Long-standing FTA and USDOT policy prohibits geographic preferences in hiring for construction projects. With a shift in the percentage of funding coming from federal vs. local sources, state and local governments are asking for greater flexibility and room for policy changes that will improve options for local hiring. The tension between local hiring ordinances and federal geographic preference policy is currently playing out on the Crenshaw line in Los Angeles, which is expected to begin construction in 2014.
jobs
Milwaukee’s transit-jobs mismatch
Milwaukee’s growth pattern and the location of business hubs in the suburbs, combined with reduced funding for transit, have created a “spatial mismatch” in the metro area. The term “spatial mismatch” is defined in a new report by the Milwaukee-based Public Policy Forum as a divergence between where workers live in the Milwaukee area and where jobs are located. Many of Milwaukee’s jobs have moved to the suburbs and out of reach for the 13 percent of Milwaukee’s workers without a car.
Increasing “reverse commuting” inspires innovative transit programs
Over the last decade, “reverse commuting”—travel from central city residential areas to suburban jobs—has increased significantly. Two trends—increased movement of employment to suburbs and growing preference by some employees for central city living—are driving the reverse commute. While in-migration to walkable and transit friendly cities has reduced driving for non-work auto trips, many workers still need to travel to jobs in the suburbs during peak hours, posing new challenges for transit planners. Transportation planners, employers, and commuters around the country are attempting to adjust to these changes in a number of ways.
Ohio city may lose federal road funding over refusal to install bus stops
Beavercreek, OH, could lose $10.7 million in federal transportation funding for roads because of its refusal to install bus stops requested by the RTA near a large mall. FHWA gave the city 90 days to take steps to comply with their request that the city approve a stop application process that did not violate federal discrimination guidelines.
Super commuters 2.0 — flying to work
Along with the steep rise in normal super commuting — people commuting to a metropolitan area’s central county from homes outside the metro area — the number of people commuting across the country by plane has grown dramatically as well, at least in Manhattan. And New York is unlikely to be the only city struggling to accommodate the travel needs of long distance commuters.
Prospering in Place: Linking Jobs, Development, and Transit to Spur Chicago’s Economy (Center for Neighborhood Technology, 2012)
This report presents a blueprint for revitalizing specific neighborhoods within the Chicago urban area by focusing on the transit and rail networks already in place. It calls for investment in the places with the best chance …
Prospering in Place: Linking Jobs, Development, and Transit to Spur Chicago’s Economy (Center for Neighborhood Technology, 2012)
This report presents a blueprint for revitalizing specific neighborhoods within the Chicago urban area by focusing on the transit and rail networks already in place. It calls for investment in the places with the best chance …
Interactive Chart Tracks Obama’s Transportation Policy Changes in 2011
Transportation Nation has created an interactive graph showing how President Obama’s focus on transportation policy shifted in 2011—from expanding and building upon the existing infrastructure to simply maintaining it. The graph shows, month-to-month, how many …
Making the Case for Transit: WMATA Regional Benefits of Transit (WMATA, 2011)
A November, 2011 report from Washington, DC makes the case for why transit is important to the region, and imagines what it would look like without transit. The WMATA web site gives a brief overview, and the …
Big fixes for our big transportation problems
In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Robert Puentes suggests several big changes that could boost the economy and improve transportation decision-making: Encourage collaboration between the federal government, states, metro areas, and shippers and develop …