As part of Spitfire’s work with SSTI and the Washington State Department of Transportation to develop a collaborative transportation energy efficiency campaign, Spitfire conducted a series of research activities to inform campaign planning.
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The Innovative DOT: A Handbook of Policy and Practice (SSTI & SGA, 2012)
State officials across the country are facing the same challenges. Revenues are falling and budgets are shrinking while transportation demands grow. Most state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) have ambitious goals: improve safety, reduce congestion, enhance economic opportunity, improve reliability, preserve system assets, accelerate project delivery, and help to create healthier, more livable neighborhoods, just to name a few.
The handbook provides 31 recommendations transportation officials can use as they position their agencies for success in the new economy. The handbook documents many of the innovative approaches state leaders are using to make systems more efficient, government more effective and constituents better satisfied.
Can we talk? How to communicate on transportation issues
Talking to the public or elected officials about transportation policy and funding can be difficult. AASHTO and blogger Lloyd Brown have some tips for crafting and delivering your message.
Smart Growth America helps Tennessee with familiar problem: Many projects and limited funds
A technical assistance report from Smart Growth America revealed that Tennessee DOT has a problem: nine times more projects in its work plan than it has funding. They needed an analysis of which projects were a priority and how some needs might be addressed by less expensive solutions.
Smart Growth America helps Tennessee with familiar problem: Many projects and limited funds
A technical assistance report from Smart Growth America revealed that Tennessee DOT has a problem: nine times more projects in its work plan than it has funding. They needed an analysis of which projects were a priority and how some needs might be addressed by less expensive solutions.
Making the Case for Transportation Investment and Revenue (AASHTO and Parsons Brinckerhoff, 2009)
Many states are looking for ways to ask for additional transportation funding to maintain crumbling infrastructure and meet current demand. This study of successful campaigns recommends how to craft a request for funding. Case studies and elements to examine before the request are included.
Bike share programs’ support of transit constrained by FTA funding rules
New bike share programs offer another opportunity to provide better access to public transit, bridging the important “last mile” between trip origins and destinations. In the U.S., however, Federal Transit Administration funding for the installation of bike-sharing stations adjacent to transit services has stalled, in part due to funding eligibility rules. Currently, FTA funds may pay for planning and construction of the bike share station itself, but not the purchase of actual bicycles. Bicycles can be purchased using FHWA funding, however. FTA and USDOT officials have acknowledged the need to change eligibility rules to embrace the rapidly growing demand for bike share, but as yet no changes have been made.
Reform STIP documents for greater transparency
A new report from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign evaluates the STIPs of all 50 states. Although analyses of individual state STIPs are useful in understanding state priorities and near-term transportation spending, information gleaned from STIPs alone is insufficient as a basis for comparison between states. While all STIPs must be updated at least every four years and are required to cover a period of at least four years, federal standards for STIP development and content leave states with considerable leeway. To provide a better platform for state-to-state comparisons and national trends, the report provides four key recommendations for states interested in increasing the utility of their STIPs.
The bus stigma: Why it exists, and should we care?
Why are buses so maligned? And what can we do about it? How can we get “choice riders” – those that do not have to use transit, but choose to – to take the bus? And should we care whether people with transportation choices ride the bus?
Hub and Spoke: Core Transit Congestion and the Future of Transit and Development in Greater Boston (Urban Land Institute, 2012)
The hub and spoke system of the MBTA has produced record ridership, transit-oriented development patterns, and severe challenges for the system. The report focuses on the need to invest in public transit infrastructure so that the MBTA can serve its growing transit ridership, including future trips generated by the pipeline of planned developments in greater Boston.