Transit News of Interest

NEWS RELEASE City of Lawrence, KS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 17, 2007

Contact: Cliff Galante, Public Transit Administrator, (785) 832-3464. Bus driver Tony Duran can also be available for media interviews or photo opportunities.

Bus driver's idea inspires help for the holidays

Bring a canned good, get a free ride on the "T" and T Lift this Thursday

(LAWRENCE, KS) - In addition to cash and bus passes, the Lawrence Transit System will be accepting a special mode of bus fare on Thursday, Dec. 20-canned goods.

Riders can bring any non-perishable food item to the bus in exchange for a one-way trip. The promotion is extended to riders on the "T" fixed-route system as well as certified passengers on the T Lift paratransit service. Items collected will be donated to local agencies.

Bus driver Tony Duran knows the importance of keeping the food banks well-stocked, especially during this time of year.

"During the holiday seasons a lot of the food banks are pretty much depleted," Duran said. "With my family, we've had to use them once in a while ourselves. I know that it's really important."

That's why Duran came up with the idea for a holiday food drive, in conjunction with the transit system. He said he sees passengers on a daily basis trying to make ends meet. "When people get on my bus, I know where they're going. I see them with the box of food on the bus."

Duran, who is a driver for both fixed-route and paratransit buses, will be driving Route 6 Counter-Clockwise on Thursday. He said he hopes passengers will take part in the food drive, even if it might be cumbersome to carry a canned good to the bus instead of a few quarters.

"I have a lot of good passengers who are very big-hearted," Duran said. "I usually round out at about 100 passengers just on my shift, so I know we could make a difference."

In the past, the "T" has done a "Stuff the Bus" campaign, where people bring donated items to a bus stationed at a certain place. This will be the first time riders bring cans directly to the bus in exchange for their fare.

The "T" and T-Lift paratransit services are operated by MV Transportation.

The transit system operates from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. To help plan your trip or learn more about the routes, call (785) 312-7054 or log on to www.lawrencetransit.org.

Cliff Galante
, CCTM, Public Transit Administrator - cgalante@ci.lawrence.ks.us Lawrence Transit System P.O. Box 708 Lawrence, KS 66044 office: (785) 832-3464 | fax: (785) 832-3462

FMCSA 12-07
Contact: Melissa Mazzella DeLaney
Tel.: (202) 366-9999 or (202) 366-2309

FMCSA Announces Retention of Limits on Truck Driver Hours of Service

Truck WASHINGTON - Truck drivers will continue to be limited to driving only 11 hours within a 14-hour duty period, after which they must go off duty for at least 10 hours under an Interim Final Rule (IFR) made public today by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The IFR was developed after new data showed that safety levels have been maintained since the 11-hour driving limit was first implemented in 2003.

"This proposal keeps in place hours-of-service limits that improve highway safety by ensuring that drivers are rested and ready to work," FMCSA Administrator John H. Hill said. "The data makes clear that these rules continue to protect drivers, make our roads safer and keep our economy moving."

The agency noted that, in 2006, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled was 1.94 - the lowest rate ever recorded. Similarly, since 2003, the percentage of large trucks involved in fatigue-related fatal crashes in the 11th hour of driving has remained below the average of the years 1991-2002. In 2005 alone, the agency noted, there was only one large truck involved in a fatigue-related fatal crash in the 11th hour of driving while in 2004 there were none.

In addition, between 2003, when the 11-hour driving limit and the 34-hour restart were adopted, and 2006, the percent of fatigue-related large truck crashes relative to all fatal large truck crashes has remained consistent. And the agency's estimates show that only seven percent of large truck crashes are fatigue related.

Hill noted that the agency also is working to finalize a proposed rule that would require drivers and trucking companies with serious or repeat hours-of-service violations to track their hours of service using electronic on-board recorders.

The agency issued the new hours of service rule in response to the recent decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacating key provisions of the existing hours of service rules effective on December 27. In order to ensure no gap in coverage of these important safety rules, today's rule temporarily reinstates those two provisions while the agency gathers public comment on its actions and the underlying safety analysis before issuing a final rule.

The IFR is available at: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/about/news/news-releases/2007/hos.pdf

# # #

It's the law:
KSA 8-1703
Chapter 8.--AUTOMOBILES AND OTHER VEHICLES Article 17.--UNIFORM ACT REGULATING TRAFFIC; EQUIPMENT OF VEHICLES
8-1703. When lighted lamps required. (a) Every vehicle, except as provided in subsection (b), upon a highway within this state, at all times shall display lighted head and other lamps and illuminating devices as required for different classes of vehicles, subject to exceptions with respect to parked vehicles:
(1) From sunset to sunrise;
(2) when due to insufficient light or unfavorable atmospheric conditions, including smoke or fog, persons and vehicles on the highway are not clearly discernible at a distance of 1,000 feet ahead; or
(3) when windshield wipers are in continuous use as a result of rain, sleet or snow.
Stop lights, turn signals and other signaling devices shall be lighted as prescribed for the use of such devices.
(b) Motorcycles, motor-driven cycles and motorized bicycles manufactured after January 1, 1978, shall display lighted head and tail lights at all times that such vehicles are operated on any highway.
(c) Law enforcement officers shall issue a warning citation to anyone violating subsection (a)(3).
History: L. 1974, ch. 33, � 8-1703; L. 1982, ch. 45, � 1; L. 1990, ch. 49, � 1; L. 2006, ch. 182, � 3; July 1.

Update from the Southwest Transit Association (of which KS is a member)

The Annual Conference program brochures were mailed this week. The detailed schedule can be found at http://www.swta.org/pages/seminar.html. This is a VERY exciting conference that will focus all of us on the theme of TRANSIT is the FUTURE!

Board Meetings at the Annual Conference - There will be 2 Board meeting held during the Annual Conference, Sunday 2/17 and Tuesday 2/19. Please mark your calendar and begin making plans to attend the conference. You can register you and your staff online or use the registration form in the brochure that is coming in the mail.
The Bylaws committee, under the direction of Committee Chair, Gary Manley, is working hard to have a new draft of the Bylaws before the end of the year. There will be many tweaks and several sweeping changes the Committee is working on. Gary is doing a great job. Contact him if you want to submit any ideas.
Transit Management & Paratransit Management class was a wonderful success. Huge SWTA Thank you's to Fred Gilliam and the Capital METRO team. They hosted the 2 week class in royal fashion. The best quote came from Cipriano Rubio, Maintenance Foreman, VIA. He said, "If knowledge is what propels us through the future, then SWTA is the environmentally safe fuel providing the thrust."
SWTA is going to host a Legislative Summit in early January. This summit will be an opportunity for the SWTA members to define what, as a region, we want to accomplish for the upcoming reauthorization and it will serve as a starting point for a list of transit issues important to the region. We will provide this list to APTA and CTAA as they are talking about transit with Congress. We need to construct a coordinated effort that will lead to better representation and a show of regional strength. The goal is to bring about 30 participants to the table. SWTA's goal is not to be a paid lobbying arm, but to facilitate a coordinated, consistent message for those who are working with Congress on transit issues.

The timeline is as follows for the entire process.

January - first meeting, in Houston , will be January 11. Frank Wilson has offered to host the event and be the facilitator for the discussion The Summit will be a 1-day meeting with a 2-fold purpose. We will finalize the SWTA Strategic plan in the morning and in the afternoon we will discuss, plan and coordinate the legislative piece.

February - second meeting in Fort Worth at the SWTA Annual Conference set for February 17-19. This will allow for fine tuning of the legislative plan and will take place as a breakout or a meeting on Sunday or Tuesday afternoon of the conference.

March - APTA's Legislative Meeting is set for March 9-11. We want to be ready with our written plan delivered to APTA by this date. If you or any of your members attend the APTA conference, you will have a copy of what the SWTA member's agenda is and can talk about this as you are meeting on the Hill.

Welcome New Board Member for New Mexico: Bruce Rizzieri, Regional Transit Manager, Mid-Region Transit District, 809 Copper NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102 Direct Telephone: 505.724.3618 e-mail: brizzieri@mrcog-nm.gov

Your Executive Director serves as Kansas' representative to SWTA. If you have any questions about SWTA, please advise.

R. E. "Tuck" Duncan
Kansas Public Transit Association

It's the law: KSA 8-1703

It's the law:
KSA 8-1703