Tanya Snyder

How TIFIA Works (Press Enterprise) Utah Olympics Veteran Has Transit Advice for London (Urgent Communications) Manufacturers: Time to Move Away From the Gas Tax (Nashua Telegraph) The West Coast Is Falling Back in Love With Transit (Architect’s Newspaper via Planetizen) Can One Bike-Share System Fulfill the Needs of Tourists and Commuters Alike? (Articulate Discontent) Believe It or Not, APTA … Continued

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today that the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the new, expanded TIFIA loan program is now available [PDF]. The recently-passed MAP-21 transportation reauthorization dramatically expanded TIFIA, bringing the program's funding up from $122 million to $750 million next year and $1 billion in 2014.

Over the past two weeks, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association has sent letters to the Republican National Committee [PDF] and the Democratic National Committee [PDF], asking them to consider inserting a plank in their platforms about transportation. And they were clear in their letter that, despite being major cheerleaders for road-building, the future they see is multi-modal.

One of the most popular elements of the new transportation authorization is its consolidation or elimination of 60 federal programs. But this cleanup is not without its casualties. One of those casualties is the off-system bridge program. And another one, indirectly, is bicycle and pedestrian programming.

In the wake of the shocking and tragic massacre in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater, many people are now, understandably, skittish about going to the movies. But the most dangerous part of going to the movies is driving there.

Bike and pedestrian funding got slashed. Federal assistance for transit operations was rejected. Even the performance measures – arguably the high point of the recently passed federal transportation bill – are too weak to be very meaningful. For Americans who want federal policy to support safe streets, sustainable transportation, and livable neighborhoods, there were few bright spots in the transportation bill Congress passed last month.

Road Builder Group Wants Transpo Plank in Party Platforms (The Hill) LaHood: Bike/Ped Activists Need to Raise a Ruckus to Make States Fund Projects (Transpo Nation) Can We Finally Move on to Talking About a Road User Fee? (National Journal) States Are Thinking About VMT Fees Too (CivSource) Alabama Puzzles Out What the Bill’s Changes … Continued

Last week, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign revealed how states prioritize spending: 20 percent for transit, 2 percent for bike/ped, 38.5 percent for maintenance, and about 22.5 percent for highway expansion. Looking just at those last two numbers, that breaks down to 71 percent more spending on repair than sprawl-inducing new lanes.

Bus-Only Lanes + Bike-Share = War on Cars in DC? (NPR) To Attract the Creative Class, Atlanta Should Follow Portland and Build the Streetcar (AJC) Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed Asks for Some Love for MARTA Ahead of Transpo Vote (AJC) Transpo Bill Will Keep Ours Kids on Leashes, Hurt Cities (Salon) New Jersey: Get Rid … Continued

Let’s say you worked for a city that was trying to revitalize a piece of land with a bunch of dilapidated buildings on it. You want to build some residences and some retail space, and you want to make better connections to the street grid. Congratulations – HUD and U.S. DOT both have money to help you get where you’re going. Except, oops: HUD is going to demand that you hire locally, to create jobs in the community, while U.S. DOT is going to demand that you get a competitive bid, showing no preference for local hires. Everyone you talk to at either agency just scratches their heads and says they don’t know anything about the other agency. They wouldn’t even know who to talk to over there.