August 18, 2010


In the News:
Phoenix bus unions agree to extend negotiation deadline, The Arizona Republic, August 11, 2010
Residents who live near public transportation live healthier, longer lives, study finds, APTA, August 11, 2010
Mesa light rail extension cleared for next phase, The Arizona Republic, August 13, 2010
Feds OK design work for rail extension in Mesa, The Arizona Republic, August 17, 2010

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Phoenix bus unions agree to extend negotiation deadline
by Lynh Bui 
Aug. 11, 2010 04:48 PM
The Arizona Republic

Contract negotiations between one of Phoenix's largest bus providers and two of the company's employee unions have been extended through Aug. 31.

Unions representing bus maintenance crews and engineers and Veolia Transportation Services agreed to extend contract talks on Wednesday.

The contracts for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 428 and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 104 were set to expire on Aug. 15.

If the two sides don't reach a collective agreement by the new deadline, the union employees could vote to go on strike, throwing metropolitan Phoenix's transit system into disarray.

Phoenix transit officials warn residents to think about alternatives such as carpooling, telecommuting or taxis in case there is a strike.

"We don't want to alarm riders, but they need to make preparations," said Debbie Cotton, director of Phoenix's public-transit department.

Bus riders are being told to visit valleymetro.org or call 602-253-5000 for service updates.

A strike would mainly affect routes in Phoenix, Glendale and Scottsdale.

Phoenix contracts with Veolia to operate 33 out of 99 bus routes in the Valley Metro system.

The city has no direct control over whether there is a strike because the negotiations are between Veolia and the three labor unions representing bus employees.

Contract negotiations are also still moving ahead with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1433, which represents bus drivers. ATU already has an extension set to expire on Sept. 30.

Cotton said the city is developing contingency plans in case there is a strike.

Draft contingency plans don't call for eliminating any routes, but the frequency of service would be reduced, resulting in longer wait times and more crowded buses.

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Residents Who Live Near Public Transportation Live Healthier, Longer Lives, Study Finds 
American Public Transportation Association
Transit News 
8/11/2010 

A new report, released by the American Public Transportation Association, which surveys current research has found that people who live in communities with high-quality public transportation drive less, exercise more, live longer, and are generally healthier than residents of communities that lack quality public transit.

Evaluating Public Transportation Health Benefits, a study conducted for APTA by Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute aggregates the findings of several recent studies and concludes that people living in transit-oriented “smart growth” communities enjoy several health benefits, not seen in other communities, including residents drive less, exposing them to a lower risk of fatal vehicle accidents.

Such communities also have less pollution, because public transportation produces far less emissions per passenger mile than private automobiles. In addition, people who live near quality public transit are more likely to undertake regular physical activity than residents of automobile-dependent communities.

“Public transportation enhances the overall quality of life of an individual and a community,” said APTA president William Millar.  “Use of public transit simply means that you walk more which increases fitness levels and leads to healthier citizens.  More importantly, increasing use of public transit may be the most effective traffic safety counter measure a community can employ.”

The APTA report notes, transportation activity also plays a role in lessening an individual’s risk in five of the 10 leading causes of reduced lifespan, as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A recent CDC study evaluated causes of potential years of life lost, including cancer, heart disease, motor vehicle crashes, and other causes. For example, “Pollution contributes to cancer and congenital anomalies [birth defects], and sedentary living ... contributes to heart disease and strokes,” Litman wrote.

One solution is smart growth communities, according to Litman, who cited a 2003 study finding that urban residents had significantly lower violent death rates, whether from vehicle accidents or other causes.

Litman also noted that the 10 U.S. counties with the “smartest,” most transit-oriented growth have approximately one-fourth the traffic fatality rates as those counties with the most sprawling development. For example, the traffic fatality rate for the Bronx, NY was approximately four per 100,000 residents.  However, for Miami, KS, the rate was almost 40 per 100,000.

Moreover, other recent studies have found that users of public transportation walk more than those who do not use public transit, regardless of income.

The health benefits of public transportation should be given greater consideration in transportation planning, Litman concluded. “A growing portion of households want to rely more on alternative modes and live in more accessible, multi-modal communities,” he wrote. “Accommodating this demand would provide benefits to users and society, including significant health benefits.

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The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is a nonprofit international association of more than 1,500 public and private member organizations, engaged in the areas of bus, paratransit, light rail, commuter rail, subways, waterborne passenger services, and high-speed rail. This includes: transit systems; planning, design, construction, and finance firms; product and service providers; academic institutions; transit associations and state departments of transportation. More than 90 percent of the people using public transportation in the United States and Canada are served by APTA member systems.

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Mesa light rail extension cleared for next phase
by Sean Holstege
Light Rail Blog
Friday, August 13, 2010 at 11:14 AM 
The Arizona Republic

The Federal Transit Administration has cleared Metro to move ahead with the final engineering and design of the 3.1-mile light rail extension into downtown Mesa.

In a letter Wednesday, the FTA told Metro the Mesa project received a “medium-high” rating, enough to proceed.

Metro spokesman John Farry says work will begin immediately on the next phase. The transit agency has hired Jacobs Engineering to complete the preparations. Metro will be seeking as much as $75 million in federal transit grants to help pay for the 4-station project, currently estimated at $200 million.

If the project wins federal funding, construction could begin in mid-2013 and passengers could begin riding the extension in late 2016. Mesa will likely get the first of a series of planned light rail system expansions, passed by county voters in 2006.

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Feds OK design work for rail extension in Mesa
3-mile Mesa extension can now move forward
by Gary Nelson 
Aug. 17, 2010 09:36 AM
The Arizona Republic

Work on the next three miles of light rail in Mesa can continue with Uncle Sam's blessing.

But last week's letter from the Federal Transit Administration is no guarantee of final federal funding for the project. That will come only if Metro Light Rail complies with a long list of requirements and continues to show the project is feasible.

"They're basically telling us we believe you have . . . a quality project" that probably will get all the anticipated federal funding, said Mike James, Mesa's transportation director.

Still, the green light to begin preliminary design is a significant milestone for the light-rail extension, which Mesa officials hope will carry thousands of passengers and spur redevelopment along the West Main Street corridor.

The 3.1-mile extension will stretch from the Sycamore station to Hobson Street, just east of Mesa Drive.

The trains will roll down Main Street, with stations to be built at Alma School Road, Country Club Drive, Center Street and Mesa Drive. Service is expected to begin in 2016.

Metro Light Rail is finalizing a contract with Jacobs Engineering for preliminary design work that will be paid from the half-cent transportation sales tax approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004.

If the feds like the drawings, James said, they will reimburse Metro for the design costs and approve the project's next phases.

That reimbursement will be part of federal funding estimated at $110 million.

About $75 million of the federal funding will come from what's called the Small Starts program and the rest from miscellaneous federal transportation grants.

The county sales tax will cover the rest of the approximately $200 million project.

Design is expected to take two years with construction to begin shortly thereafter.

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