Two interesting national transportation stories out this week:
- US DOT new policy: Treat walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes
- Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has issued a new policy statement that calls for full inclusion of pedestrians and bicyclists in transportation projects, with particular attention paid to transit riders and people of all ages and abilities – essentially, a Complete Streets policy.
- “This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized,” Secretary LaHood said in his blog yesterday.
- APTA: 10.2 Billion Trips Taken on U.S. Public Transportation in 2009
- "According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the 10.2 billion trips taken on U.S. public transportation systems in 2009 is a 3.8 percent decrease from the 52-year modern ridership record that was set in 2008. For the fourth year in a row, Americans took more than 10 billion trips on public transportation in 2009, despite high unemployment, a severe economic recession and lower gas prices. Bus and rail service cutbacks resulting from lower state and local funding also contributed to the ridership decline.
- Despite this recent decrease in transit ridership, public transportation use is up 31 percent since 1995, a figure that is more than double the growth rate of the population (15%) and up substantially over the growth rate for the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on our nation’s highways (21%) for that same period.