MAY 28, 2013

Charlotte, North Carolina Mayor Anthony Foxx reportedly sailed through his Senate confirmation hearing last week, pleasantries from both sides of the aisle.  While they greeted him warmly, both Democrats and Republicans warned that he has a long row to hoe and is going to need to be creative in finding methods to finance much-needed improvements.  Read more in at WashingtonPost.com.

We’re very pleased and proud of Joe Boardman, a NYPTA founding member and past president, who received the nod last week for two more years as CEO of Amtrak.  In the first four and a half years of Joe’s tenure, Amtrak has experienced record ridership, had its equipment purchase in ten years, and is poised to enhance services with more and faster trains.  Read more at Bloomberg.com.

STATE NEWS

Metro-North resumed full service late last Tuesday afternoon, a day ahead of its announced projection.  Speeds are still at low speeds, as expected for new track, and there is only single-track access for a portion of the trip.  Read more at NYTimes.com.

A major upstate north-south artery has been relieved of a major clog.  As Governor Cuomo announced last week, a major deck reconstruction on Thaddeus Kosciuszko Bridges (the “Twin Bridges” to people in NY’s Capital Region) is completed.  Read the Executive Chamber press release.

INDUSTRY NEWS AND VIEWS

American Public Transit Association released its annual summer travel forecast – this year subtitled “Travel Like a Local.”  In addition to riveting statistics like “more than 126 million Americans are planning urban vacations this summer” and New York is the No. 1 city destination,” the report includes a series of advisories to help visitors master mass transit in some major US cities.  Check out the report here and, just for fun, learn how to “travel like a local” in six cities across the country here.

In our last TTN, we told you about the upcoming National RTAP webinar series “GTFS (General Transit Feed Specifications)/Online Trip Planner Workshops.”  Registration for the three-workshop series is now open.  The first is “Introduction to GTFS builder and Gathering Bus Stop Location Data” on June 13. “Building Schedules with Bus Stop Data” will be held on June 20, and “Completing Basic Bus Route, Validating and Posting on Google” is scheduled for June 27.  All webinars will be conducted at 1:30 p.m.  Click here to sign up.

NYPTA surveyed members about their top concerns regarding ADA compliance in preparation for the May 23 program at CNYTRA, so we know our members are interested in creative ways to manage paratransit services.  Metro Magazine spoke to several transit agencies about successes they’ve experienced through subsidizing and partnering with community organizations.  Read more here.

THIS WEEK IN NYPTA SOCIAL MEDIA

USPIRG recently published "A NEW DIRECTION: Our Changing Relationship with Driving and the Implications for America’s Future." It's full of interesting data and thoughts on why the price of gas, the habits of millennials, the economy and more should alter thinking on where transportation dollars are spent.  Read about it on NYPTA’s LinkedIn page, and “Follow” NYPTA while you’re there!

A transit system in Illinois has begun audio advertising on buses that can be targeted to locations that match business and/or demographics. For instance, a college's ads play right after a bus picks up at a high school. A McDonald's ad runs two stops before you reach the corner near the closest McDonald's. Find a link to the article and share your thoughts on NYPTA’s Facebook page, and be sure to “Like” us to keep our posts coming to your feed.