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Hart Bus
Age: 74 Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 1150
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Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 12:18 pm Post subject: Does an Obama victory mean more $$$$ for mass transit |
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Congratulations to the Obama-Biden ticket for a hard fought campaign. With Obama seemingly wanting to help the working man, does this mean that more money will be put into transportation to help the average person get to and from many places without using a car.
Will they give money for more buses and trains, not only to increase schedules but for more routes.
Thoughts Anyone ????? |
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RailBus63 Moderator
Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 1063
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Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 2:48 pm Post subject: |
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In the short term, probably not. The country's economic problems and budget deficits are going to severely limit what the Obama administration will be able to do, even with a Democratic majority in Congress. The money is just not available right now for massive federal increases in spending that would help put more buses on the street or expand service to new areas. In the long-term, though, transportation projects should benefit from his plans to increase infrastructure spending as an eceonomic stimulant and policies that will be friendlier to transit and rail service. |
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ripta42 Site Admin
Age: 45 Joined: 15 Apr 2007 Posts: 1035 Location: Pawtucket, RI / Woburn, MA
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Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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During the primary season, Obama mentioned high-speed intercity rail as a priority. He hasn't referred to it throughout his battle with John McCain and has instead talked about partnering with U.S. automakers to develop a more fuel-efficient car. I'm guessing this mostly has to do with the fact that most people who are pro-transit are already going to vote Democrat and didn't need to be swayed, while many independents in the "heartland" see transit spending as a waste. I'm confident that funding for transit and intercity rail will improve in the next few years. |
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Mr. Linsky BusTalk's Offical Welcoming Committee
Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 5071 Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.
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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:20 am Post subject: |
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I don't know too much about Obama's long range transit plans, but it certainly looks as though we, here in California, are trying to take the bull by the horns on our own as reported in the L.A. Times below;
'Approval of transit funds paves the way for new challenges'
Voters say yes to Proposition 1A and Measure R, but tough decisions remain.
By Rich Connell, Steve Hymon and Eric Bailey
Los Angeles Times November 5, 2008
For decades, California officials complained that efforts to get traffic moving were stymied by a lack of money.
But with apparent voter approval Tuesday of massive new financing schemes for both the state and Los Angeles County, transportation planners suddenly and somewhat unexpectedly have tens of billions coming for an array of rail, bus and traffic improvement projects. The gusher of tax dollars offers a rare chance to fix crucial parts of a transportation network choking on too many cars and commuters, experts say.
Simultaneous approval of a high-speed rail line to link California's two major cities and a package of subway, light rail, highway and busway expansions in the state's most populous county marks "a huge step forward," said Dario Frommer, a member of the California Transportation Commission.
In Los Angeles, where voters agreed to increase sales taxes to pay for up to $40 billion in projects, "we have a huge opportunity to transform [the county] in a way that's never been done before," said Richard Katz, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority board member and transit advisor to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "Without being overly dramatic, this is as significant on the local level as Barack Obama's election on the national level."
But now comes the more sobering, slogging challenge: delivering on the ambitious -- even grandiose -- expectations raised by the Proposition 1A and Measure R campaigns.
"We are not out of the woods yet in terms of stabilizing and securing all the funding necessary for these projects," said Frommer, former majority leader of the state Assembly.
One growing concern: State and federal lawmakers could pull back existing and anticipated matching funds for transportation projects because of the nation's deepening economic crisis.
Indeed, the timing of the two transportation ballot measures, along with construction schedules and promises of congestion relief, were based in part on plans to wring more money from other sources. Chief among them is a giant federal transportation bill -- the first since 2005 -- to be crafted by Congress next year.
But state and federal lawmakers face major budget deficits, coupled with declines in transportation tax dollars from gasoline sales, which have dropped as motorists drive less. Even with the new ballot measure money, including nearly $10 billion for the bullet train from the Bay Area to Southern California, some projects could be delayed or in jeopardy if current transportation allotments are cut back, Frommer said. "It's very complicated."
With 100% of precincts reporting, Measure R narrowly exceeded the two-thirds vote required; the thousands of provisional and absentee ballots that remained to be counted were not expected to change the outcome. Proponents declared victory.
At a Measure R news conference in the Wilshire Center, where the western spur of the Los Angeles subway ends, the head of the MTA told reporters that extension of a line to the Westwood-UCLA area could take 20 years.
Hearing that, Villaraigosa quickly stepped to the microphone and vowed that he and other elected officials would aggressively pursue federal dollars to speed up the project.
"This is a big, physical project that we can't do overnight," MTA chief executive Roger Snoble later said. "There's a lot to it."
But other local projects could begin relieving congestion within a year, officials said. Millions of dollars will begin flowing to cities, which can synchronize traffic signals, install left-turn lanes and pay for other improvements to unclog traffic, Katz said.
Villaraigosa, who led the Measure R campaign, said Wednesday that the Gold Line light rail extension to the San Gabriel Valley would probably be one of the first projects built, along with the Expo Line from Culver City to Santa Monica. Both of those projects can now be paid for with local money and move ahead quickly, Katz said.
There are still considerable obstacles for many projects. The first phase of the Expo Line is mired in a dispute over a pair of pedestrian crossings in South Los Angeles that could take months, if not years, to resolve.
Another Measure R project, the Green Line rail extension to Los Angeles International Airport, still needs a commitment from the airport to build a people-mover system to get travelers from the train station to the terminals.
Even if all goes well for the proposed 220 mph bullet train down the spine of the state, it won't be completed for at least 10 years, though some parts will be ready sooner. The first phase is supposed to wind from Anaheim through Los Angeles to Palmdale, then up the Central Valley to San Francisco.
But questions remain about potential cost overruns and funding shortfalls. The initial leg alone is expected to cost millions of dollars more than the $9.95 billion in bonds that voters approved on Tuesday, meaning the state will have to find a partner in the private sector for a venture many view as financially risky.
"Even if nothing at all happens for years, this project will hang over our community, our towns and our state forever, like the mythical sword of Damocles, never actually going away but possibly never coming into existence," said Martin Engel, a longtime opponent. "It will be eternally short of funding; a bottomless hole in the ground."
Quentin Kopp, chairman of the state's high-speed rail authority, vowed to "ride herd" on costs. He said doubters who claim the trains will cost more and deliver less speedy times than promoters predict are discounting positive reviews of California's plan by high-speed rail experts from France, Japan and Spain.
The rail line will support greater housing density near stations and decrease pollution, he believes. "With the increasing California population," Kopp said, "it's inevitable."
Whatever the challenges, the voter approval of the transportation measures reflects broad public frustration and a demand for action, officials said.
"People are sick and tired of traffic," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, a key Measure R backer. "They were willing to pay for it. . . . Our job is to deliver on the promises."
Connell, Hymon and Bailey are Times staff writers.
Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, NY operator |
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ripta42 Site Admin
Age: 45 Joined: 15 Apr 2007 Posts: 1035 Location: Pawtucket, RI / Woburn, MA
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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 7:08 am Post subject: |
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Great news! The Rhode Island transportation bond issue passed as well, and it includes some money for RIPTA bus service and the MBTA extension to Warwick/Green Airport. Hopefully this will stave off the doomsday service cuts planned for January. |
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Dieseljim Deceased
Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Posts: 548 Location: Perry, NY
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:07 am Post subject: How to Get Funding for Transit Projects |
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Here are a few ideas of how to get funding for transit projects:
1.Cut off all funding for George W's War (Iraq) and bring the troops home.
2.Make the oil companies pay for their obscene profits by means of excess profits taxes, break up of Exxon-Mobil back into two companies, RICO prosecutions for price fixing and market rigging.
3.Go after large proportions of OIL company CEO's obscene salaries as well.
4.Impose rush hour tolls on single occupancy vehicles.
5. Hit up most of the multibillionaires for funds.
6.Take substantial sums out of Bush's hide. |
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HwyHaulier
Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 932 Location: Harford County, MD
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Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 12:47 pm Post subject: Re: Does an Obama victory mean more $$$$ for mass transit |
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Hart Bus wrote: | ...With Obama seemingly wanting to help the working man, does this mean that more money will be put into transportation to help the average person get to and from many places without using a car.
Will they give money for more buses and trains, not only to increase schedules but for more routes... |
Hart Bus -
"...give money..." from whom?
While the part about option to "...get to and from many places without using a car..." might be idylllic, it is somewhat detached from realities. A problem
being: The privately owned vehicle, in a predominant number of instances, is a unique, efficient and economic solution...
Besides, what to do about Sally Secretary, and her commute issues? Leave the house, deliver the kids to day care, stop enroute somewhere for coffee,
drop a few items at the dry cleaner. Get to work, likely in a suburban locale, and at lunch hour, get in a run to the bank, and back to work. And, so on...
How is scheduled transit service a possible better option?
The moral being: The transit solutions better done with a very light touch. Otherwise, even with Free Lunch Money to buy equipment, many States and
Counties simply can't afford to carry the burdens of endless and unwanted subsidy. (See Transit Workers Union website for endless, "out of money"
reports.)...
....................Vern.............. |
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TheDriver
Joined: 18 Dec 2015 Posts: 233 Location: America
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 9:39 pm Post subject: |
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and no transit agency can operate without huge subsidies so that makes public transportation an inefficient mode to use.
Light rail is another boondoggle as it cost much more to operate.
All electric is very expensive and it would be much worse if there were a huge increase in the use of electric power which would then mean the use of more oil and the cost of oil will sharply rise making all costs go up. |
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Steve Carras
Age: 63 Joined: 05 Mar 2010 Posts: 63
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 9:48 pm Post subject: |
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For my first post here in a year or so, lemme add that with his being in the White House, I;m afraid Obama will WORSEN buses by insiting on getting away more and more from those "Speed/Saving Mr.Banks" classics (aka Fishbowls...) |
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TheDriver
Joined: 18 Dec 2015 Posts: 233 Location: America
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Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2016 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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I don't know if anyone is aware that the fishbowls had more seating than the new gilligs that are common today. |
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