Tompkins County Chief Transportation Planner Dwight Mengel has been awarded the 2015 George Rucker Award from the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA).  The award was presented June 3 at the association’s 2015 Community Transportation Expo in Tampa, Fla. CTAA Executive Director Dale Marsico wrote to Mengel “We’ve been impressed with your work in this period of difficult change in New York. Your efforts to organize operators, create information about how changes affect riders, how you’ve tried to provide leadership for mobility managers and much more are important examples of trying to make things better in difficult circumstances."

 

The man praised for leading the subway system through Hurricane Sandy announced his retirement. Carmen Bianco, 63, president of New York City Transit, is leaving his post at the helm of the largest segment of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s system in August after nearly two years on the job. Bianco’s retirement comes at a time the subway is regularly seeing days with more than 6 million rides.

 

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority will hold a public open house on Thursday, June 11, for the Amherst-Buffalo Corridor Transit Options Study. The public will have an opportunity to learn about the study status, review the list of alternative transit options being considered and provide feedback. The NFTA is working with the Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transit Council to assess options for more and improved transit connections from Amherst to Buffalo and all points in between.

Chief Investigator with the New York State DOT Public Transportation Safety Board (PTSB) John Fabian has announced he will be stepping down at the end of the month to pursue his consulting practice full time. Fabian is a long time NYPTA member who has been with NYSDOT in various capacities since 1984. A celebration in his honor will be held June 25th.

A new means to bolster the manufacture of transportation equipment in the Plattsburgh area was unveiled. The North American Center of Excellence for Transportation Equipment is intended to unify the various players that can help the industry maximize its potential in this region. Ensuring the success of firms such as Bombardier Transportation and Nova Bus/Prevost, as well as their suppliers, can only benefit the region in the long run, said North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas.

 

The Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council is studying how to improve transportation in Central New York over the next 35 years. But at a public meeting, the council said the biggest roadblock is funding. James D’Agostino, director of the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council says they can't properly plan for these projects without long-term funding from Congress. “It costs a lot more to fix a bridge and a lot more to pave a road than it did 20 years ago, and the money we get has not gone up said”, D’Agostino.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is introducing an amendment that would allow states to use federal transportation money on local bridge construction projects. Federal law currently limits the amount of federal money that can be used on infrastructure projects that are not related to federally-owned roads like interstate highways.  Gillibrand’s office said her amendment “would redirect existing dollars to restore bridge funding and ensure that local governments have the flexibility to determine which projects receive investment” while lawmakers continue working on a longer funding solution.

President Obama is threatening to veto a $55 billion Republican funding bill for the departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development. The White House said Obama would reject the measure, which is known as THUD, on the grounds that it underfunds federal transportation and housing programs. “The bill freezes or cuts critical investment in transportation that creates jobs, helps to grow the economy, and improves America's roads, bridges, transit infrastructure, and aviation systems, benefiting towns and cities across the United States” the White House said in a policy statement.

San Francisco -- Starting on Monday and spanning the next three weeks, members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and Mayor Ed Lee have accepted a challenge to ride public transportation daily in order to better understand the frustrations and joys that residents experience on San Francisco Municipal Railway on a daily basis. The challenge, spearheaded by the advocacy group San Francisco Transit Riders, will continue until June 22 and aims to help city officials gain familiarity with public transit and inspire them to improve the experience.

Chicago -- Cubic Transportation Systems and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) were awarded the “Best New Innovative Practice-Partnership Deployment” for Ventra, their joint contactless bankcard payment system. The award, given at the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America) Annual Meeting & Expo in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, recognized the organizations for implementing innovative projects with outcomes that redefine performance in public transport. ITS America gives awards annually in what it considers a highly competitive program to honor effective, influential achievements in transportation.

NYS Public Transit CONNECTIONS Conference: Sponsorships and Exhibit Booths are Available!

Get connected at the largest annual gathering of public transportation managers and professionals in New York State, October 27-29 in Rochester.

Sponsors, increase your visibility and show your support of New York Public Transit. Exhibitors, tell your story to more than 200 transit professionals and make valuable CONNECTIONS!

Reserve your sponsorship and booth exhibit early!

USDOT Webinar: Let's Talk Performance Series
TODAY, June 9, 2015, 2:00-3:30 PM EST

The Let's Talk Performance Webinar Series is a recurring USDOT webinar series that aims to:

• Broach new topics in transportation performance management
• Present unique perspectives from a variety of agencies
• Provide a forum for collaboration with fellow practitioners

A working group comprised of national stakeholders and USDOT staff vets topics selected for the Let's Talk Performance Webinar Series. The performance management concepts explored during each webinar will appeal to all transportation professionals.

Fundamentals of Transportation Data Part 2
Share examples of how agencies overcome internal IT, leadership, and resource issues that inhibit their ability to create data management and performance data programs. Register Now!