Transportation for America

08/14/2024

☀ This summer, temperatures have soared to record-breaking highs, putting a strain on our existing infrastructure and exposing the limitations of our current approach to transportation.

⭐ Read more ➡ https://t4america.org/2024/08/13/transportation-and-extreme-heat/

⏳ Whether it's travel delays or safety concerns for commuters, has a negative effect on transportation infrastructure. And we need policies that mitigate these impacts and build resilience to our changing climate.

🚍 🌇 Learn more about transit and extreme heat in our latest blog.

Recent record-breaking temperatures demonstrate that we can no longer rely on old design approaches to meet the needs of our communities. Transportation infrastructure is no exception. Extreme heat can cause road surfaces to buckle and rail tracks to warp, leading to significant travel disruptions a...

08/08/2024

“What’s continually been shown is that these capacity expansion projects are not actually reducing emissions at all.” -Corrigan Salerno, policy associate with Transportation for America, talking about IIJA funding in Bloomberg ⤵

Several US states are tapping a federal carbon reduction program to fund highway projects, arguing that adding vehicle lanes can bring emissions down.

08/06/2024

We're thrilled to see that the Gulf Coast is one step closer to the return of passenger rail 👏

https://t4america.org/2024/08/06/press-statement-funding-approved-for-the-return-of-passenger-rail-in-mobile/

“I applaud the City of Mobile for removing the final roadblock to the return of passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast. This victory will improve economic mobility, connect communities across the Deep South, and set an example for the expansion of passenger rail across the country.” John Robert Smith, Chair of Transportation for America said.

Learn more in our recent press release.

City councilmembers in Mobile, Alabama have removed a barrier to passenger rail’s return in the Coastal South.

08/01/2024

Our Community Connectors portal provides tools and information for advocates to decode the myriad of programs, acronyms, and decision points that determine what how federal and state transportation dollars are spent.

We're looking for feedback on what we can to make the portal even better! Fill out this brief survey and let us know what you think ⤵

Transportation for America’s Community Connectors portal provides tools and information for advocates to decode the complex and confusing maze of programs, acronyms, and decision points that determine what gets built with federal and state transportation dollars.

07/31/2024

Join our team!

We're looking for an intern that can help us with policy research and development, transportation storytelling, and policy evaluation and implementation!

Learn more about the opportunity and apply today ⤵

Smart Growth America (SGA) and its transportation program, Transportation for America (T4America), are looking to recruit an intern to support its technical assistance, research, and advocacy work. Organizational overview About Smart Growth America Smart Growth America envisions a country where no m...

07/30/2024

Amtrak is working with the City of Mobile, Alabama in order to move Gulf Coast passenger service forward.

One city council member, who originally opposed the deal between the city and Amtrak, will now support funding for service and for a lease of the city-owned land at the station site. ➡ https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/mobile-reaches-agreement-with-amtrak-on-funding-lease-at-station-site/

“We are so pleased to hear this news and appreciate the efforts of Governor Ivey, Mayor Stimpson and the Mobile City Council, the Port of Mobile, CSX railroad and all of our partners who have worked towards this progress,” said Knox Ross, chairman of the Southern Rail Commission. “We eagerly anticipate the approval of the land-use agreements and funding plans for the Mobile station and passenger service. We will continue to work with Amtrak and our local, state, and federal partners to secure funds that support this service in the future.”

MOBILE, Ala. — Amtrak appears to be on the verge of an agreement with the City of Mobile that finally will allow Gulf Coast passenger service to move forward. WALA-TV reports that a spokeswoman for Mayor Sandy Stimpson said the city and Amtrak had finalized language for a funding agreement for Mob...

07/18/2024

07/18/2024

While federal representatives are thinking about transportation safety, we want their conversations to translate into action.

https://t4america.org/2024/07/10/we-need-to-expand-the-conversation-around-transportation-safety/

We need increased funding for transit operations and security. And if we want to really want road safety to be a priority, we need to consider the top contributor to transportation-related fatalities in the US: private vehicles on high-speed roads.

Read more in our blog ⤵

We can’t significantly address safety concerns if we’re not looking at the most dangerous modes of transportation.

07/15/2024

Don't miss the conversation! Join our director and other expert panelists to learn more about how states are funding transportation!

Register below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_P_n0nuE1Tt-aNaSghLhDnA?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3fwEdnaatoaOJ3ix3kc_1ok_I8tvIvBOh_VijivE0ZCMBSEBosKnoJwQ0_aem_4v_7gdWYp0UQfOb15aNS8Q #/registration

07/01/2024

In an upcoming webinar with Transportation for Massachusetts, our director, Beth Osborne, will join other experts to talk about how states are funding transportation 🚍 💰

Don't miss out on the conversation, happening Wednesday, July 24th from 12-1:30 p.m. EST!

Details and link to register below ⤵

Join us for our second virtual panel in The Money Train: A Learning Series on Transportation Funding. Our focus this month will be: Learning from Other States: What are they doing to fund transportation? On July 24, from 12:00 - 1:30 ET, we'll hear from Kate Slevin, Executive Vice President at Regio...

06/27/2024

The return of passenger service from New Orleans to Mobile was the result of tireless advocacy at the local, state, and federal levels 👏

See how advocates achieved success ⤵

After the setbacks of the late 90s and early 2000s, passenger rail advocates along the Gulf Coast were not discouraged. Through the work of a Regional Rail Commission and the cultivation of relationships with local, regional, and federal leaders, these advocates were able to build a foundation for t...

06/21/2024

🚉 The new Sound Transit rail line from Redmond to Bellevue, Washington was welcomed by riders, underscoring the need, and eagerness, for improved and additional public transportation.

We thank Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) for placing emphasis on the importance of public transit and decreasing congestion and emissions and for her efforts to promote economic growth 👏

Read more in our blog ⤵

On April 27, 2024, Sound Transit opened up the East Link light rail line for riders to connect from Redmond to Bellevue, and ultimately to Seattle. The new rail line was met with noticeable excitement and underscores the need (and eagerness) for improved and additional public transportation.

06/14/2024

There are two federal bills in the House and Senate that aim to fill a gap by delivering funding to an essential part of transit service: operations costs.

Read more in our latest blog ⤵

https://t4america.org/2024/06/11/two-federal-bills-for-better-transit-service/

06/13/2024

Our streets are designed to move vehicles as quickly as possible, at the expense of safety for everyone. As a result, the number of people hit and killed while walking continues to rise.

Growth America’s signature report, Dangerous by Design 2024, combines the latest federal data with lived experiences to unpack the connection between road design and the ever-increasing, record number of people struck and killed while walking.

To change this trend, agencies and decision makers must abandon the deeply embedded, invisible yet powerful emphasis on speed, and make safety for all people a top priority of every dollar spent.

Read more in the report:

https://t4america.org/2024/05/30/pedestrian-deaths-are-up-by-a-staggering-75-percent-since-2010/

06/06/2024

Two recent developments at the federal level can help propel passenger rail expansion in the South and across the country.

05/31/2024

CSG’s Blueprint for a Better Region, framed around a network of livable communities, offers a path forward for the D.C. region to grow in a better way.

05/20/2024

If you're a web developer who's passionate about taking complex information and putting it into an accessible, compelling format, apply to help us create our new transportation data hub!

Details below:

https://smartgrowthamerica.org/request-for-proposals-web-developer-with-data-visualization-experience/

Smart Growth America (SGA) and Transportation for America (T4A) are seeking a web developer with significant data visualization experience to build a user-friendly data hub by updating the t4america.org website so that advocates can better understand how transportation funding is being allocated and...

04/16/2024

Join Smart Growth Americaa and International Parking and Mobility Institute (IPMI) on May 14th from 2-3 p.m. for a free webinar about transportation electrification and smart growth in the U.S. 👏

Our Outreach Director, Chris Rall, and Policy Associate, Corrigan Salerno, will discuss strategies that promote increased walkability, access, transit, shared mobility, and micromobility.

Register today ⤵

On Tuesday, May 14 from 2 – 3 p.m., we’re partnering with the International Parking & Mobility Institute to offer a free webinar exploring smart growth strategies. Register here. Many climate advocates and pro-climate decision-makers are focused on electrification as the primary, or even only, e...

04/09/2024

We thank the Federal Transit Administration for how they have responded to our input on how to maximize IIJA funding and accelerate our transition to zero-emission public transit 👏

In October, we sent a letter to the FTA urging them to pursue reforms that we believe will assist in growing our zero-emission public transit system. They responded with updates to the Low No and Buses and Bus Facility programs to help ensure riders will get more buses, for less money, faster. They also made new changes to this year’s notice of funding to help more clean buses get out to communities faster than ever.

Read more about these changes in our blog:

The Federal Transit Administration is working hard to ensure that the next rounds of the Low or No Emissions Grant Program and Buses and Bus Facilities Program do the most for riders—and the climate. Here's how.

03/13/2024

Our analysis on how states are spending money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is still ongoing, but so far, we're seeing just how limited we are in being able to pinpoint where exactly the funding goes in each state. And when are able to follow the money, we find a significant amount is spent on road expansions.

"While our methods for analyzing federal transportation spending have evolved into the 21st century, state spending is firmly stuck in the last one, devoting more than $33 billion from the IIJA (so far) to highway expansion. It turns out that giving state DOTs more money with few strings attached results in even more of the same: emissions-increasing highway widenings."

Keep up with our findings from our analysis by reading the latest blog from Corrigan Salerno ⤵

T4America had to devote hundreds of hours and use artificial intelligence to find out how states are spending money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Two findings are clear: More money alone will still fail to produce change, and it's far too complicated to figure out where our...

03/06/2024

In order to curb emissions that stem from our roadways and to meet the nation’s ambitious net-zero goals, we need to prioritize public and active transportation.

The GREEN Streets Act, new legislation introduced by Senator Ed Markey, would establish goals for emissions reduction and resilience in our transportation system.

You can show your support for this bill by telling your representatives to co-sponsor it. Click the link to learn more about the GREEN Streets Act and take action today!

New legislation introduced by Senator Markey, the GREEN Streets Act, seeks to establish goals for emissions reduction and resilience in our transportation system, marking a pivotal step in alleviating the climate crisis on our roadways. Tell your senator to cosponsor this legislation.

02/29/2024

We have two new blog posts examining current IIJA spending and how communities are healing from divisive infrastructure 👇

Even though the IIJA is a historical investment in emissions-reductions, the funding might be making our current emissions problem that much worse. Using AI-powered analysis, we found that over a quarter of infrastructure formula dollars are funding highway expansion projects that will drastically increase emissions.

Read more in this blog ➡ https://t4america.org/2024/02/28/the-iija-is-a-climate-time-bomb-will-states-defuse-it/

The Kensington Highway destroyed Humboldt Parkway—a once thriving public space for a core number of Buffalo, NY's Black community— left 600 families displaced. Learn more about how the Kensington Expressway Project aims to reconnect the community ➡ https://t4america.org/2024/02/28/restoring-buffalos-emerald-necklace/

Humboldt Parkway, once home to vibrant public space, was destroyed by the Kensington Highway, displacing over 600 families and leaving a concrete gash through Buffalo's network of city parks. With federal support, the Kensington Expressway Project aims to reconnect the community.

02/20/2024

In the last decade, there have been over 40,000 pedestrian deaths on our roadways. Two new bills—from Senators Ed Markey and John Fetterman respectively—set Complete Streets as a minimum design mandate, taking a step towards safer streets for all road users.

Tell your senator to cosponsor the Building Better Streets Act and Complete Streets Act ⤵

Two new bills introduced to Congress by Senators Ed Markey and John Fetterman make Complete Streets a minimum design mandate, redefining our road design standards and ensuring funding for the implementation of Complete Streets projects. Let Congress know these bills can’t wait!

02/12/2024

We have some new resources on our Community Connectors Portal that cover transit funding!

To find out how local agencies receive funding to cover their day-to-day expenses, click here ➡ https://t4america.org/community-connectors/how-things-happen/funding-transit-operations/

To learn how to build or expand transit projects through capital programs, click here ➡ https://t4america.org/community-connectors/how-things-happen/funding-transit-capital/

02/07/2024

We were one of 190 organizations who signed a letter calling out the continued funding of new highways and highway expansions. Together, we demand funding be allocated towards community-centered transportation priorities.

"Federal infrastructure funding holds great promise for transit, biking, walking and accessibility projects," said Danny Pearlstein, spokesman for Riders Alliance, a grassroots group supporting transit in New York.

Read more: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2024/02/06/freeway-fighters-stop-the-highway-expansion-madness-new-coalition-demands

01/29/2024

"Residents impacted by poorly designed roads talk of how yesterday’s highway construction degraded their communities, bankrupted thriving businesses and prevented residents from neighbourhood shopping and walking or cycling to nearby stores. The people impacted by these social injustices describe the pain of seeing their communities wilt after highways were built."

➡ https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-a-redesigned-highway-3-will-ruin-crowsnest-pass?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=truncated_content&utm_content=opinion_columnists&utm_term=calgary_herald

"Once you wreck a community, putting it back together is much more work than just removing an interstate.” -Beth Osborne, director of Transportation for America.

Divisive infrastructure continues to harm thousands of communities across the country. It’s time for a more equitable system. In our report, Divided by Design, we explore how our local, state, and federal leaders can repair the damage of harmful infrastructure.

Check it out:
➡ https://smartgrowthamerica.org/program/divided-by-design/

In Alberta, a vision to redesign Highway 3 now threatens to sever and degrade the highway’s westernmost traverse of the province.

01/25/2024

Transit operations make up two-thirds of agencies' budgets, but federal funding won't cover these costs. Representative Hank Johnson (GA-04) reintroduced the Stronger Communities Through Better Transit Act to create new possibilities for federal transit funding.

Read our blog to learn about why we support it

➡ https://t4america.org/2024/01/24/tell-your-representative-support-stronger-communities-through-better-transit/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=5cca8606-cd57-4206-bc57-e003abe56146

Today, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) re-introduced the Stronger Communities Through Better Transit Act, which would authorize $20 billion annually for four years ($80B total) to transit systems for their operating budgets.

This funding could mean a 40 percent gain in service that could vastly improve access to transit that arrives at least every 15 minutes, all day, seven days a week.

“Getting people to work and providing essential services is the primary purpose of the transportation system, and it fails if it can only do that for people who have the money and ability to drive. With the Stronger Communities Through Better Transit Act, Rep. Johnson not only offers needed support for increased transit service to connect people with the things they need, but for the high quality, dependable transit service that people require for true access to opportunity.” - Beth Osborne, director of Transportation for America.

01/18/2024

Today, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) re-introduced the Stronger Communities Through Better Transit Act, which would authorize $20 billion annually for four years ($80B total) to transit systems for their operating budgets.

This funding could mean a 40 percent gain in service that could vastly improve access to transit that arrives at least every 15 minutes, all day, seven days a week.

“Getting people to work and providing essential services is the primary purpose of the transportation system, and it fails if it can only do that for people who have the money and ability to drive. With the Stronger Communities Through Better Transit Act, Rep. Johnson not only offers needed support for increased transit service to connect people with the things they need, but for the high quality, dependable transit service that people require for true access to opportunity.” - Beth Osborne, director of Transportation for America.

01/09/2024

was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who came out to participate. Huge shoutout to our sponsors Lyft, Uber, Nelson Nygaard, WGI and HaydenAI!

Check out this recap that includes some photos from the event

TransportationCamp DC took place at George Mason University Arlington Campus on January 6. As one of 300 attendees in person – with an additional 100 joining virtually – I witnessed the beauty of what can happen when people come together to have conversations about transportation and policy refo...

12/20/2023

Yesterday, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released an updated version of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) a document “that governs how traffic control devices communicate the design intent to the road user to safely and efficiently navigate the roadway system.” Smart Growth America and Transportation for America released a statement that recognizes that the updated manual is a step in the right direction, but does not go far enough.

Beth Osborne, director of Transportation for America, said that "unfortunately, I find that [the FHWA] fails to recognize its own authority and power. They may not mean for something they publish to have such wide-reaching effects, but it does.”

Those wide-reaching effects include the rate of pedestrian fatalities in the U.S., something that the MUTCD has greater potential to mitigate if reformed properly.

We call on the FHWA to do more to prioritize safer streets in our press release.

➡ https://t4america.org/2023/12/20/press-statement-newly-updated-mutcd-doesnt-go-far-enough-to-protect-pedestrians/

For more information about what advocates have to say about the MUTCD document, check out the blog from Streetsblog USA.

➡ https://usa.streetsblog.org/2023/12/19/feds-advocates-talk-about-whats-in-the-new-mutcd-and-what-isnt

Washington, D.C. (Dec. 20) — Yesterday, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released the 11th Edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), a document “that governs how traffic control devices communicate the design intent to the road user to safely and efficiently navi...