Rep. Oberstar Calls for mileage-based tax on vehicles

This just in Yesterday from Yahoo News. This is a very big deal that TCC will continue to track.

Top lawmaker wants mileage-based tax on vehicles
By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press Writer Joan Lowy, Associated Press Writer Tue Apr 28, 2:35 pm ET

WASHINGTON – A House committee chairman said Tuesday that he wants Congress to enact a mileage-based tax on cars and trucks to pay for highway programs now rather than wait years to test the idea.

Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., said he believes the technology exists to implement a mileage tax. He said he sees no point in waiting years for the results of pilot programs since such a tax system is inevitable as federal gasoline tax revenues decline.

"Why do we need a pilot program? Why don't we just phase it in?" said Oberstar, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman. Oberstar is drafting a six-year transportation bill to fund highway and transit programs that is expected to total around a half trillion dollars.

A congressionally mandated commission on transportation financing alternatives recommended switching to a vehicle-miles traveled tax, but estimated it would take a decade to put a national system in place.

"I think it can be done in far less than that, maybe two years," Oberstar said at a House hearing. He was responding to testimony by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., who recommended that the transportation bill include pilot programs in every state to test the viability of a mileage-based tax.

Blumenauer said public acceptance, not technology, is the main obstacle to a mileage-based tax.

Pilot programs "would be able to increase public awareness and comfort and it would hasten the day we could make the transition," Blumenauer said.

Oberstar shrugged off that concern.

"I'm at a point of impatience with more studies," Oberstar said. He suggested that Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., chairman of the highways and transit subcommittee, set up a meeting of transportation experts and members of Congress to figure out how it could be done.

The tax would entail equipping vehicles with GPS technology to determine how many miles a car has been driven and whether on interstate highways or secondary roads. The devices would also calculate the amount of tax owed.

"At this point there are a lot of things that are under consideration and there is also a strong need to find revenue," Oberstar spokesman Jim Berard said. "A vehicle miles-traveled tax is a logical complement, and perhaps a future replacement, for fuel taxes."

Gas tax revenues — the primary source of federal funding for highway programs — have dropped dramatically in the last two years, first because gas prices were high and later because of the economic downturn. They are forecast to continue going down as drivers switch to fuel efficient and alternative fuel vehicles.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has ruled out raising gas taxes to make up for the funding shortfall, and the White House has rejected a mileage-based tax. They have not offered an alternative.

"The funding of the highway trust fund is a complex issue that will require consultation with Congress and consideration of a number of creative ideas," said Transportation Department spokeswoman Jill Zuckman. "The secretary looks forward to working with Chairman Oberstar and others as they consider how to keep the highway trust fund going."

A mileage-based tax has been unpopular in some states where it has been proposed. Critics say it unfairly penalizes drivers who live in rural areas and intrudes on privacy.

"When we can solve the equity issues to a majority's satisfaction in the Congress, when we can solve the privacy issues to the satisfaction of the American people, we can look at moving forward, but I just don't think we have the data or the experience right now to say we can set a timeline or a deadline," DeFazio said in a recent interview.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.

New Study: Traffic Accidents Account for Twice as Many Deaths as Maliaria Worldwide

I picked this one up via the NYC Freakeconomics Blog. The post cites a recently released study that indicated 3.7% of deaths worldwide are due to traffic accidents. The study also indicated that traffic incidents account for 23% of deaths due to injury, which is the largest share and twice as many that war and violence accounts for. So, while the world legitimately freaks out about Swine Flu, just remember that an estimated 2.1 million people a year die from traffic accidents.

Kevin Desmond Featured in Mass Transit Magazine

Kevin Desmond is the director of operations at King County Metro and also is a panelists at the Town Hall this Friday. There is a long article interviewing him in Mass Transit Magazine here is the link. Some of the topics discussed are agency coordination, Central Link opening, and ORCA. Well worth the read! Thanks to Seattle Transit Blog for the heads up.

Excerpt:

Desmond says integrating Link into the existing bus services King County Metro provides was in the plan from the beginning. “There’s an understanding that when Link light rail begins operation to the extent that it is overlapping or duplicating bus service we can then remove some or all of that bus service and ideally we’ll be able to reallocate those service hours to other needs within those communities primarily to help create feeder systems to the Link.”

Desmond sees Central Link as the system’s spine with Metro buses feeding into it like its bones. He admits that a lot of the Link ridership is going to rely on good feeder service to maximize its value to the community and to maximize the value of the bus system.

But despite the benefits the new plan will provide, it’s still difficult to make any changes to a system that has operated as long and as well as Metro has.

“That’s the hard part,” Desmond says, “because you’re still changing service that people have relied on for many, many years.”

“So we’re working that through a community process. But as typical here, as we work through we get the feedback.”

The Best of times and worst of times excerpt:

When I asked Desmond if he had any advice for other transit executives, he deflected the question as best as he could saying he’d rather hear from others instead of to try and give advice himself.

“We’re in the midst of a completely unique and totally unexpected set of circumstances we’re facing now. You know it’s a tale of two cities; it’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times,” Desmond says.

“It’s the best of times with the demand that there has been for transit on the ridership side. It’s the best of times as the nation, particularly now with the new administration in Washington, D.C., has been very focused on climate change and managing carbon to the extent that federal legislation eventually moves toward pricing carbon, whether it’s through say a cap-and-trade or through basically a carbon tax. The president has proposed in his budget a cap-and-trade system.”

Desmond says he thinks transit can play a big role in a system that uses carbon pricing because it will change the way people think about how they use their cars and how roads are built.

Don't Forget Town Hall this Friday!

TOWN HALL: Visioning the Puget Sound Region’s Transportation Future
PART I – Challenges Facing Our Transportation Infrastructure

What will the Puget Sound region’s transportation landscape look like in 20 years? How will we move people and goods, manage congestion, and cut our emissions? As the region grapples with the many transportation challenges ahead, now is the time to have this discussion. On the heels of the stimulus package, plans are underway on how to spend future federal highway and transit dollars in the next reauthorization of federal transportation legislation later this year. Transit demand continues to skyrocket while operating revenues are plummeting. How do car sharing, walkable and bike-friendly communities, and transit work together to form a new vision for transportation?

This town hall is part of a “Visioning Puget Sound Region’s Transportation Future” series. Part 2 will examine some of the new opportunities and investments in transportation in the Puget Sound region and Part 3 will include a discussion with key federal, state and local decision makers that can help make our region’s transportation future a reality.


Join us for this special interactive town hall discussion with our panelists:

Jan Drago, Chair, Transportation Committee, Seattle City Council
Kevin Desmond, General Manager, King County Metro
Chuck Ayers, Executive Director, Cascade Bicycle Club
Carla Archambault, General Manager, Zipcar Seattle
Eric de Place, Senior Researcher, Sightline Institute
Carla Saulter, Transit advocate and author of the Bus Chick blog on Seattle PI.com

WHEN: Friday May 1, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
WHERE: Bertha Knight Landes Room, Seattle City Hall, 5th Avenue between Cherry and James St. (please note change in venue)

The series is brought to you by:
Transportation Choices Coalition, Futurewise, WashPIRG, Sierra Club Cascade Chapter, Bicycle Alliance of Washington, Cascade Bicycle Club, Feetfirst, Seattle Transit Blog, and Zipcar

Legislature may not be done just quite yet

The Seattle Times is reporting that the legislature may come back in the coming weeks for a special session to finished some business. The TNT's Political Buzz has also been covering the news. One thing that is of interest to TCC is the Governor's Climate Bill, which did not make it out of the Legislature before Sine Die yesterday. The last version of the climate/greenhouse gas emissions reduction bill had language that directed the state to move forward in meeting our vehicle miles traveled reduction goals. Stay tuned!

SB 5433 passes on a tie breaking vote!

SB 5433 the local options bill, which gives transit agencies more funding options, passed the Senate 25-24 with Senator Benton excused. Talk about legislative drama, the final passage of the bill was 24-24-1 and then the President of the Senate, Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen broke the tie in our favor making it 25-24-1. This is good news for transit funding. Seeing this close of a vote on the floor is extremely rare.

To view to the final roll call of the bill go here .

All of the Republicans voted against it except Dan Swecker from the 20th District.

The Democrats who voted against it were Senators Eide, Franklin, Transportation Chair Haugen, Hobbs, Kauffman, Kilmer, Marr, and Sheldon.

Wow.

The final hours of the legislative session

The WA State Legislature is in the final hours of the 2009 (regular) session.

One bill we are tracking closely is SB 5433.

SB 5433 is the local funding options bill. There are various local government funding options and slightly policy changes in the bill. We are very supportive of this bill because there is language that will provide options for transit agencies to fill their large budget gaps.

SB 5433 will allow the King County Council to use some portion of the passenger-only ferry district money for Metro.

It will also allow transit agencies to put a voter approved $20 vehicle tab fee called congestion reduction tax on the ballot. This tax would require voter approval and would provide as a crucial tool to allow agencies to diversity their revenues from something other than the volatile sales tax and supplant their revenues which are falling off a cliff across the state.

The final bill that came out of the conference committee passed out of the House by 51-44 earlier today. The debate on the Senate floor for final passage of the bill is taking place right now. Watch it live here, http://www.tvw.org/media/LiveTemplates/LivePlayer.cfm?evid=2009040138C&ccode=C&TYPE=V&FORMAT=Windows&bhcp=1

Transportation Budget being heard on house floor right now

Watch it live on TVW using the link below:
http://www.tvw.org/media/liveevents.cfm?CFID=2037776&CFTOKEN=78073697&bhcp=1

Update:
The final transportation budget just passed 77-19, more on what this means for the future or Washington's transportation to follow.

Transportation Budget #1: I-90 Two Way HOV

Yesterday the Senate and House in Washington released essentially what is the finalized transportation budget from the conference committee. The good news, the negotiated budget includes $10 million for R8A funding on I-90 and $7 million for vanpools. Unfortunately though, this budget continues to emphasize 1950 road expansion priorities. Two of the biggest problems with the budget is that it cuts capital passenger rail projects and eliminates GTEC funding.

I'll be doing a series of posts reporting on the impacts of the finalized Transportation budget for mobility and multi-modal funding.

For a direct link to the finalized budget go here: http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/budget/detail/2009/ct0911p.asp For easier read documents go here: http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/budget/leapdocs/transpodocs.asp

Two-Way HOV:
The Finalized budget calls for a modest investment of $10 million dollars for the Two-Way I-90 project, also known as R8A. Relocating the HOV lanes out of the middle lane of I-90 to the outside segments of the bridge is a crucial step in building voter approved light rail across I-90. This $10 million dollar investment is better than the $0 that was originally in '09-'11 transportation budget. Sound Transit is still paying the overwhelming vast majority of this $200+ million dollar repaving project.

The Seattle Times covered the story today. Funding aside, the discussion around the State charging Sound Transit to use the center roadway of the floating bridge is still front and center:

"Rail skeptics have objected that freeway capacity will be reduced if trains occupy the express lanes. Last year, Gov. Chris Gregoire and transportation Secretary Paula Hammond both said they expect compensation for the lanes. And in the run-up to last fall's ballot measure, opponents argued the express lanes should be reserved for buses rather than rail, because buses can fan out to more Eastside destinations than a fixed-rail line can."

The idea that the state will charge Sound Transit to use the center roadway is disturbing for a number of reasons:

1) This project will result in no loss of road capacity on I-90 and will improve traffic flow for the "reverse commute" because there will be an HOV lane in each direction all day. The capacity of the corridor will increase drastically because there will be no road capacity loss and high frequency light rail crossing the bridge 20 hours a day, which will benefit everyone.

2) I-90 is ultimately owned by the taxpayers. About 90% of the project was paid for by the federal government during its original construction and it was designed for rail in the first place.

3) Historically Sound Transit has invested significantly in system-wide road improvements through their HOV access program. They have been a team player, WSDOT should return the favor.

4) Having one public agency charge another public agency for infrastructure sets a disturbing precedent. Should the city of Seattle start charging King County Metro for the buses using its streets? The State DOT and Sound Transit are both public agencies that should work together in order to provide choices and mobility to taxpayers. If WSDOT charges Sound Sound Transit to use I-90 lanes it would laugh in the face of agency efficiency and partnership.

TNT Weighs in on High Speed Rail

The TNT has a great Op-Ed that was posted on Tuesday praising the Obama administration for its investment in rail and highlighting how Amtrak Cascades is well poised to receive rail stimulus money. It is well worth a read!

http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/story/715773.html

"Cascades needs to have quicker, more frequent service and better on-time performance. That goal will require work to clear choke points, install better signals and separate grade crossings.

A recent study by the state Department of Transportation pegged the cost of doubling the number of daily Seattle-to-Portland roundtrips to eight and shaving a half hour off the travel time at $817 million.

The payoff: Ridership would more than double. That’s thousands of cars a day that would not be clogging I-5.

State transportation planners have the projects ready to go. All they need is the money. Washington and Oregon have wisely invested in getting the dream of high-speed rail this far. By rewarding that effort with a healthy infusion of funding, the feds could encourage others to do the same."

Seattle Times Monday Editorial on Climate Change Bill

In case you haven't seen it, check out the Seattle Time's editorial on the climate change legislation.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2009086386_edita20climate.html

Cars and trucks and TransAlta, the massive coal-fired power plant in Centralia, are key emitters in a state rich in hydropower. TransAlta is given a bit more time, but faces a flat deadline to meet greenhouse-gas emissions performance standards by 2025.

Regional transportation organizations in populous counties would have to implement plans to reduce annual vehicle miles traveled. Translated, that means providing people with real options to driving. This is not about the mileage police, but real choices when gasoline prices spike again.

Real transportation choices for Washington families is a positive step in the right direction!


Trains will be running in the Downtown Transit Tunnel this summer! Photo courtesy of Seattle Transit Blog.

Sound Transit's Photo of the Week: ORCA on the Way

Sound Transit released their photo of the week today, which highlights imminent arrival of the ORCA Smartcard. Its good to see Sound Transit raising some smiles from their weekly photos and PR!



"Steve the ORCA whale---ORCA card’s unofficial spokeswhale." Courtesy of Soundtransit.org

Climate change legislation, VMT reduction, and TCC picked up by the Columbian Today

The Columbian picked up the story on VMT reduction targets in the Climate Change bill that passed the House.

Check it Out!
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090416/NEWS02/704169958

The transportation language in the bill could strengthen the case for including light rail as part of a new bridge across the Columbia River, said Rob Johnson, executive director of the Transportation Choices Coalition.

"It gives Vancouver and Clark County the incentive to create great connections to light rail," he said. "We would expect that there are people who would want to live near" light rail to reduce their use of cars, he said. "This will give local planners more tools in their toolbox to make sure these connections are strong."

Columbia River Crossing Today

Earth Day, Zipcar, and $1 Beer

This is just in from Zipcar's newsletter:

beer for a buck at green pike pub

Seattle Greendrinks, Carrotmob, and Zipcar have partnered to help "green" the Pike Pub & Brewery. On Earth Day, 25% of all sales at the Pike Pub will be invested back into the store in the form of energy retrofits and other improvements to improve the pub's efficiency, reduce its waste, and more. The first 50 Zipsters who join us at Pike Pub from 4 - 6pm get their first pint of beer for only $1. Look for the Zipcar team in the bright green shirts, flash us your Zipcard and we'll hook you up. And if you bring along a friend who joins Zipcar, we'll slide you both $75 in driving credit.

Sounds good to me! I'll see you for a green $1 zipcar beer next week! In case you were wondering, Earth Day is on the 22nd of April.

MAY TOWN HALL: Visioning Seattle's Transportation Future

What will Seattle's transportation landscape look like in 20 years? How will we move people and goods, manage congestion, and cut our emissions? As the city and the Puget Sound region grapples with the many transportation challenges ahead, now is the time to have this discussion. On the heels of the stimulus package, plans are underway on how to spend future federal highway and transit dollars in the next reauthorization of federal transportation legislation later this year. Transit demand continues to skyrocket while operating revenues are plummeting. How do car sharing, walkable and bike-friendly communities, and transit work together to form a new vision for transportation?

Join us for a special interactive town hall discussion with our panelists:

Jan Drago, Chair, Transportation Committee, Seattle City Council
Kevin Desmond, General Manager, King County Metro
Chuck Ayers, Executive Director, Cascade Bicycle Club
Carla Archambault, General Manager, Zipcar Seattle
Eric dePlace, Senior Researcher, Sightline Institute
Carla Saulter, Transit advocate and author of the Bus Chick blog on Seattle PI.com

WHEN: Friday May 1, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
WHERE: Bertha Knight Landes Room, Seattle City Hall, 5th Avenue between Cherry and James St. (please note change in venue)

This special town hall is brought to you by
Transportation Choices Coalition, Futurewise, WashPIRG, Sierra Club Cascade Chapter, Bicycle Alliance of Washington, Cascade Bicycle Club, Seattle Transit Blog, and Zipcar

House Passes Climate Bill, Works to Reduce Vehicle Miles Travelled

The legislature must have been burning the midnight oil because this morning at about 12:45 AM the House passed a bill (SB 5735) 59 to 37 that lays the groundwork for reducing vehicle miles traveled in our most populous counties.

A recent study released by The American Public Transportation Association, which analyzes gas and parking prices monthly, calculates that the national average savings for a family leaving just one of their cars in the garage for a year is $8,670. In Seattle the savings is actually higher at $10,447 a year.

This legislation would give families and commuters more transportation choices to get where they need to go faster while keeping more money in their pocketbooks – and out of their gas tanks.


Plus, the legislation is good for the environment and supports the reduction of transportation-related greenhouse gasses. It reinforces the good work that many cities and counties in Washington are already doing to reduce climate changing emissions.

The bill now heads to the Senate for concurrence. We expect a tough fight in the Senate to ensure that this important provision remains in the bill but are heartened by the support of the Governor and key allies in the Senate.

House Transportation Budget Debate on TVW Right Now

The House is moving out the Transportation Budget Right now. To watch the debate online go to http://www.tvw.org/media/livetv.cfm?CFID=2037776&CFTOKEN=78073697&bhcp=1


Simpson's amendment to move forward on two way Mercer HOV passed without too much of a fuss which was good to see.
http://flooractivityext.leg.wa.gov/default.aspx?chamber=3

Take a Train to watch Britney in Action

If you are one of the lucky Seattleites who is attending the Britney Spears concert at the Tacoma Dome, you are in luck, Sound Transit will be running a special Sounders Service for the show! Also the Tacoma Light rail will be running until midnight connecting the Dome to downtown bars and restaurants.

Talk about Transit Friendly Teeny Boppers. Maybe now that there is a train for $4.75, less parents will have to drive their teens to Tacoma for the show. So, while your sitting at home enjoying a Thursday night glass of wine while your kids are on the comfortable Sounders Train coming back from the Dome, remember to say "Thank You" to Sound Transit.

Reminder: Intercity Rail Friday Forum is Today at noon

Just a quick reminder that our Friday Forum for this month is on intercity rail. We've got a great set of panelists attending and it should be a lively discussion. See you at the King County Chinook building in room 115 at NOON TODAY!

New Title Only Tolling bill scheduled in Senate Transportation

I got an e-mail announcement today that SB 6113 is scheduled for a public hearing on April 6th. Interestingly Senate Bill 6113 is a title only tolling bill that doesn't say anything yet. Anything could be inserted as the tolling discussions around the viaduct and the 520/I-90 corridor continue to unfold. Keep tuned as we keep you posted on this interesting development.

LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT: Transit April Fools Joke? Sadly Not! Legislature's Not So Funny Attempt to Stop Light Rail to the Eastside

The Legislature is attempting to jeopardize light rail to the Eastside. Sadly this is no April Fools joke! Over the last week, the state legislature has moved to block light rail to Bellevue and Redmond, both in the Senate and in the House.

Last year YOU voted to pass Proposition 1 which will bring light rail to Mercer Island, Bellevue and Redmond across the I-90 bridge. Sound Transit and the state reached an agreement to jointly fund HOV lanes over the I-90 bridge through the R8A project. Those lanes must be built before the express lanes can be converted to light rail, and that construction must start very soon to keep light rail to the eastside on schedule.

Contact your representative TODAY and ask them to restore funding for the R8A project.

In order to bring light rail across Lake Washington as soon as possible, Sound Transit doubled their contribution to this project to $90 million, and the state agreed to pay the remaining $24 million. The region shouldered most of the burden of this project, and now the state is backing out of their part - recently released budget proposals in the House and Senate defund or postpone the project to 2017. Your representatives are willing to halt a voter-approved $6 billion public investment in transit that will create jobs, reduce congestion and decrease emissions over $24 million which was already funded by voters as part of the statewide gas tax increase in 2003.

It gets worse! The state also added another roadblock, a study to determine how much the state can charge Sound Transit - meaning us regional voters and taxpayers - to use the I-90 bridge for light rail. YOU the taxpayer has already paid for this bridge, and they are thinking about asking YOU to pay for it again!

Click to tell your legislators to hold up their end of the bargain. Many, like Senator Fred Jarrett, Representative Judy Clibborn from Mercer Island and Speaker Frank Chopp, represent districts that voted decisively for Proposition 1. You made your decision, and it's time for them to represent you!

Contact your representative TODAY and ask them to restore funding for the R8A project. Ask them not overturn the will of the voters who voted overwhelmingly to build a regional rail system.