Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Federal Transit Administration

Two Dems Propose to End Bush-Era Rule on Transit ‘Cost-Effectiveness’

By Elana Schor | Dec 17, 2009 | No Comments

New Starts, the main federal method for funding big-ticket transit projects, is considered sorely in need of a makeover by many in the capital. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) (Photo: MPR) The program’s high bureaucratic hurdles, shoddy record-keeping, and often glaringly low ridership predictions got dissed earlier this year by House transportation committee chairman Jim Oberstar, […]

White House Unveils Transit Safety Bill to Cautious Praise on the Hill

By Elana Schor | Dec 8, 2009 | 2 Comments

Lawmakers on the House transportation committee today greeted details of the Obama administration’s transit safety plan with approval, but some sounded skeptical notes about the costs of state compliance with new federal rules even as transit agencies cope with billions of dollars in maintenance and repair backlogs. Washington D.C.’s transit safety oversight agency has less […]

Obama Administration’s Transit Safety Rules to Eventually Apply to Buses

By Elana Schor | Nov 16, 2009 | No Comments

The Obama administration’s proposal for a new federal role in transit safety oversight would eventually apply to buses, although the first round of rules would be directed at subways and light rail, according to the U.S. DOT. Transit buses, such as this Miami model, are expected to be part of the new federal safety plan. […]

Feds Propose to Expand Opportunities for Biking and Walking to Transit

By Elana Schor | Nov 16, 2009 | 2 Comments

When it comes to infrastructure improvements that encourage more people to walk or bicycle to transit stations, how long will commuters be willing to travel? The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has officially answered that question, proposing a significant expansion of the rules governing how close bike-ped projects should be to transit in order to receive […]

U.S. DOT to Stop Rewarding Transit Projects That Use Private Contracts

By Elana Schor | Sep 2, 2009 | No Comments

The Obama administration will reverse a Bush-era policy that gave proposed transit projects a leg up in the chase for federal money if their operations and maintenance were to be contracted out privately, according to a regulation finalized today. Riders in New Orleans, where streetcars are soon to be operated by a private contractor. (Photo: […]

Audit Finds U.S. DOT’s Transit Record-Keeping ‘Unreliable,’ ‘Inaccurate’

By Elana Schor | Aug 6, 2009 | No Comments

The disjointed state of "New Starts," the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) program to fund new rail and bus lines, is well-known on the Hill — in fact, House transportation committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) recently quipped that it ought to be renamed "small starts, low starts, and no starts." Thousands gathered to board the new […]

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