Cities scramble to meet mass transit demands
Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) — U.S. cities are racing to cope with ever-increasing demand on public transportation as gas prices remain at record levels.
Rx for Ailing U.S. Mass Transit Policy: A Dose of Competition
… federal capital grants have generated a mad scramble among cities to secure … demand responsive taxicab service versus publicly operated mass transit systems …
High gas prices in recent months have had a considerable impact on commuters using public transportation, statistics show.
Even regions that have traditionally resisted giving up cars and have limited access to mass transit are reporting a surge in public transportation use.
From trains and trolleys to subways and buses, the growth encompasses all modes of travel, according to the American Public Transportation Association, a Washington D.C.-based industry group.
Cities are using a variety of measures to meet that demand, according to an informal APTA survey of some transit systems.
For example, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which is currently operating at capacity during peak periods, is asking its commuters to travel during off-peak periods. The MBTA has also ordered more subway cars, buses and coaches for its commuter rail.
In North Carolina, the Charlotte Area Transit System has increased the frequency of light rail service on the weekends, ordered new buses and is taking a look at low-performing routes to cut down on costs.
Don’t Miss
And the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, which serves Philadelphia and has seen about 20,000 new daily customers since last July, has ordered 400 new hybrid buses and 120 new rail cars.
Other measures being used or considered by transit systems include changing schedules to increase frequency of buses and trains, creating bus-only lanes and taking out seats on trains to make more room for commuters.
Crosscut Seattle - Get on the bus, Gus, unless it costs too much
… shredded the revenue going to public transit, agencies scrambled to cover a 40 … by legislation and for transferring money from mass transit to highways. …
‘The paradox of public transportation’
While the rise in ridership has been a relatively easy adjustment for some systems, others are facing difficulties in meeting operating costs, which hampers their ability to ramp up service or maintain normal levels.
Cal Marsella, the head of Denver, Colorado’s transit system, calls it the "paradox of public transportation."
Denver’s system, like many U.S. cities, is partly funded by revenues from sales taxes. As consumers spend less because of high fuel costs and a sour economy, the city earns less revenue. Consequently, funding for the transit system is decreasing just when their operating costs are higher than ever before.
Light Rail Now! NewsLog - Light Rail Transit News
“We projected 8,400 (more) riders a day” GM Cal Marsella told Mass Transit. … streetcars can play a role in the city’s future; 2) meet technical challenges …
Rocket City to be area’s driving force
… including Governors Drive, will be elevated to meet increased traffic demands. … kind of mass transit system, whether it’s an expansion of the city shuttle bus …
"Just when our demand is highest, our ability to provide is being undermined by the whole crunch," Marsella said. "The last thing we want to do is curtail service but there is not a lot you can do when revenues are down and fuel prices are up."
Clean Air : Policy Police by Anumita Roychowdhury - War on MMT won : CSE
MBA Energy Articles 2001
Articles about Energy Policy and Mass Transit (2001) … a number of transit alternatives to building roads to meet traffic growth. …
… that transit through cities are not cleaned up, cities cannot meet their pollution challenge. … Cities will now desperately scramble for solutions as …
False Dreams and Broken Promises: The Wasteful Federal Investment in …
This year funding for mass transit may rise by as much as 20 percent to nearly … generated a mad scramble among cities to secure federal transit dollars to pay …
The Denver Regional Transit District, however, saw the high prices coming and was able to lock in the price of diesel fuel earlier this year at $3.20 a gallon — a price far cheaper than what the market is right now. That contract expires at the end of this year.
See a map of gas prices across the country »
Marsella is pessimistic prices will
Related posts: Oprah xm, Brothers and sisters wikipedia, Ivy sherman, 10 mila, Samuel richardson novel
Britney Spears and Madonna are working together again! The 26-year-old pop star and sad driver of toy cars will shoot a video that will run on multiple 1,000-foot screens at Madge’s upcoming Sticky & Sweet tour. “Who cares?” you might think, but then again, if you start dreaming up possible video scenarios instead of doing your job, this news can actually be pretty fulfilling. (Especially when doing this IS your job.) 
