 6! feet long, compared to 0! feet in the original plan. Stations in the new plan will be of modest siIe, compared to raised platforms in the original plan. &he new plan was stitched together by #ity *anager Bruce Rudd with the help of, among others, Brandau, Brand and >livier. BR& has caused #ity Hall fits for years. Lhat about other routesS Should there be dedicated bus lanesS Lill drivers abandon their cars for a snaIIy busS &hursdayGs hearing had uncertainty, as well. &he original BR& plan was to cost about 5B! million. &he new plan is less e+pensive, though the billGs estimated siIe is unclear. Rudd said he plans to find money for enhanced service on a five%mile stretch of Shaw Avenue. 3t wonGt be BR&, but it wonGt be .A;, either. 3tGs also unclear when the Shaw service might become reality. All that is irrelevant for now. &he decisive BR& hearing has come and gone. About a doIen audience members spoke. &he council chamber was a calm place. Baines summed up the mood< J3Gm glad we all love each other.J