Pacific Progressive

Most Aging Baby Boomers Will Face Poor Mobility Options

By Transportation for America 

Atlanta, GA tops the rankings for large metro areas with poor access to transit for seniors

By 2015, more than 15.5 million Americans 65 and older will live in communities where public transportation service is poor or non-existent, a new study shows. That number is expected to continue to grow rapidly as the baby boom generation “ages in place” in suburbs and exurbs with few mobility options for those who do not drive.

The report, Aging in Place, Stuck without Options, ranks metro areas by the percentage of seniors with poor access to public transportation, now and in the coming years, and presents other data on aging and transportation.

The Progress Report - Sept 16 - WWJD? Not Let The Uninsured Die

By ThinkProgress War Room

This material was created for the Progress Report, the daily e-mail publication of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Click here to subscribe

Conservative Christians Rebuke Tea Party Extremists

ThinkProgress traveled to Liberty University, one of the most conservative Christian universities in the country,  earlier this week to cover a speech by Texas Governor Rick Perry. Following Perry’s speech, we asked students to comment on the shocking moment during this week’s GOP presidential debate when the Tea Party crowd cheered for the death of an uninsured man.

Check out the video from ThinkProgress’ Scott Keyes:

The State of Our Nation's Bridges

From Transportation for America.

Despite billions of dollars in federal, state and local funds directed toward the maintenance of existing bridges, 69,223 bridges — 11.5 percent of total highway bridges in the U.S. — are classified as "structurally deficient," requiring significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement.

Two key problems persist: while Congress has repeatedly declared bridge safety a national priority, existing federal programs don't ensure that aging bridges actually get fixed; and the current level of investment is nowhere near what is needed to keep up with our rapidly growing backlog of aging bridges.

Learn More About Our Bridge Backlog

Did you know that states can transfer up to half of their federal money dedicated to bridge repair to other projects, no questions asked? Learn more about our bridges — and what we can do to start fixing them.

Click for more details about the data.

The full national report includes the full battery of data, including the worst 100 counties and the busiest 2 structurally deficient bridges in each state.

 

Public Opinion Snapshot: Public Backs Infrastructure Investment

This article was published by the Center for American Progress.

By Ruy Teixeira 

It’s no secret that our country’s infrastructure is in urgent need of repair and serious modernization. Conservatives, in their mania for cutting government spending, have lost whatever little interest they once had in addressing this problem. But the public hasn’t.

Eighty percent declared themselves in agreement with President Barack Obama’s State of the Union call for a major effort to rebuild and modernize America’s infrastructure in a new Hart Research/Public Opinion Strategies survey for the Rockefeller Foundation.

In Courts Across the Country, Railroad Company Mishandled Evidence in Collision and Injury Case

by Marian Wang ProPublica

Last fall, a Minnesota judge fined the country’s second-largest railroad $4.2 million for destroying, misplacing and mishandling evidence in a wrongful death lawsuit over a fatal 2003 collision. The judge wrote that she hoped Burlington Northern Santa Fe would learn its lesson and “cooperate with law enforcement agencies assigned to investigate railroad accidents” in the future.

According to an investigation by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune published this week with some reporting from ProPublica’s Sharona Coutts, the company was involved in similar legal misconduct in at least 20 other cases resulting from railroad accidents or workplace injuries over the past decade.

Judges penalized the company for withholding or destroying evidence in 13 cases, though the financial penalties they imposed were far smaller than the one last fall, the Star-Tribune noted:

While some courts have rebuked the railroad for its legal conduct, they have rarely imposed large financial penalties on BNSF, court records show.

Until Judge Maas assessed $4.2 million in sanctions against the railroad last year, the largest fine imposed on the multibillion-dollar company for breaking the rules of civil procedure was $27,684, BNSF said in a written statement. In one case, the fine was $114.

In four of the cases, judges declared mistrials or ordered new trials. In the eight other cases, the company’s employees and attorneys acknowledged actions that could have been classified as misconduct, but judges either didn’t address the issue or the cases were settled, the Star-Tribune reported.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe issued a response disputing the stories and asserting that the company “is known for operating with honesty and integrity.”

The company has admitted in the past that evidence was bungled in the 2003 railroad collision case, but in its statement, it maintained that the incident “was not BNSF’s fault.” If the case goes to a second trial and a jury sides with the company regarding liability, the $4.2 million fine for misconduct could be reduced to $1.1 million, according to the Star-Tribune.

For more, check out the paper’s four-part series—parts one and two are already up.

Inform our investigations: Do you have information or expertise relevant to this story? Help us and journalists around the country by sharing your stories and experiences.

Long Range Transportation Plan for OCTA - Make Your Voice Heard by Dec 13

Link to OCTA Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP)

OCTA is updating the transportation plan for Orange Country thru 2035.  This plan is very important because every project must fit within the plan to be considered. Look at this plan as your opportunity to have input into what OCTA should be working on. 

The public comment period ends on December 13, so speak up soon!  This is the link to the comment card .

Plans for Public Transit Are Good, But Where's the Money Coming From?

OCTA has included Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), improved bus and Metrolink service, and Go Local services in the plan, but where is the money going to come from for these increased services?  Currently, OCTA had to slash bus service to fit the available budget.  

One way to raise revenues for public transit is M3, an extension of M2 specifically for public transportation.  The funds would be used for operations and rolling stock, not for roadways.  Roadways are already well funded from dedicated government money, it's time to fund public transportation operations from dedicated sources.  

Running Out of Room for More Freeway Lanes

We need more public transportation because we are running out of room to build more freeway lanes. Seriously, do we want a 30 lane freeway?  Who wants the eminent domain costs, the noise, the eventual congestion and pollution?  Orange County is becoming dense enough in areas where improved mass transit is needed.

High-Tech Transportation for a Growing Nation: A Look Under the Hood at China's High-Speed Rail Investments

By Julian L. Wong, Nick Wellkamp 

This article was published by ProPublica.

See also: Visiting China, Seeing Green: Updates from the Trip

SOURCE: Center for American Progress

CAP took the high-speed CRH3 train that runs between Beijing and Tianjin. Technology for the CRH3, assembled in China, was originally derived from Siemens' Valero line of train technologies.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower put a down payment on the U.S. economy in 1956 by signing the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act. This wise investment in a modern, transformative transportation infrastructure—in the form of 41,000 miles of interstate highways—enabled the rapid movement of people and goods across the nation and was vital to our astounding economic progress for the next 50 years.

Today, it is China that is leading the world in a key next-generation transportation technology: high-speed rail. China has already built 4,000 miles of rail featuring trains with average speeds of 120 miles per hour or greater, and the country plans to build an additional 10,000 miles of high-speed rail connecting all of China’s major cities by 2020.

CAP experts experienced the high-speed rail firsthand during our recent fact-finding mission to China. We took the train from Beijing to Tianjin, reaching a top speed of 205 mph and covering the 73-mile journey—roughly the distance between New York and Philadelphia—in less than 30 minutes. Stepping off the rail platform, it was hard not to get the feeling that China is racing ahead in investing in mass public transit infrastructure while the United States is lagging behind in the race to develop clean energy industries.

China’s $300 billion investment in high-speed rail

$357 Million Coming to Orange County for Transportation Construction Projects

Important Orange County transportation construction projects which had been on hold pending funding from the state have been given the go-ahead with the release of $357 million in funding by the California Transportation Commission.  The money was allocated as a result of state bond sales in March 2010 and the projects are part of voter-approved Propositions 1B and 116 to fund transportation projects in California.

“This funding is great news for the residents of Orange County and it will be a tremendous shot in the arm for a number of vital projects,” said OCTA Chairman Jerry Amante, also the mayor of Tustin. “We have been working hard to deliver these transportation improvements and we are looking forward to seeing the shovels hit the ground.”

The OCTA projects which received funding include:

• $59.6 million and $63.8 million for two lane addition projects on the Orange Freeway (SR-57)
• $186.4 million for the San Diego Freeway (I-405)/San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605) portion of the West County Connectors projects
• $11.5 million for the Metrolink Service Expansion Projects and grade crossing enhancements
• $8.25 million for Tustin Metrolink station parking structure
• $15.4 million for Fullerton Metrolink station parking structure
• $12.3 million for Metrolink fiber optics in Orange County
• $200,000 for the city of Brea Imperial Highway Smart Street

Orange County's Sagging Infrastructure Needs Money to "Get Work Done"

Orange County's aging infrastructure is getting to the age where serious work needs to be done.  Much like a Newport Beach housewife who notices she's not as young as she used to be and goes in "to get work done", Orange County needs to "get the work done".  But will we ever get the money we need?

The 2010 Orange County Infrastructure Report Card was brought home and here are the grades:

• D in surface-water quality in beaches and water parks
• C- in flood control.  It is estimated that over $2.5 billion is needed to upgrade the local flood control system to prevent loss of life and property. Orange County's needs in this area have changed as population has grown, hillsides have been cut for homes and more of the County has been paved over.
• C+ in electrical supply. The recent electricity rate increases approved by the California Utility Commission may not be enough to bring the systems up to what is needed.
• C+in parks, recreation and environment.  $70 million in projects have been stopped because of the recession.  $680 million is needed for new projects in the next five years.
• C+ in school facilities.  Deferred maintenance is killing the buildings and don't expect there to be money to replace buildings any time soon.
• B- in water supply
• B+  in solid waste management
• B in wastewater treatment
• B in aviation

Don't expect improvements in these areas any time soon because often times money for these types of projects comes from Washington, DC and our Congressional Delegation, with the exception of Rep. Loretta Sanchez, refuse to ask for money for their district.  Because our representatives won't bring home money, our county won't be able to grow as much as it could.

There is a good story in OC Metro about the report card.

It's Easy Being Green: Rail Transport Picks Up Speed

This article was published by the Center for American Progress.

Read more articles from the "It's Easy Being Green" series

The United States uses 25 percent of the entire world’s oil supply despite having only 5 percent of the world’s population, and sprawling communities force people to drive even short distances. We need alternate modes of transportation to kick this oil dependence, and one alternative is high-speed rail, which offers tantalizing environmental and economic benefits. President Barack Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden, and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a strategic plan for high-speed rail last year that includes $8 billion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and $1 billion a year for five years in the federal budget. Their goal is to jumpstart a potential world-class rail system in the United States.

>These economic incentives for a mass U.S. network of high-speed rail trains, or HSR, along existing transportation corridors could create much-needed jobs, decrease our dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels, and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The national implementation of HSR would create jobs in the planning, design, and construction of track and station infrastructure as well as the management, design, and manufacturing of high-speed trains. A study by the California High-Speed Rail Authority found that building their proposed HSR system—which would run from Los Angeles to San Francisco and voters OK’d in 2008—will create 150,000 construction jobs and 450,000 permanent jobs.

Hidden Costs of OCTA Bus Service Cuts: Increased Call Center Costs

The recent 150,000 hour service cut to OCTA bus routes is causing headaches for riders who need to change their schedules, job losses for OCTA staff, and has significantly increased the volume of calls to the Customer Information Center (CIC). 

The schedule and route changes during 2009-10 put call center volume between 74,000 and 84,000 calls per month. The budgeted volume of calls was 61,000 per month.  The recent reductions are expected to drive calls even higher, but those figures are not available at this time.

Customers are calling because they need information and may feel this is the only way they can what they need.  Bus books are now being printed twice a year instead of four times a year to save money. Signage and timetable information at stops has been reduced.  These changes freed up $200,000 to redirect to the call center budget.  

Riders do have other means of obtaining information from either text messaging or the OCTA website.  Each of these methods serves a segment of the population, but can't fill the information gap entirely.  Each method (text and internet) generally requires a fixed expense in a phone that can text message or a computer with internet connection.  For some riders, this may be a high financial hurdle, and for them, these are not viable choices. There is also the "technology gap" to consider.  People who have a phone may not want to or know how to text and a segment of the population doesn't know how to use a computer effectively even if they have access to one.  The call center is one leg in getting out service and route information to riders.

OCTA's Board is considering how to handle the increased call volume. The contract with Alta Resources in Brea costs about $2/call and has a remaining balance of about $1.5 million.  Alta Resources has provided OCTA with CIC services for eight years and has emphasized customer service with a low call abandonment rate.  

One strategy being considered is increasing wait time for a call to be answered.  A pilot program allowed wait times to increase and call abandonment went from 4% to 10%.  Another strategy on the table is staffing to budget - the budget is fixed and services must fit within the dollar amount provided. When the money runs out, service is cut.  Alta Resources has been using an "on hold" message to let callers know about other options for obtaining information.

The matter comes to the Finance Committee on March 17, 2010.

Download CallCenterReport  From March 17, 2010 OCTA Finance Committee Agenda Packet

OCTA March 14, 2010 Bus Books and Bus Service Changes Brochures Both Online

As the 150,000 hour service reduction rolls out, many routes are being severely reduced or eliminated.
It’s best to have both documents since the new concepts are explained in detail in the brochure, but the actual timetables are only in the Bus Book, etc. The new Bus Service Change brochures are available online at www.octa.net/marchchange and are already on the buses. Bus Books are now available online and will be on the buses March 5. Please save your copies or use the online versions as OCTA is printing only limited amounts.

Also, there are several routes with smaller schedule changes which have not been mentioned in the Bus Service Change brochure. These routes are 33, 55, 60, 79, 86, 167, 211, 411.

To learn more about how to work to maintain the bus service in the future, see the Transit Advocates of Orange County (TAOC).

CSUF - Shuttle Service Ends and Off Campus Parking Eliminated

This story comes from the Daily Titan at Cal State Fullerton.  The CSUF shuttle contract with Empire Transport has been ended, along with off campus parking.  These cuts come at time when CSUF students are being left with fewer transportation choices because OCTA bus service is being cut by 150,000 hours beginning March 14, 2010.  Potentially, another 150,000 hours of service cuts will come again in September 2010 to make bus service fit the budget. 

Fate of 6000 Orange County Transit and Construction Jobs in Gov's Hands

The California Legislature passed Solorio-sponsored legislation (AB 11 X8) that allows the California Transportation Commission to sign $410 million in agreements with local transportation agencies allowing them to seek state reimbursement later for projects they jumpstart today. The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) asked Assemblyman Solorio to work on the bill in the Assembly while senators Bob Huff and Lou Correa advocated for AB 11 X8 in the Senate.

The bill passed with broad, bipartisan support.  The bill now moves to the Governor's office for his signature.  Fax a letter or call  the Governor to ask him to sign the bill and bring much needed jobs to Orange County. Gov. Schwarzenegger can be reached at 916-445-2841 (phone) and 916-558-3160 (fax).  Public pressure can get the Governor to sign this much needed bill.

Money is included for Positive Train Control, GPS based satellite control system for trains which can stop a train if a red signal is ignored and bypassed.  Positive Train Control is now required by federal law because of the Chatsworth crash in 2008 where a rush hour Metrolink commuter train collided head on with a Union Pacific freight train. 25 people were killed in the crash.

The breakdown of the over 6000 jobs that could be created if Governor Schwarzenegger signs the bill are: 

• 522 jobs for the Fullerton Transportation Center Parking Structure
• 297 jobs for the Tustin Rail Station Parking Expansion
• 828 jobs for the Sand Canyon Avenue Grade Separation 
• 2754 jobs for the Metrolink Service Track Expansion and Grade Crossing Improvements
• 424 jobs for the Orange County Metrolink Fiber Optics Installation
• 1328 jobs for Positive Train Control

Aliso Viejo Reminds Residents of OCTA Service Cuts Starting March 14, 2010

Aliso Viejo fought hard to preserve bus service thru the city.  Thru the efforts of the City and residents, no routes were eliminated, but service has been cut. 

In Aliso Viejo, bus riders should be aware of a frequency reduction on route 89 and route restructuring on routes 70 and 90. No routes in the City will be eliminated.  
 
OCTA has developed tools to help bus riders navigate the changes in service throughout the county. To see the cities affected, visit http://http://www.octa.net/CITY_mar10.aspx. 

Route-specific details including frequency reductions is available at http://www.octa.net/march2010impacts.aspx