DOT and the National League of Cities, Natural partners for a livable future

Repost from USDOT:

DOT and the National League of Cities,
Natural partners for a livable future

I had so many different things to talk about with members of the National League of Cities yesterday, it was difficult to not keep them in the room all afternoon.

 

It would have been easy to simply thank NLC members for their support of DOT's Recovery Act efforts.

It would have been easy to explain how our high-speed rail program offers many cities, big and small, a great opportunity to connect to regional transportation networks.

And it would have been easy to tout the Obama Administration's DOT-EPA-HUD Partnership for Sustainable Communities and our efforts to create livable communities that offer a range of transportation and housing options.

I could have just stopped with what we'd accomplished in the last year, but these folks came to talk about the route ahead. And I wanted to share the promise of what we can achieve through new tools DOT has made available to municipal planners.

It all begins with our TIGER program. Because, with TIGER we're not just talking about awarding winners a pile of money; we're talking about changing the rules of the game.

For the first time, the application process for these discretionary grants allowed cities to apply directly to DOT for funding. And these grants were open to the kind of multi-modal projects we simply aren't allowed to fund through our traditional, segmented programs.

On the heels of TIGER's success, Congress approved another $600 million for us to award this year, guaranteeing more new opportunities for cities.

As we pursue surface transportation reauthorization, we want to build on TIGER's success by empowering cities to have more input and control over how Federal transportation dollars are spent to support local goals. It just makes sense that local planners know the kinds of outcomes their communities want and need.

The innovative nature of the TIGER projects tells us that the days of one narrow criterion for evaluating a project are over. Different projects serve different goals. So we want communities to compete for project funds based on a wide range of measures including sustainability, livability, and potential for economic development.

Those are three changes that ought to give us all hope for a new era of transportation projects, in cities and suburbs and rural areas alike.

But, as strong a partner as this USDOT wants to be, economic realities limit the contribution we are able to make. So I encourage municipal leaders and planners to collaborate with regional organizations and private companies to design projects that are strong from the get-go.

Look, I know solving transportation and development challenges is not easy, but creative partnerships offer an important leg-up.

America's cities were the incubators of many transportation innovations this past year. From bike boxes at intersections to transit-oriented affordable housing development, our cities have been pioneers. I, for one, am looking forward to what they'll show us in the year ahead.

$79 Billion Budget for the U.S. Department of Transportation Promotes Safety, Infrastructure Investment and Livable Communities

Press Release:



DOT 20-10
Monday, February 1, 2010
Contact:  Olivia Alair
Tel.:  (202) 366-4570

$79 Billion Budget for the U.S. Department of Transportation Promotes Safety, Infrastructure
Investment and Livable Communities

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today said President Obama’s $79 billion budget for the U.S. Department of Transportation continues strong levels of investment for safety, the department’s top priority, along with critical investments for infrastructure to generate economic growth and support livable communities.

“President Obama’s budget builds on an historic first year for this Department of Transportation,” said Secretary LaHood.  “In addition to making critical investments in our nation’s infrastructure, we jump-started high-speed rail across America, launched a campaign against distracted driving and proposed landmark transit safety legislation. This budget reflects our priorities and values by continuing to invest in safety, livable communities and an improved national transportation system.”

Secretary LaHood said the budget promotes safety in a number of areas, starting with a new $50 million incentive grant program to the states to combat distracted driving.   Since Secretary LaHood convened a national Distracted Driving Summit last fall, he has undertaken a nationwide campaign to put an end to the deadly epidemic.

The budget further advances traffic safety with $12 million to improve the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) Five-Star Safety Rating System, which is used to rank the safety of new automobiles, and 66 additional personnel in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration assigned to highway and vehicle safety issues. 

Safety personnel will be added across agencies, with $7 million and 118 people for additional motor carrier safety inspectors; $14 million for the FAA to hire 82 new safety and certification inspectors and safety technical specialists; and $1.4 million to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to continue carrying out their action plan to address pipeline and hazardous material safety.

Aviation safety is a top priority, receiving $1.1 billion for NextGen air traffic control technology, an increase of $275 million, 32 percent, over the FY 2010 enacted levels. 

The budget also places a strong emphasis on transit safety by including $30 million and up to 260 positions to support the Obama Administration’s Public Transportation Safety Program Act of 2009, which the administration proposed to congress last year to ensure a high and standard level of safety across all transit systems.  

Recognizing that a strong transportation infrastructure is an engine for future economic growth, Secretary LaHood announced that the budget establishes and provides $4 billion for a National Infrastructure Innovation and Finance Fund (NIIFF) to issue grants and loans in support of projects that provide a significant economic benefit to the nation or a region. 

The budget includes an additional $1 billion for high-speed rail, coming on the heels of President Obama and Vice President Biden’s January 28 announcement of $8 billion in Recovery Act funds for states across the country to develop America’s first nationwide program of high-speed intercity passenger rail service. 

Secretary LaHood also highlighted the importance of livable communities, and providing greater choices for transportation users through the integration of transportation, housing and commercial development decisions.  This budget provides $527 million for livable communities by establishing an Office of Livable Communities, creating a program to improve local and state project planning and development capabilities, and funding programs that expand transit access for low-income persons.

A budget summary document is available at www.dot.gov.

END

Budget Highlights can be found at http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2010/Budget.pdf