TRANSIT SYSTEM NEWS

Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) Chairman David M. Stackrow has been nominated as one of the members-at-large for the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Board of Directors. The election will take place on October 11 at APTA's Annual Meeting & EXPO in Houston, TX. “It is an honor to serve on the APTA Board of Directors at the national level,” Stackrow said. “CDTA has worked hard to further highlight the benefits of public transportation in the Capital Region and we look forward to insuring continued results alongside our partner agencies across the country.”

RGRTA has unveiled a refreshed brand identity for RTS, its paratransit service, and subsidiaries in Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, and Wyoming Counties.  The goal is to foster stronger connections to the RTS brand as “the bus company,” and greater awareness and interest in public transportation. Chief Executive Officer Bill Carpenter said, “We believe this refreshed brand identity more accurately represents our organization—one that’s driving forward to become our community’s preferred transportation choice.”

STATE NEWS

The state is due to receive a windfall of $4.5 billion thanks to a string of legal settlements with banks and insurance companies. The question now is how the mountain of loot will be spent.  E.J. McMahon, of the conservative-leaning Empire Center for New York State Policy, said the state would be better off using the bulk of the windfall on one-time expenditures, such as mass transit and upstate transportation projects. Meanwhile, NYPTA President Carm Basile has sent a letter to Governor Cuomo urging him to increase investment in public transit from the budget surplus created by the legal settlements. You can download the letter here.

Governor Cuomo has announced that Amtrak will continue its tradition of providing train service to the Great New York State Fair, with five trains dropping passengers off daily for the 12 days of the fair, which runs from Thursday, August 21 to Monday, September 1. At the Governor’s urging, Amtrak and CSX Corporation reached an agreement Monday to continue the service. The Fair, which is themed "Summer's Best in Show," has a train stop on the fairgrounds at Gate 11, just outside the Horticulture building entrance.

The New York Transit Museum’s newest exhibition, Traveling in the World of Tomorrow: The Future of Transportation at New York’s World’s Fairs, celebrates the 50th and 75th anniversaries of the 1939 and 1964 Fairs. With a variety of postcards, photos, ephemera and souvenirs, the exhibition shows how transportation was a symbol for the future, its potential effect on modern American life, and the technological advancements in transportation that American corporations claimed would make a better world possible. This free exhibition opened on July 26 and runs through November 2, 2014 at the Transit Museum Gallery Annex in Grand Central Terminal.

FEDERAL NEWS

Sens. John Boozman (R-Ark.) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.) predicted this week that lawmakers will find a new way to pay for U.S. transportation projects beyond the gas tax, according to the Fort Smith, Ark., Southwest Times Record. Inhofe said he was confident lawmakers would be able to reach another agreement on extending the infrastructure funding next spring. “One thing we all agree on is transportation, because that’s what we are supposed to be doing,” he said, according to the report.

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

London - A British study finds that walking, cycling and yes, even taking public transportation to work are associated with lower body weight and lower body fat composition when compared against those who drive.  Ten percent of men and 11 percent of women reported using public transport. Both their body fat percentage and their BMI scores, like those of others who walked or cycled, were lower than those who commuted by means of a personally owned car. Ten percent of men and 11 percent of women reported using public transport. Both their body fat percentage and their BMI scores, like those of others who walked or cycled, were lower than those who commuted by means of a personally owned car.

Washington, D.C. - Do you travel like a millennial or are your local travel habits a generation behind today’s travel trends?  The American Public Transportation Association has created a new online quiz based on recent research on how the millennial generation gets around town.  The “How Millennial are Your Local Travel Habits” online quiz compares the quiz participant’s local travel habits to this tech-savvy 18-34 year old generation. 

NYPTA TRAINING AND EVENTS

2014 NY PUBLIC TRANSIT FALL CONFERENCE & EXPO

         Early Registration ends tomorrow! Save $100

The 2014 Transit Solutions Conference + Expo is quickly approaching. There is still time to take advantage of all the conference benefits at the discount rate. Grow professionally with a diverse mix of industry-related training, meet directly with leading vendors who understand your daily challenges and have solutions to offer and exchange ideas with colleagues in the lounge, on the expo floor, and in education sessions. Tomorrow is the last day to save $100 on your registration fee. Register today!

Program Highlight of the Week

NYSDOT & FTA Training Sessions, September 17th & 18th:

• NYSDOT Oversight of 5311 & 5310 Programs

• Drug and Alcohol Compliance Training

• Contract Revenue Generation

• MAP-21 updates on planning requirements and grant development

Mobility Management Track, Thursday, September 18th
This track includes open, interactive discussions on current trends and innovative solutions and services. Sessions include:

• Where is Mobility Management Going in NYS: Medicaid Transportation Roundtable

• Mobility Management Innovative Solutions Roundtable

• Mobility Management in Action: Creative Business Models for Shared Mobility

New! Maintenance Expo Pass | Wednesday, September 17th |1:45-6pm
Bring your maintenance staff to preview the latest developments and innovations in public transit products, services and technologies from close to 50 business partners and vehicle displays.  Maintenance specific education sessions are being held on the show floor.  
Expo Pass - $75/person     To learn more about the Fall Conference, visit www.nypublictransit2014solutions.org.