In the Loop is your Friday round-up of what's going on in the transportation world, posted in conjunction with Talking Transit.
@ mpc
Chicago awarded $30 million in TIGER funding for CREATE and CTA projects. MPC bikes to work and staff give suburbanites tips on how they can too! Bus Rapid Transit is better transit.
RTA recently released results of a study of their transit passengers that said riders were overwhelmingly satisfied with the current, separate fare structure of regional transit organizations. An informal MPC poll on Facebook found otherwise.
elsewhere
CTA gets $2 million up front cash from Groupon for 3-day fare pass deal and Grid Chicago sits down with CTA President Forrest Claypool on BRT, Lake Shore Drive, Bikes and the Red Line.
Rio expects 220,000 riders a day on its new BRT, while NYC Council members demand more of it in the outer boroughs. Virginia invests in Amtrak and riders flock to it.
Get it done - DC’s exploring privatizing its proposed streetcar system while China lures $3 billion in private dollars for rail investments. Oklahoma City is changing how people get around, adding transit and bike sharing because it’s key in the fight to knock out obesity.
In Palo Alto everyone benefits when drivers get paid to drive off-peak, meanwhile Southern CA gets congestion pricing on highway 10 to ease traffic gridlock. Portland’s 14,000 parking spaces go 40 percent vacant, and they have a plan to do something about it (hint – It’s not more cars!) Florida considering vehicle miles tax to deal with decline in gas tax revenues.
ROAR! - Nearly $500 million in highly competitive federal TIGER 2012 grants awarded to 47 transportation projects in 34 states – and it’s all about making connections for U.S. DOT Sec. LaHood. Congress must keep the American Community Survey to made educated funding decisions.
Check out the corresponding edition of Talking Transit, about transit and the federal TIFIA loan program.