Innovation in Mobility Public Policy Summit Highlights

Nearly 250 people attended the two-day Innovation in Mobility Public Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., to see a wide variety of speakers from across the country. A link to the proceedings will be added to the ACT website soon.

Congressman Blumenauer Kicks Off Event

Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) opened the event and spoke about the importance of innovation and the need to expand options to the traveling public. He also discussed the upcoming transportation fiscal cliff: Sometime in July, the Highway Trust Fund will go broke, dramatically affecting thousands of transportation projects across the country. Blumenauer talked about the need to address both the short-term fiscal cliff as well as the long-term future of the Highway Trust Fund.

Leaders Discuss Local Governments and Multimodal Transportation Systems

Integration of shared-use modes into a local government's suite of services is integral to putting together a truly multi-modal transportation system. During the morning session, local leaders and innovators discussed the effect of innovative mobility options on their operations and how they promote and integrate these services to enhance the rider experience. The discussion focused on how shared-use operators, working with carsharing, bikesharing, and ridesharing, can fill gaps and extend the reach of current systems.

Break-out Sessions Initiate Deep Discussions

Breakout sessions on both days dove deep into many of the issues that innovators and local leaders have faced, including land use, insurance, and regulations. Additionally there was a series of breakouts that focused on the role of the federal government and its unique challenges. Finally, there a session addressed data and information and the need to gain a better understanding of what and how to measure innovation in transportation.

Special Thanks to Sponsors and Hosts

TransitCenter, Mobility Lab, UC-Berkley TSRC, Shared Use Mobility Center, Toyota, State Farm, Car 2 Go, Carma, Enterprise, B-Cycle, Cubic, Ridescout, Alta, Zipcar, Social Bike, BMW DriveNow

DOT Announces Availability of FY2014 'Ladders of Opportunity' Funds
The Federal Transit Administration has announced the availability of $100 million in bus/bus facility funds that are to be allocated to projects around the country that are aimed at expanding transit services for low-income workers. The funds come from unused earmarks in prior transportation bills. The submission deadline is August 4th. For more information, please refer to the official notice, or click here.

Highway Trust Fund Nearing Insolvency

U.S. DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx recently sent a letter to state departments of transportation, as well as a letter to FTA colleagues, letting them know that by the end of July, and as early as July 19th, the Highway Trust Fund would no longer be solvent. The letters also outlined details of what the DOT will do if the Trust Fund goes insolvent.

House Republicans are looking to pass a trust fund patch that will make the program solvent through May 2015. Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee is marking up legislation that would provide solvency for the trust fund until the end of the calendar year. Action in that committee began before the July 4th recess, however, the committee was unable to come to a bipartisan agreement; Senator Wyden postponed further action until after the July 4th recess. ACT will send a memo next week detailing how trust fund insolvency would impact ACT members.

Introducing New TMA Council Chair Maureen Farrell

My name is Maureen Farrell, Assistant Director for GVF, and I am happy to announce that our TMA Council has been reinvigorated and I am excited to be your new chair. Our TMA Council will be sending consistent communications to our members, updating you on our work but more importantly, discussing ways the Council can be a resource for your TMA/TMO and to find ways to get you involved in our Council. I also look forward to working with my fellow council officers, Lauren Grymek, Executive Director of Seaport TMA, and Melissa Madison, Executive Director at 494 Commuter Services. Feel free to click on our links to learn more about us! Lastly, please do not hesitate to contact me at mfarrell@gvftma.com if you are interested in getting involved or have any questions. Looking forward to seeing you in San Francisco, and don't miss the TMA Council Networking Happy Hour during the conference on Tuesday, August 5th at 4:00 p.m.

A study sponsored by the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research, UrbanTrans North America, and the ACT TMA Council is being conducted as part of an ongoing effort to learn how TMAs are formed and operated. TMA surveys have taken place every five years since 1993, tracking trends over time and helping educate governments and other funders about the benefits of TMAs.

All TMA Survey answers are completely confidential. The final survey report and all related information dissemination will only include aggregated totals.

 All organizations that consider themselves TMAs, TMOs, or any variation of a TMA-like organization should complete this survey. The 'organization's executive director or other senior program management staff member is likely best suited to complete the survey.

The survey will take 30 minutes or more. You can re-enter the survey instrument at any time to update your responses. You can also download a print copy of the survey to prepare your answers in advance here. Participants will receive aggregated survey results!

For more information, contact Philip Winters 813.974.9811 or  winters@cutr.usf.edu.