Welcome to the National Alliance of Public Transportation Advocates! NAPTA is a national organization representing local transit coalitions who support increasing federal investment in public transportation. After some terrific success supporting additional transit funding in the last Transportation Reauthorization legislation, the National Alliance of Public Transportation Advocates has taken a lower profile in recent years – until now!

NAPTA REVITALIZATION

NAPTA welcomes Tom Shrout, Citizens for Modern Transit coalition in St. Louis, MO, as NAPTA Chair.  Tom led the NAPTA meeting at APTA’s 2008 Legislative Conference and helped developed a new path for NAPTA.  To find out more, click here for the NAPTA Update and Report.

NAPTA will hold it’s next meeting at Rail-Volution 2008 in San Francisco to discuss communications and advocacy strategies related to the new Transportation Bill to be considered by the new Congress and President in 2009. NAPTA invites current and prospective members to attend to find out how to help ensure the bill is favorable to transit.

LOCAL UPDATES

Helpful Reports for Coalitions—Below are two new Transportation Cooperative Research Program reports that may help local coalitions create effective campaigns.  To download the reports, go to www.tcrponline.org and type in the report number.  Reports are downloaded in PDF format.

TCRP Report 122 – Understanding How to Motivate Communities to Support and Ride Public Transportation

This report provides a comprehensive discussion on the methods and strategies used by public transportation agencies in the United States and Canada to enhance their public images and motivate the support and use of public transportation.  It identifies and describes methods and strategies used by other industries comparable to public transportation, examines the perceptions, misperceptions, and use of public transit, and the extent to which these affect support, identifies effective communication strategies, campaigns, and platforms for motivating individuals to action in support of public transportation, and recommends ways to execute those communication strategies, campaigns and platforms.

Report 123 – Understanding How Individuals Make Travel and Location Decisions: Implications for Public                   
Transportation

Residential location and travel behavior have a large effect on society's consumption of energy, levels of pollution, and on health.  Better understanding leads to better insights as to how to predict choice and how to influence it through better polices, education and communication.  This report aids to improve the understanding of how people make travel and location decisions, and to derive practical  implications and policy guidance for encouraging more use of public transportation and walking.

Does your coalition have news, information, or helpful tips to share?  E-mail info@napta.net to get your updates posted!

STATE UPDATES

Recent Election Results: Kansas City, MO
“Bus Tax Extension is Approved by KC Voters” Kansas City Star, April 8, 2008 (link)

Transportation Finance at the Ballot Box—this report examines state ballot measures on transportation funding from 2000-2005.  Read CFTE’s analysis of trends and implications for the future of transportation funding.

FEDERAL UPDATES

New Starts/Small Starts Policy Guidance—FTA has released is Proposed New Starts Policy Guidance.  New Starts guidance can affect your communities ability to plan and build new systems, so read carefully and stay informed!  APTA will make comments on behalf of APTA members, and all comments are due to FTA by May 18, 2008.  For more information visit APTA’s Rulemaking page.

Congress Holds Hearing on Transportation Challenges—The House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, chaired byRep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR), held the first of several hearings on transportation challenges of metropolitan areas to explore the impact of growing populations on transportation.  Click here for more information on the hearing.

Complete Streets—Senator Harkin introduced the Complete Streets Act of 2008 (S. 2686) in early March, while Representative Matsui is preparing to introduce a similar bill in the House before the end of April.  Both bills work to ensure that all users of the transportation system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users are able to travel safely and conveniently on streets and highways.  Co-sponsors are needed.  Contact your representatives to Congress to communicate the advantage of a more user-friendly transportation network.

Climate Change—The Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 2191) is scheduled to be considered on the Senate floor in early June.  This bill currently dedicates one percent of potential revenues from a “cap-and-trade” system to transit investment.   APTA encourages six percent of the bill’s revenue be directed to transit, with no less than four percent to local, regional, and state efforts to curb growth in vehicle travel.  You can help by relaying the environmental benefits of public transportation to your Congressional representatives to encourage the dedication of a greater amount of funds.  To view the letter APTA sent, click here.

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